While the NBA finished their 2020 season in a strict bubble with absolutely zero fans, the NFL loosened the reigns for their season this year. Yes, some teams have not allowed any fans into their stadiums, but others have allowed a small percentage to attend. Despite the rules being different with every team, countless fans are wondering when stadiums across the country and across various sports will be at capacity again. Well, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, it may take some time.
No Full-Capacity Crowds Until Late 2021
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Fauci explained he doesn’t believe the NBA will be able to have full-capacity crowds during their 2020-2021 season. “We’re gonna be vaccinating the highest-priority people [from] the end of December through January, February, March. By the time you get to the general public, the people who’ll be going to the basketball games, who don’t have any underlying conditions, that’s gonna be starting the end of April, May, June,” he explained.
“So it probably will be well into the end of the summer before you can really feel comfortable [with full sports stadiums] – if a lot of people get vaccinated. I don’t think we’re going to be that normal in July. I think it probably would be by the end of the summer.”. However, he does believe the NFL will be able to have capacity crowds when their 2021-2022 season begins in September. “Oh, that’s possible. I think that’s possible,” he shared.
Size of Crowds Depend on How Vaccine Distribution Goes
While many of us would love nothing more than to get back into stadiums, the timeline certainly hinges on the results of the vaccine that is coming soon. If the distribution goes as planned and enough people get vaccinated, things should start improving.
“We could get there by the end of the summer, and as we get into the fall of next year. But “if 50% of the people say, ‘You know, I don’t want to get vaccinated,’ then it’s gonna take considerably longer than that,” Fauci explained.
May Be a Gradual Increase of Fans
According to Dr. Allison Arwady, who is Chicago’s public health commissioner, she expects teams to ramp up their capacity very slowly.
“The general approach is, you release a set of restrictions, and then see if that works. Because there’s so much guesswork. So if you go four weeks, and there’s no increase in virus activity, well then you can go and do the next set,” she shared.
Will Depend on City and State Governments
As we’ve seen with the NFL this season, stadium capacities may depend on city and state governments. This year, cities such as Tampa Bay, Miami, Kansas City, and Dallas have allowed a number of fans to attend games.
However, teams located in hot spots, such as the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, and the New York Jets and Giants, have not allowed any fans to attend games. It seems as if the NBA is planning to follow in the NFL’s footsteps for their upcoming season, with a few slight differences.. In fact, the NBA sent out a memo explaining that fans sitting within 30-feet of the court will need to show proof of a negative COVID test before entering the arena. As we get closer and closer to a vaccine it will be interesting to see how these professional leagues handle re-introducing fans into their stadiums and arenas.