Justified logic wrote:And I'd just add that empty seats don't necessarily mean that the people have left the stadium; they could be at the top of the stairways, watching the game, or watching the game on the screens on the concourse, all ready to make the quickest possible getaway when the game does finish.
This I agree with. However, in a modern stadium like ours, concourses are wider, meaning more people can stand on stairways and concourses, and with people sitting mid-row leaving, a 'ripple effect' is created, whereby lots of fans end up loitering on the concourse for the last 5-10 minutes of the game, both to not get in the way of (and be got in the way by) early leavers, and to be a step ahead of those who do say in their seats until the final whistle blows.