WHAT WILL BE THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ AT THE BALLPARK?
There are subtle, if silly, parts of sports you won’t realize you love until they’re gone. There’s a charm to passing a hot dog down the row at the ballpark. It’s surreal for kids to score a high-five — or a puck flipped to them — from a player at the arena.
Even as sports return to Chicago with the White Sox and Cubs opening Friday, it won’t be the same until the coronavirus pandemic ends. And it will end. In the meantime, a lot of what makes the games communal will be missing.
There’s no clear plan for fans to attend games this year. The NBA and NHL will play in empty buildings as part of their “bubbles.” Major League Baseball has an indefinite ban on fans, and the NFL is still deciding.
Some football teams, including the Bears, are optimistic about hosting limited crowds — perhaps 15,000 people in 60,000-plus-seat stadiums — but that’s a best-case scenario and almost certainly wouldn’t happen were the season to start today.
Whenever gates finally reopen, get ready to rethink every aspect of the fan experience. Some changes will last until a vaccine is available. Others will be permanent.
Four of the city’s five major pro teams — the White Sox, Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks — declined the Sun-Times’ requests to discuss in detail what a “new normal” fan experience may look like.
In an interview Thursday, Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney offered a look at the Cubs’ plan, saying that the team-proposed protocol would allow 6,000 to 7,000 fans to attend games, likely starting midway through the season. They would enter in groups of two, four and six and have assigned gates to enter and exit the field, among other safety measures.
The plan has been presented to both the mayor’s office and MLB, and both need to approve it.
In a statement, the White Sox said they’re discussing the possible return of fans with medical experts, elected officials and Major League Baseball, but that “any more detailed comments at this time would be premature and speculative.”
United Center CEO Howard Pizer said in a statement that there will be changes, and arena staff “is looking at various models with creativity, very cognizant of how important a role ever-changing technology will play in this process.”
Many teams nationwide had already begun shifting to alldigital ticketing and cashless concessions. Those will become commonplace, as will advanced gate entry procedures. With tightly packed entry lines a concern, some teams are working to install walk-through security scanners. Fans wouldn’t have to empty their pockets — or touch anything. More gates will likely be added.
The independent Chicago Dogs, who held their home opener this month in Rosemont, are the only local pro team hosting fans, albeit at 20% capacity. The team’s ticketing website ensures social distancing; nearby seats are made unavailable after purchase.
Fans’ temperatures are taken at the gate, where ticket bar codes are scanned off their phones. Concession stands don’t take cash. Bathrooms are scrupulously cleaned. The concourse has been turned into a two-way street, another feature Dogs owner Shawn Hunter believes might outlast the pandemic.
“Cashless transactions for both ticketing and food and beverage, I see that being an industry norm going forward,” he said.
As teams look to make their venues safe, including seeking Global Biorisk Advisory Council cleanliness certification, they’ll examine tailgating. Some NFL teams have banned it, while others are considering it. One possibility: converting parking lots into restaurant-style, socially distanced dining. If that goes well, it could become permanent.
Inside the stadium, face masks will muffle the roar of the crowd. They’re essential in every public space — and mandated in every NFL stadium, should they open to fans. Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf said last month that making masks mandatory “makes a lot of sense,” while Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said it “could be part of the solution.” That’s presuming fans are allowed in at all. “It’s just completely different not having [fans] here, obviously,” Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks said. “But No. 1 is health and safety, you know?”
Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews said he’d be disappointed if there were still no fans in 2021, while forward Dominik Kubalik seemed resigned to it. “We just need to get used to it,” he said. “That’s how the world is going right now.”