When Can the Fans Return to the Stands?

2020 was a crazy year, mostly due to the coronavirus. As sports fans we have seen the NBA, NCAA, MLB, NHL, and NFL either limit the number of fans in attendance, or flat out ban fans from attending games altogether. This has resulted in some weird new “normal” such as artificial crowd noise and cardboard cutouts of fans. When can we expect fans to return to the stands?

With the creation of COVID-19 vaccines like Pfizer, Moderna and now Johnson & Johnson, there is optimism that life will shortly return to normal. No one wants to not have to wear a mask and everyone wants businesses to reopen and life regain some semblance of normalcy. But why rush it?

Can we Learn from our Mistakes?

During the pandemic we have seen that failure to social distance, wear a mask, and take other safety precautions has resulted in catastrophe. As a society if we would’ve done a better job implementing these recommended safety precautions, we could have saved hundreds of thousands of Americans. Can’t we learn from these mistakes and take our time with allowing fans back in the stands? The risk greatly outweighs the benefits.

Risk vs. Reward

What gains are there to be made from allowing fans back in the stands? Sure, the sport industry will make up some revenue and ticket sales and fans will be able to have a fun experience. But we risk allowing new COVID strains the chance to spread. Think about it, sporting events often attract people from every corner of the country. Isn’t that a virus’ best friend? People congregating together often in an enclosed space and traveling back home potential giving the virus a new place to spread.

At our current vaccination rate, we’re on track to reach herd immunity by December 2021. The new COVID-19 strains threaten to change this trajectory. If these new strains go unchecked, we may not reach herd immunity for another year or longer.

New COVID Strains

The recently discovered COVID strains have been found to be more transmissible and therefore pose an even greater risk than the original virus. New strains have been appearing across the country in States such as Florida, California, New York, and Texas. If we don’t respect these strains and the threat that they pose, we are in for another long year.

Vaccines

Right now about 10% of the US population has received both doses of COVID 19 vaccine. Experts estimate that we need upwards of 80% of the population vaccinated in order to reach a herd immunity.

Opening Up Stadiums

In the midst of the pandemic, sporting events have increasingly become more lenient in allowing fans in attendance. In the Fall, a lot of college football games became super spreader events. These actions have unnecessarily prolonged and exacerbated the pandemic. The NCAA is talking about selling tickets for the NCAA tournament later this month. The Super Bowl allowed 1/3^rd capacity at Raymond James Stadium. This increase in attendance is a risk we can’t afford to take.

Why can’t we wait? Speaking strictly from a sports fan’s perspective, was the lack of attendance at sporting events all that terrible? Wouldn’t you prefer to have another limited attendance season in order to ensure the end of the pandemic? The sporting industry has been improving and adjusting safety protocols which have slowly given fans regained access to the sports they love. If we’re not patient, it may not only put fan attendance at sporting events in jeopardy, but could potentially jeopardize sporting events from even taking place. Be patient everyone. We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.