By the time the NFL season begins, the league hopes to have at least some fans in each stadium. But having fans in attendance could come with some risks due to COVID-19, especially for those who live in Florida. According to the NPR, the state has seen a +227% change in cases over the last two weeks, representing the second-highest figure they’ve calculated. Only Idaho, which is a far less populated state, registered a higher change percentage of the states that were calculated (+258%).
While a plan hasn’t been set in stone, there have been talks of the league letting state government officials make the call on the number of fans who can attend (if any at all). According to The Athletic’s Dan Kaplan, the NFL is also considering an electronic waiver for attendees to sign to protect teams from potential legal action should fans become infected at an NFL game.
Additionally, Kaplan pointed out that event planners in the league could also look into cashless transactions, serving only prepackaged food, and requiring fans to wear masks. The league will also reportedly tarp off the first six to eight rows to protect the field personnel. With that, sponsors will get to advertise on the tarps, which could help teams recover some of the money they’ve lost during the offseason and preseason.
It seems that even with the hurdles presented by the pandemic, the league wants to have fans in the stadium. If they do, we’d like to hear from the Jags fans at home about your plans. If the NFL allows fans in the stadiums, will you be attending and are you all willing to sign a waiver in the process? Let us know in the poll below.
