USA TODAY International Edition
Easing fans’ fears will be NFL’s task
The schedule is out. Hype and anticipation are flowing. While the number of cases and deaths related to the COVID- 19 pandemic mount, the NFL has boldly declared it intends to roll on with the games with fans in the stands.
If it’s safe, of course.
What might that look like for fans eager to attend NFL games this fall? Staged arrivals with social distancing. No- contact entry with e- tickets. Cashless concessions. Ordering hot dogs from Section 123 using a smartphone. Concourses, railings, countertops, seats, restrooms and then some, treated with virus- proof chemicals.
At least those are some of the possibilities. One thing is certain: A new normal is coming to NFL venues, just as it is barreling into society at large as virtually every state in the nation is in the process of reopening.
“There are so many unknowns out there,” Steve Cannon, CEO of AMB Group, parent company for the Falcons and Mercedes- Benz Stadium in Atlanta, said. “We’re trying to plan against this dynamic, shifting landscape. That said, fan psychology is probably the most important thing we know. You’re not going to get fans in your building unless they feel they can be safe there, that they can gather in a safe manner. Some of those things we can control, some of those things we can’t control.”
It’s still unclear whether fans will be allowed into Mercedes- Benz Stadium for the Falcons’ scheduled season opener Sept. 13 against Seattle or for two preseason games in August. The NFL’s contingencies could include staging games without fans, with limited fans or perhaps pushing back the start of its season. The science and recommendations from medical experts, in addition to governmental mandates, will influence whether the NFL must adjust.
In the meantime, Cannon, like others running league, team and stadium operations for various entities in all sports, weighs the logistics and the psychology that will be in play for the day fans ultimately return to the venues.
In a world where face masks and social distancing are established measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the notion of being comfortable gathering in a stadium
with, say, 70,000 spectators is daunting.
A recent Seton Hall Sports Poll revealed that 61% of respondents who identified themselves as sports fans ( and 72% of all respondents) indicated they would not attend a sports event until a COVID- 19 vaccine is available. The poll was conducted in mid- April; the NFL is undoubtedly banking on societal progress in curtailing the pandemic over the next three months ( which could be stretching hope, albeit after MLB attempts to return) before its preseason is slated to begin.
“Your gut is that if they open the building, people are going to show up,” said Rick Gentile, the former CBS Sports executive producer who directs Seton Hall’s sports polls. “They’re going to be so desperate to see a ballgame. But 61% of sports fans said they wouldn’t. To me, that was the most telling question that we asked.”
Cannon knows about the trepidation. Given a philosophy that starts with owner Arthur Blank, there probably isn’t a franchise in the NFL that better connects with its consumers than the Falcons. It’s hardly surprising that for each of the past three years MercedesBenz Stadium ranked No. 1 among NFL venues for safety and security, according to an annual survey of NFL fans based on stadium experiences.
Now comes a new challenge for an operation on the cutting edge among NFL peers to move the needle on that reputation.
“The definition of safety and security is now completely different,” Cannon said. “Security and safety in the old world was, ‘ Did I get through the magnetometers and the security check? Do I feel safe or threatened inside your environment?’ That was more physical safety. Now, it’s a different definition of safety because of COVID- 19 and this invisible thing that can be on any surface, carried by any individual.”
The Falcons and Mercedes- Benz Stadium are far from finalizing plans, Cannon cautioned. “The last nine weeks have taught me that if you don’t like things now, wait 15 minutes and they’ll change,” he said. But they are well into considering various options.
One vendor has proposed infrared cameras for gate entrances, which could mass- screen people to identify high fevers. That’s hardly an end- all solution. “We know there are a lot of people who run around without symptoms,” Cannon said.
It’s a given, though, that the days of opening gates two hours before kickoff with a mob scene are over. That process will begin earlier without the mob scene. Cannon said they are considering designating specific gates for fans to enter that would depend on the location of their seats. More shocking could be an appointed time window to enter.
“In the same way that airlines do group one, two, three, four, five, six, we’re going to create order,” Cannon said. “In the old days, everybody flocks in front of the security entry and you get all kinds of congregating. We’re going to have to solve that, and some of that could mean a staged entry.”
Cannon expects changes at stadiums will be reminiscent of how airline travel changed after 9/ 11, which ushered in an elaborate security process – and much consternation.
“Out of necessity,” Cannon said, “people will accept certain inconveniences that in the old world would have been inconceivable.”
Since 2017, the Falcons have utilized e- tickets, with patrons scanning a QR code for entry. Soon, this will likely be a league- wide standard. Last year, Mercedes- Benz Stadium went cashless for concession sales. The pandemic will only boost that concept. When the Falcons conducted an e- seminar a week ago, presenting their “cashless” experience, 171 teams or schools participated.
The technology is also in the works that would allow fans to use smartphones to order concessions. After receiving a notification, they would retrieve items from a pickup window. No more mass rush for burgers at halftime.
“We’re not ready with that, but the solutions are there, and it’s going to force all of us to accelerate our business plans to implement those technologies,” Cannon said.
Cannon added he is awaiting scientific results for a couple of “interesting cleaning products” that purportedly would eliminate COVID- 19 on contact – and kill the virus for 90 days.
Sure, a vaccine represents the bestcase scenario. In lieu of that, some or all of the measures the Falcons are considering might be the only way to keep fans coming back – whenever they can.