2 February 2026
This Sunday we’ll discover who triumphs on the field out of the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. However, off the field, Relative Insight has already conducted its own fan experience Super Bowl.
Using publicly available Google stadium reviews, we used our fan experence platform to determine where both teams ranked league wide. Our software also enabled a direct comparison between the two venues, highlighting distinct experiences at Seattle’s Lumen Field and New England’s Gillette Stadium.
The infographic below summarizes what we found in our fan experience Super Bowl analysis. The difference between the two stadiums was observed closely by Shripal Shah, Chief AI & Innovation Officer at Next League. He commented:
“Two Super Bowl franchises can deliver elite performance on the field and very different experiences in the stands. Understanding that gap is now a business imperative.”
The rest of this blog adds detail to Relative Insight’s findings.
Overall NFL fan experience rankings
As part of our recent 2026 Fan Experience Report, we gathered publicly available fan feedback for all 30 NFL stadiums. Once uploaded to the Relative Insight platform, the data for all 30 teams could be compared across different gameday themes.
Ahead of the big game, we examined the fan experience rating for both Super Bowl participants’ venues.
As the table above shows, Lumen Field ranked in the top ten across all categories, including in the top three for atmosphere, concessions and staff friendliness. In contrast, Gillette Stadium was middle of the pack for most metrics — other than its poor parking feedback.
This was how the stadiums compared overall with the rest of the league. But how do they stack up against each other?
Lumen Field: Loud with great views
The most striking difference between the two stadiums lies in their fan atmosphere. Lumen Field’s crowd energy is discussed in 28.9% of the data and is 1.6x more likely to appear when compared to Gillette Stadium.
The stadium is renowned for its legendary “12th Man” concept, creating an almost mythical sonic experience. This is reflected in how fans discuss the venue, using words and phrases like “bone-shaking”, “loud” and “electrifying”.
“The partial roof is a stroke of genius. Not only does it keep a good portion of the fans dry during our classic Seattle drizzles, but it also traps the sound perfectly. When the crowd gets going, the roar is literally bone-shaking.“
The on-field and panoramic views are also a big talking point among fans. Supporters reviewing Lumen Field talked about this in 17.87% of reviews and appeared 1.4x more compared to Gillette Stadium
Lumen Field is consistently praised for exceptional views, including Seattle skyline and field perspectives. Fans frequently highlighted that there were “no bad seats” within their feedback.
“There are views for days: there isn’t a bad seat in the house. If you’re on the north end, you get that iconic view of the Seattle skyline. It’s easily one of the most photogenic stadiums in the world.”
Gillette Stadium: The well-oiled machine
Just like the teams of the New England Patriots dynasty, fans praised Gillette Stadium for its efficiency and effectiveness as a venue.
Supporters consistently stated that Gillette Stadium was well maintained, with a strong emphasis on cleanliness, organization and visitor experience. This theme appeared in 19.6% of comments and was 2.0x more likely to be mentioned in reviews of Gillette Stadium compared to Lumen Field.
Fans repeatedly used the words “clean” and “nice” to describe the venue, as well as describing it as “well managed” and discussing the “clean facilities”.
“One of my absolute favorite places! Fabulous selection of concerts and events that are always very well staffed and managed! The venue is very clean and the scenery is stunning! Go Pats!”
“A huge amount of people handled well. Clean stadium and bathrooms.”
Fan experience beyond the Super Bowl
The above insights provide an in-depth look at publicly available fan feedback for Lumen Field and Gillette Stadium.
However, this is only a snapshot of what fans are saying about NFL fan experience. For the full picture – in publicly available data – download our report into fan experience across the entire league using the banner below.
Or, to see how your team stacks up, request a free personalized fan experience report.
