Despite Oilers, Attendance Up

Attendance at NFL games, despite the small crowds in Tennessee, was up by nearly 2,000 per game over the first four weeks of 1996.

The league said paid attendance for the 56 games averaged 62,287 compared to 60,462 last year. The biggest crowd was at the new Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, where the Redskins’ home opener drew 78,270.

The smallest crowds have been in Tennessee, where the Oilers moved this year from Houston. Although they’ll play in Nashville beginning in 1999, the Oilers now are playing at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, where they’ve drawn crowds of 30,171 and 17,737.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers announced a $50-million commitment toward the construction of a new stadium and their intention to sign a 25-year lease.

The Steelers are pursuing a new stadium on the city’s North Shore. The team will also pay for cost overruns for the stadium, provided it controls the design of the project.