Articles

by Craig J. Santucci @NYGiantsRush

Like a scene from a zombie apocalypse movie, there may be empty stadiums set to join the empty stores, empty beaches, and empty streets.

While the world is still on lockdown to some degree, the reality that the NFL will be playing to empty stadiums gets more real every day. NFL teams and it’s players are making the best of the situation but without rookie camp, OTA’s and training camp, NFL teams simply won’t be prepared to play.

There may become a time in the near future that players have to sign an agreement or a waiver to practice or play in a game. Testing players for illness on a daily basis and before the kick-off might become the norm if all parties agree. The season could even be shortened to eight weeks. There are plenty of concepts floating around.

After consulting and commiserating with a friend of mine, also a season ticket holder, he told me about his vision for the 2020 season. The idea would stem from the 6-foot social distancing concept. Fans would receive notice from the team what games they have been assigned to attend. When you arrived at your seats for that handpicked game you would be sitting in a row with four empty seats (7 feet) between you and the next person. That’s roughly 32,000 to 35,000 people per game.

The Stadium: Metlife Stadium has 82,500 seats.

  • Lower Level: 48 rows | 28 to 34 seats in a row |49 sections | 8 people per row
  • Mezzanine level: 12 to 18 rows | 22 to 24 seats in each row – 6 people per row
  • Terrace level: Up to 26 rows. Between 24 and 27 seats in each row – 6 people per row

The idea makes a lot of sense. There would be no problems parking because they would have eliminated 45,000 + people. The proper distancing could be obtained for the most part and the stadium would have “some” fans cheering on Big Blue on Sundays in the Fall. Policing seat jumper could be an issue but the team could increase job hiring by bringing back security guards.

Assigned times:

You would be assigned a time to enter and exit the stadium, as well as buying concessions. This way you would always be separated from the larger crowd.

Out of Market Fans:

Now, if this comes to fruition and I am assigned two or three games…how would I watch the rest of the home games if I am out-of-market? It’s not like I’m going to stroll into some local sports bar. Sadly, those folks might still be closed and never recuperate.

Would the Giants or the NFL offer a streaming package for season ticket holders or fans who bought tickets through the Giant’s ticket service?

So much uncertainly that goes far beyond a 2nd-year quarterback and a rookie head coach.