By Joe Rexrode and The Athletic NFL Staff
Sep 1, 2024
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Editor’s note: This article is part of the Stadium Guides series, a comprehensive guide to your NFL team’s stadium experience.
Buy tickets on StubHub to Tennessee Titans games at Nissan Stadium here.
When in 1999 the Tennessee Titans moved into their brand-new stadium in downtown Nashville, situated on the east bank of the Cumberland River and steps away from the honky tonks of Broadway, the situation couldn’t have been much better. Relatively speaking, the place (then Adelphia Coliseum, now Nissan Stadium) was heavenly. After their move from Houston, the Titans had spent a season playing in Memphis, then another at Vanderbilt Stadium — and neither experience was enjoyable.
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Adelphia instantly moved to the top of the league in terms of atmosphere, with college football vibes that are found in few NFL markets, and with a middling team taking a leap to Super Bowl contender. That first season — Steve McNair becoming a star, the “Music City Miracle” playoff win over Buffalo, the Titans coming up just short against the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV — has yet to be topped.
And time is running out because the Titans are building a new Nissan Stadium just a few feet away from the current location. That state-of-the-art indoor facility, which will have all the modern amenities and feel like a giant social club with football played in it, is scheduled to open in 2027.
Greater Nashville has nearly doubled in population since that first Titans season, and the city has become one of the country’s top tourism spots. Nissan Stadium, among the NFL’s best luxury offerings when it opened, has stagnated while the party around it has turned into a 24-7 rager. The new Nissan Stadium will fit in better and make Super Bowls, Final Fours and other grandiose events possible.
But an NFL game outside on a beautiful day will be missed. Some of those college football vibes will be lost.
The Athletic has compiled 32 stadium guides, one for each NFL team, to give fans vital information about the game day experience. We’ve also asked readers to weigh in on a few questions to help football fans enjoy their visit.
Insider tips
2024 must-watch game at stadium: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Week 15
Titans coach Brian Callahan gets a visit from mentor Zac Taylor and prized pupil Joe Burrow in the fourth meeting between these teams since 2021. The Bengals won two of those games but averaged only 14 points against the defenses of Callahan’s Nashville predecessor, Mike Vrabel. A banged-up Burrow and the Bengals mustered just a field goal last season at Nissan Stadium. Burrow and Callahan prevailed in the biggest of those games, a January 2022 divisional-round playoff win, despite the Titans sacking Burrow nine times. Ryan Tannehill’s three interceptions that day started the process that led to Will Levis replacing him last season.
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Fan tradition to know: The ’12th Titan’
When it comes to pregame hype, the 12th Titan tradition gives Nissan Stadium a bit more juice than some NFL stadiums. A celebrity of some sort — sometimes a former player — is introduced and thrusts a sword into the Titans logo at the 50-yard line just before kickoff. The more buildup before the sword is plunged into the turf, the more excitement from the fans. Honorees over the years include Pat Summitt, Eddie George and Mookie Betts. Dolly Parton also did it virtually.
Eddie George, Kevin Dyson and Zach Piller served as the 12th Titan in honor of their former teammate Frank Wycheck ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/UaAudK2CFL
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 17, 2023
Joe Rexrode’s favorite thing
The best atmospheres in this stadium in recent years have come during big games against teams with large fan bases because it’s almost like a college conference championship game or major bowl game. The best example was a 2021 Titans win over Buffalo on “Monday Night Football” with about 20,000 Bills fans in the crowd. People love to party in Nashville, which is great for the city — but not always for the Titans. It’s fun, in general, and figures to continue in the new stadium.
The Athletic’s stadium ranking: 18
Jon Machota ranked all 30 NFL stadiums in August 2023. This is what Joe Rexrode has to say about Nissan Stadium:
Nissan Stadium is a bit dated and is well on the low-frills side of things compared with most other NFL stadiums. The nosebleeds in the 69,143-seat stadium are true nosebleeds, something that won’t be much of an issue in the new stadium with about 10,000 fewer seats. But it’s hard to beat walking from the entertainment district on Lower Broadway across the pedestrian bridge to an NFL game on a nice day. And nice days are the norm for most of the season.
Fans’ game day advice
The Athletic surveyed NFL fans for their feedback on the following questions:
What is the ‘best bang for your buck’ seating section?
Best bang for your buck sections in the stadium are probably the upper deck loge (first six rows) around the 10-yard line, where the price point drops, or the end zone sections in the lower bowl. — David E.
Got to be the corner lower bowl seats. Cheaper than other lower-level seats but you get a great view of scoring plays. — Cass R.
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Where is the best spot to take a photo?
From around the 20-yard line in the lower section. —Mike L.
Club level on the west side with downtown and the river in the background. — Matt W.
Where is the best place to tailgate?
Why tailgate when you can party on Broadway and then walk over the bridge to the game? —Clm M.
The best tailgating is always gonna be downtown around Broadway. Walking the pedestrian bridge to the stadium is a must. — Cass R.
If you want a totally free option, we sometimes park/tailgate at the state employee lot across from the parking garage for the Sounds stadium in Germantown. It’s a long walk (about a mile/20 minutes) from the stadium, but it’s free and there are usually a couple of decent tailgates going on. — David E.
What to know if you go
Stadium address:1 Titans Way, Nashville, Tenn. 37213.
Year opened:1999.
Roof?No.
Playing surface:Matrix Helix Turf with organic infill.
Stadium capacity:69,143.
2023 average attendance per game (per Pro Football Reference):64,520.
Tickets: $219 is the average StubHub ticket cost at Nissan Stadium for a 2024 NFL game, according to StubHub. The Titans do not have a waitlist for season tickets. There is a personal seat license (PSL) fee for first-time season ticket holders, starting at $100 per seat. Seat and PSL prices are expected to increase when the Titans move to their new stadium.
A great day in Nashville!
The New Nissan Stadium is officially under construction 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/s4mieRKORt
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) February 29, 2024
Bag policy: All styles of clear bags are permitted, provided that they are 12 by 12 by 6 inches or smaller. Non-transparent bags can be no larger than 4 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches, even if you are placing them inside a larger clear bag. Non-transparent bags are still subject to inspection by security personnel at the gates.
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Outside food policy: All outside food and beverages are prohibited, except for items that fall under the stadium’s “child care” policy, which include clear plastic bottles/sippy cups containing liquid for a child and baby food/snacks/formula in clear plastic (no glass) containers for children under 2.
ADA information: The Americans with Disabilities Act requires at least 1 percent of stadium seats to be wheelchair accessible. For more information on all accessibility services at Nissan Stadium, click here.
Tailgating policy: Tailgating is permitted at the stadium but only directly behind your vehicle, and your tailgate may not extend into another parking space.
Transportation options: Parking is available at several lots around Nissan Stadium. For rideshare arrivals, there are multiple designated drop-off locations around Nissan Stadium. InShuttle provides the “Titan Fan Express,” which is a park-and-ride option that starts running 90 minutes before kickoff. It includes accessible buses for guests with disabilities. WeGo offers four bus routes to Titans games.
Learn more:NissanStadium.com.
The Stadium Guides series is part of a partnership with StubHub.
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Top illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Johnnie Izquierdo and Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
