Paul Zeise: NFL preseason games are the biggest money grabs in sports

Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Aug 15, 2025

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — Let's recap what happened this week regarding the Steelers and see if we can come to an understanding of why anyone in their right mind would buy a ticket to a preseason football game.

The Steelers broke camp, then invited the Buccaneers to come to town a day early for their preseason game so they could have one of these "joint practices."

Tampa Bay obliged, so Thursday they came into town and held a joint practice with the Steelers that had pretty much anyone and everyone healthy participate. That means it was Aaron Rodgers on one side and Baker Mayfield on the other and all of their weapons, as well. It was Jalen Ramsey against Mike Evans and the Steelers offensive line trying to stop Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey.

It was actual, real football complete with starters and guys who are actually going to make the team in a controlled scrimmage with a bunch of situational football periods. It was exactly the kind of exhibition fans would actually want to watch and the the kind that would give fans an idea about both teams and their progress toward the season.

That was Thursday, and of course Saturday the two teams will meet at Acrisure Stadium for a preseason game that will far more closely resemble a pickup game at Allegheny Commons Park than an NFL contest. Many of the guys who suit up Saturday will not be a part of either team — and, many of them, any team — in this year and beyond.

It will be a night of vanilla offenses run by backups trying to beat vanilla defenses and players chasing dreams they will never catch. I mean, more power to them. I hope some of them get a shot, but that's not really what this is about.

I need someone to explain this to me:

The practice on Thursday involving all of the starters and real situations was closed to the public, closed to the media — well, media could watch, just not report — not on TV and basically so secretive I am wondering if there were military strategies discussed in between plays.

The preseason game on Saturday is going to be wide open but, worse, is going to cost people real, actual money to go see. Yes, the practice people would want to see is closed to the public and fans, while the preseason game nobody cares about that features pretty much no varsity players will cost fans $50, $75, $100 or so to go watch.

Honestly, if there ever were an argument to just get rid of preseason games all together, this is it. And if there were ever an argument that preseason games are basically a Ponzi scheme that would make Bernie Madoff and Nevin Shapiro blush, this is it.

The joint practices are obviously where teams are getting prepared for the season. This is where coaches are watching to see who can do what and who is going to settle into the depth chart. It is where veteran players are able to kick off their rust and cobwebs and get ready for the season.

I had to laugh when I read Todd Bowles said Mayfield and Evans played so well in the joint practice that there is no need for them to play Saturday night. I mean, why would anyone coming Saturday who paid money for a ticket want to see those two and Rodgers and Metcalf for that matter anyway, right?

Heck, why stop there? Because the two teams got a good look at each other Thursday, Why not cancel Saturday? We don't need to do it twice in a week!

Preseason games are where all of the guys who are struggling to make a roster get a chance to put some film together. And that's great, but why make fans pay for these tickets? Why charge money for what is essentially a dress rehearsal for a bunch of guys who won't even be in the wedding?

I have often said preseason games are useless, but in recent years, they have become a farce. Teams are no longer even pretending, and most of the best players are nowhere near the field when these games are taking place.

Here is what the NFL should do to make this right with the fans — either go to a joint practice/scrimmage model fans can watch or make preseason games free.

I know all the arguments about how the poor NFL needs to maximize revenue by charging for preseason games. I get it — the NFL would go broke without extorting its season-ticket holders for an extra game or two, but it is so immoral and unethical I think it hurts the brand.

If they really need to make up the revenue lost for the teams, there are two simple ways to do it — either raise season-ticket prices a few bucks (nobody is going to cancel if their package goes up $50-$75 for the season) or squeeze a few more dollars out of your TV partners.

That way, you could make preseason games free to the public, you would probably increase attendance and grow your brand even more and nobody would have to feel bad about spending $100 to watch junior-varsity teams battle each other.

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