The Seattle Seahawks may be the next team to announce that they will not be allowing fans at home games in 2020.
On Friday, the Seattle Sounders, with whom the Seahawks share CenturyLink Field, e-mailed their season ticket holders to inform them that the state of Washington is prohibiting the Sounders from hosting fans this season due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the NFL is requiring all fans to wear masks at football games, they are leaving the issue of fan attendance up to the individual teams. The New York Giants and Jets announced on Monday that they will not be allowing fans at MetLife Stadium “until further notice” in accordance with New Jersey state guidelines. Multiple other teams, such as the Raiders and the Rams, are also considering such a policy.
Seattle’s raucous “12th Man” fanbase is infamous for providing one of the biggest home-field advantages in the league. It has set two Guinness World Records for loudest crowd roar at an outdoor stadium, reaching 136.6 decibels in 2013 and 137.6 decibels in 2014. Coach Pete Carroll has promised to push for piped-in crowd noise in the event of no fans to maintain CenturyLink’s status as one of the NFL’s most difficult places to play.
The Seahawks are scheduled to host their first 2020 home game on Sept. 20 against the New England Patriots.
