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NFL stadiums have received an estimated $6.7 billion from taxpayers

Fans Celebrate NFL Relocation Of Raiders To Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 27: Oakland Raiders fan Davi Tole of Nevada displays a sign to passing motorists on the Las Vegas Strip near the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign after National Football League owners voted 31-1 to approve the team’s application to relocate to Las Vegas during their annual meeting on March 27, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raiders are expected to begin play no later than 2020 in a planned 65,000-seat domed stadium to be built in Las Vegas at a cost of about USD 1.9 billion. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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With Nevada kicking in $750 million to build the Raiders a new stadium, NFL teams have now received nearly $7 billion in tax money to build stadiums over the last two decades.

According to an analysis from ESPN, the total price tag to taxpayers for building new stadiums and renovating old ones has been $6.7 billion since 1997. That includes 19 new stadiums and three major renovation projects.

Not every team has received public money. The stadium the Jets and Giants share in New Jersey was financed privately, and the stadium the Rams and Chargers will share in Los Angeles is being financed privately as well.

The NFL still makes most of its money from its television contracts. But there may not be enough attention paid to how much money the NFL makes from state and local leaders who are eager to attract teams or keep teams in place, and willing to pay a lot of taxpayer money on stadiums.