The majority of NFL teams did not allow fans to attend games last season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Roger Goodell is confident the situation will be a lot different in 2021. In fact, the commissioner is optimistic that there will be no limits at all on fan attendance.
In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Goodell said the NFL is expecting to host games in front of full stadiums this fall.
“All of us in the NFL want to see every one of our fans back,” Goodell said, via Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. “We expect to have full stadiums in the upcoming season.”
The NFL does not have full control over how many fans will be allowed at games; local governments set those guidelines. That is why certain NBA and NHL teams have been allowing fans at games, while others have not.
As of Tuesday, more than 50 million people in the United States had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That is more than 15 percent of the country’s total population. Assuming the pace of distribution remains the same or improves, there should be no reason NFL stadiums can’t operate at full capacity come September.
The NFL hosted more than 1 million fans at events last season. As Goodell noted, there were no known coronavirus outbreaks or major consequences. Hopefully we won’t have to deal with the confusion of cardboard cutouts at the Super Bowl next year.
