Tennessee Titans: Securing Record Public Funding for New Enclosed Stadium

The Titans are an established, Nashville-based NFL team, generating economic impacts that extend far beyond football games.

The Background

The NFL’s Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team, based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team currently plays at Nissan Stadium, which is an open-air stadium built in 1999 with a capacity of 69,000. In addition to hosting Titans’ games, Nissan Stadium also hosts concerts, college football games, international soccer matches and family shows each year. 

The Challenge

Secure public funding to support the build of a new, state-of-the-art enclosed stadium to house the NFL team, support the attraction of major events such as the Super Bowl, and serve as a community space for educational and non-profit opportunities. 

The Solution 

Tourism Economics played a key role in analyzing the potential stadium impacts on the community. A comprehensive model was developed to quantify the impacts generated by the Tennessee Titans and the new stadium in terms of direct attendee spending and team and stadium operations, as well as total economic impacts, including employment, household income and fiscal (tax) impacts.

The Result

The Titans received approval for $1.2 billion in public funding, the largest public subsidy for a stadium in the United States. These dollars, paired with the Titans' own private funding, will be used to construct the new $2.1 billion stadium adjacent to their existing facility. 

The new building is set to break ground in 2024 and be ready for prime time by 2027. It will serve as a dynamic hub for major sporting events and community-focused purposes—in addition to being a vital economic engine and job provider for Nashville.