Full season schedules were released yesterday and some teams, like my Dolphins, have a plan to bring a limited number of spectators into the stadium for each game. Exactly how they are going to keep everyone healthy remains to be seen, but for now it appears that football will happen this fall. Doing my happy dance!!!!!!
shareI'm optimistic, maybe too much, that the NFL season will be played in front of full stadiums.
I paid a lot of money for Reds Opening Day tickets so I could go to my first Reds Opening Day and take my son to his first Reds game. Bought them on a site like Stub Hub. Since that obviously didn't happen, I have a $270 credit for tickets to other sporting events. $270 could get a a pair of tickets to probably two Bengals games and maybe allow me to see them play in Indianapolis as well.
With Joe Burrow now leading the Bengals I'm excited for NFL.
I NEED live sports! That's probably what I miss the most!
I miss baseball! Jays fan here.
shareThere's no way the NFL season would be canceled. Too much money involved, especially with the Super Bowl.
The games will be televised even if it means playing in an empty stadium. Ticket sales are now secondary to TV advertising when it comes to generating revenue. That's why the home game black-out rule was dropped in 2014.
Honestly, I was surprised to see that TNF was still on the schedule. I thought that might take a hit this year.
I wouldn't care if they dropped it. There are already too many night games.
shareAre you a football fan???????
shareYes. I just don't care for the night games. It wasn't so bad when there was only Monday Night Football. I live in the central part of the country where home games start at noon. This is perfect, just in time for lunch. Warm up some pizza, kick back and enjoy the game.
Another thing I don't like is the recent option to change the schedule after Week 5. It's happened more than once that I got lunch and snacks ready, and turned on the game only to discover it had been moved to Sunday night.
TV ratings and ad revenue have become more important than the game itself. Football is another sport that has been ruined because of money.
Well that's the thing, if a sport makes more money from TV revenues than from stadium ticket sales, it makes sense for them to hold the games in empty stadiums.
Now it'll probably prove true that watching the teams play without crowd reactions won't be as involving as with. The TV sports networks are probably scrambling to find ways to shoot sports events without showing empty seats, and they'll probably add to the broadcasts or mike the players, anything to prevent silent moments. Anything to make audience-less sports play better on TV.
There will probably be more commercials, logo placements and name-dropping of sponsors, too. As if there isn't enough of this already.
shareVery likely, the crowds watching the game live were a part of the show, and they won't be allowed back for a while.
There will be mutations of the virus and new waves of infections, so it's not like the whole thing will blow over by fall. And if as I suspect the NFL's main source of revenue is TV, then they will take the TV money and do what they can to do to make the games exciting and lucrative, without crowds. Because the NFL is one organization that's got enough money coming in to say that allowing live audiences is too financially risky, what if an entire stadium of people sues them because they all got the virus at a game? And if they sell partial seating, well, they'll only be able to sell every third seat every other row if they want to keep people six feet apart, and that will bring in little money and look and sound pathetic on TV.
Miami has proposed 15,000 people in a stadium that holds 75,000 - they will be far more spread out than every third seat or every other row.
I'm technically in a high risk group because of my age but if I had the chance to go to a live game this fall under those circumstances, I would be the first in line, especially a game played outdoors.
Just like sitcoms - they will add canned cheering and crowd noise.
(Just kidding - I hope not, but won't be surprised if they do.)
True attendance doesn't move the financial needle much, but I would argue half or close to half of sports excitement is the fans. Plays are more exciting when the crowd reacts.
Don't get me wrong I will gladly take any live football but fans make it more special.
Other than games played at Mile High Stadium, the home field advantage will sort of disappear this year w/o the fans.
shareI wouldn't be surprised if the whole season is cancelled. They could get sued if players/employees got Covid-19 from being at the games.
shareThey will have some kind of addendum to their contracts that will release the NFL from liability.
The only thing I see preventing the season from happening is if players start getting ill during training camp/pre season - that could make it difficult to start the regular season.
My guess is the players, coaches, staff will be tested like crazy to keep everyone healthy.
Another thing the NFL has to worry about...some football fans might walk away if the league goes about their business in an irresponsible way.
shareNot in a million years do I think the NFL will behave irresponsibly when it comes to the health of their players or staff. They will not jeopardize what is collectively a $91 billion industry.
shareI hope so. I need some sports in my life. It's going to be a long year for the Dolphins. Go Steelers!!
shareI'm expecting a much improved team. We had a very good draft and should quickly get on track. Of course if Tua has a setback then all bets are off.
My son and grandson are Steelers fans - Ben is coming back so that is good news for you.
I am expecting good things from Ben this year. He had almost a full year off.
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Thank goodness and WOOO HOOO!!!
😎
What if a player gets Covid? Treat it just like concussion protocol?
Team testing every day?
If one player gets it, good chance others on the team will too, totally decimating a good team.
Not to say that it will happen, but germ warfare could be used to cripple a dominant team.
Even just faux germ warfare (planting the idea that one of the member of the team has covid, even when nobody actually does) can be devastating for the players morale and team work.
shareTeams work close together, locker rooms,on the game field, airplanes...distancing obviously won't work...I think the NFL is underestimating the transmitablilty of this virus and it's effect on a team.
A radical solution is that players/coaches should all get covid now to get ready for the season.
I agree it is problematic, but they will be testing like crazy. Right or wrong, they will have access to more tests than the entire state of NY.
There is always the chance that the season will be cancelled, but right now I don't see it happening.
Did they say what the protocol is for a player that gets Covid?
shareI haven't picked up anything on that yet. I did hear that each team is going to have a plane that is kept solely for their use and I would imagine the crew will be tested each time they fly. Same thing with hotels. Neither should be a problem right now because planes and hotels are sitting empty.
It remains to be seen how they will manage to "quarantine" players. Testing is fine but I don't see how they are going to keep them from avoiding other people from July - Dec and possibly Feb if they make the playoffs.
It should be interesting.
Go giants !!!!
shareI'll still be surprised if it happens. Football isn't just stadiums of fans. It's crews of thousands of people working together in close quarters.
shareThousands? Each team currently has a staff of between 100 - 200 people per team, including the players and I would have to imagine that also includes cheerleaders and non essential staff, so that number could be reduced to the minimum and still give us a quality season. I think cameras can be set up to operate remotely and sideline interviews will probably not happen.
I don't disagree that when we get to September, the season may not happen because we just don't know where we will be in 4 months, but right now I think the NFL is going to figure it out. Joe Burrow is holding off signing his contract because of the virus and I imagine he's not the only one.
It looks very promising for MLB starting up soon and that should be a good indicator of how a team can successfully be kept safe. (Realizing baseball is not the contact sport that football is.)
I meant the whole of the league including all the craft involved in televising the games and even the guy that brings Troy Aikman steak burgers.
shareOverall yes, but hopefully they can keep the numbers down to just the essential people who can give us professional football for the 2020 season. Fingers are crossed!!!!
Besides - I need to feed my addiction and play FF. LOL.
With spectators?? May be not a good idea, in some european countries football is going to be played again but without spectators.
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