Philadelphia Bans ‘Large Public Events’ Through February 2021

We already knew that baseball stadiums would be empty (well, except for cardboard fans) for the 2020 season. I hadn't heard about the plans of football teams, but just yesterday the news started to come out.

While some people wanted to see full stadiums come September, it looks like that was just a pipe dream. I heard that the Patriots plan to operate at about 20% capacity; twenty percent would be a huge crowd compared to what we will see at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia when the Eagles kick off their season.

The NFL would love to see fans in the seats, but they have issued guidelines that will defer to the rules of the home cities of teams. Officials in Philadelphia have cancelled all "large public events" through February 2021. That seems like a giant leap, but I actually think it has to do with football season. If the city was to say "okay, no large events through November", then you would have half a season of empty seats, then half a season of a full stadium, and as silly as it sounds, it wouldn't be worth the headache of fans bitching and moaning about how their season ticket plan was impacted, what kind of refund they'd get, how the seats for non-season-ticket holders would work...it actually seems easier to just say "yknow what? No football fans at all, see you all next year".

According to NBC Sports, the Eagles were tied for the 8th highest total of stadium revenue, bringing in $204 million last season. Only Cowboys, Patriots, Giants, Texans, Jets, 49ers, and Redskins made more.