Rather than enforcing league-wide stadium capacity restrictions, the NFL has reportedly told its clubs to make their own decisions based on local government health guidelines. This could lead to some teams hosting games at or near full capacity, while others play in empty stadiums.
“Attendance will be a state-by-state, county-by-county thing. It will not be a one size fits all,” an anonymous NFL source said, according to The Athletic. The source also expressed concerns over current plans for the season. “I wish they would push back the start of the year to October to give us more time to learn from these other leagues.”
The NFL preseason is due to start in August and the regular season is set to begin in September. Teams are planning to play in their home stadiums despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
NFL EVP of Football Operations Troy Vincent had told NBC Sports radio last month that the league was planning on having full stadiums. “We also know that we have to plan for half stadiums. Three-quarters. So we're planning for all of these different scenarios,” Vincent said.
Teams started selling individual game tickets for the 2020 season in May. The Pittsburgh Steelers made just 50% of their normal ticket inventory available to the public in preparation for social distancing scenarios at Heinz Field. The New York Giants are letting season ticket holders skip the 2020 season while keeping their season ticket holder status for 2021.
