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Report: NFL Upbeat About 2020 Season Despite Positive Evidence From Covid-19
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As the calendar continues to get closer to the NFL season, the league is still trying to figure out how to solve multiple problems related to the coronavirus pandemic. A major problem the NFL faces is how to make sure players stay healthy, while another problem the league faces is how to make sure that all 32 NFL teams can get back some of the money that is spent. will lose if fans cannot attend. games.
With the season still over two months away, it appears the league has now solved both problems. NFL owners approved Thursday to allow teams to cover the seats closest to the field with a tarp that could include sponsor logos. The Sports Business Journal reported earlier this week that the NFL would require all teams to cover the first six or eight rows of their stadiums this year. Part of the reason this is being done is so that fans are not around any player, which theoretically will limit players’ exposure to the virus while on the sidelines.
The other positive aspect of the tarps is that the league will allow teams to sell advertising on them, which would be a way to recoup some of the money they could lose due to lower attendance numbers. CBS Sports NFL informant Jonathan Jones actually wrote about this possibility in May. After talking to multiple league sources about new ways teams could seek to make money, using an advertising mat was near the top of the list (Jones’ list also included the ability to advertise on field goal nets, which is something that has been done at the university level for years).
Another thing the NFL will allow this year is for teams to sell signs on the stadium that are visible on television. Currently, the NFL has a “40-foot rule,” which requires teams to be unable to have local advertising in space 40 feet above field level. That rule will be relaxed so that teams can generate more revenue.
Normally, the NFL is very sensitive to the marks that are displayed on the camera during a game. For the most part, if you’re watching an NFL game, you’ll only see things from official league partners like Nike, Microsoft, Bose, Gatorade, and Oakley. According to SBJ, the proposal to relax these rules will be given to homeowners on Thursday, and they are expected to vote on it.
Now that tarpaulins are expected to cover the front rows in NFL stadiums this year, that means each team will be working in reduced capacity in 2020. Although the NFL requires tarps, the league won’t demand anything more when it comes to assistance. According to The Athletic, the NFL will allow each team to dictate its own capacity at the stadium this year, and that number will be based on local health rules and protocols that are in place for the pandemic.
The NFL has been slowly increasing its planning for the 2020 season, and despite the recent wave of new COVID-19 cases across the country, the league is still optimistic that the 2020 season may start on time. Although the league is still finalizing its protocols for the year, NFLPA medical director Thom Mayer announced on June 16 that players will likely be screened up to three times a week to prevent the spread of the virus.
