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Report: NFL Upbeat About 2020 Season Despite Positive Evidence From Covid-19
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The NFL will reportedly have no overall policy or capacity limit for the 2020 season and will allow each team to individually dictate fan attendance. As the season approaches and the coronavirus remains a threat, many have been wondering if the stands will be full, partially full, or empty each time the season begins.
According to Athletic Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan, the attendance policy will depend on the stadium.
According to reports, a source told him:
“Attendance will be a matter of state by state, county by county. It will not be one size fits all.”
As it currently stands, the NFL plans to start on time, possibly with a shortened preseason. New health protocols and policies will be established, but not everyone believes the season should start as scheduled.
The source told The Athletic: “I would like them to delay the beginning of the year until October to give us more time to learn from these other leagues.”
As states begin to reopen, some leagues are allowing fans at events, like NASCAR and PBR, but policy varies greatly by state.
The NFL has reportedly discussed closing the gate, but aims to welcome fans, to avoid losing billions of dollars.
Kaplan estimated that the NFL would lose $ 3 billion if the regular season and playoffs were played in front of empty seats.
The advantage of playing at home and the lack of crowd noise could affect the game environment. Many have wondered if crowd noise will be injected into games if played without real fans.
In early July, the NFL will reportedly listen to the recommendations of the league’s stadium reopening task force.
