Last week, the Texas Rangers announced plans to open Globe Life Field to a full 40,300-fan capacity for the upcoming MLB season, starting with opening day.
And the Rangers aren’t even trying to hide how reckless that decision could end up being.
In the Rangers’ initial announcement, the team said that fans would be required to wear masks inside the stadium and practice social distancing — which obviously isn’t possible when you’re seated should-to-shoulder in a full baseball stadium.
But you know it’s a bad sign when the team’s own promotional video featured a fan skirting the stadium’s listed mask protocols.
Cardboard is out. Humans are in.
Single game tickets go on sale next week! pic.twitter.com/aYIvaKR2Uv
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 15, 2021
The Rangers tweeted a video on Monday to promote the open stadium with the caption, “Cardboard is out. Humans are in.” In that video, we saw a fan arrive to his seat, remove the cardboard cutout of himself and take his seat with the mask in his hands and not on his face.
Fans won’t be required to wear a mask when eating or drinking, but this fan wasn’t doing either. He was merely holding a cup, and the ad didn’t even show him take a sip. He sat down and immediately removed his mask.
The video essentially signaled how difficult that mask rule will be to enforce in a packed stadium when the team can’t even get it right in an ad.
Fans were certainly confused by that messaging.
Yet here in the ad he takes his mask off the moment he reaches his seat?
— Jeff Simons (@RinnosukeETQW) March 15, 2021
So why isn't he wearing his mask? He's not drinking that drink.
— Tavi (@szn_baseball) March 15, 2021
So, regarding the video posted above?
— Joseph Vogas (@trowaman) March 15, 2021
— glorious_clio (@glorious_clio) March 15, 2021
So why did you choose to show someone promptly remove said mask and deeply breathe in, therefore modeling and approving this behavior?
— Wear Your Damn Mask (@alphsc13) March 15, 2021
But this ad shows a fan without a mask. The first thing he does is take it off.
— Spapegghi (@peggyhill755) March 15, 2021
After all, despite Texas’ rolling back of coronavirus restrictions, the pandemic is still ongoing.
