Rangers make plans for capacity crowds

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers are on track to become the first team in Major League Baseball or any major U.S.-based sports league to have a full-capacity crowd since the coronavirus pandemic started altering the sports landscape a year ago.

On the same day Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s order took effect allowing businesses in the state to operate at 100% capacity, Rangers CEO Neil Leibman said Wednesday that the team hopes to be at that for the April 5 opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“We’re very confident we won’t be a super-spreader event,” said Leibman, who is also the team’s president of business operations. “With all the protocols that we’re following, we’ll be extremely responsible and provide a very comfortable environment for somebody to enjoy the game without worrying we’re going to be a spreader event.”

The pandemic could still alter the team’s intent to host a capacity crowd at the 40,518-seat Globe Life Field, which the Rangers opened last year without fans in the stands.

The Rangers will require fans to wear masks for games, unless they are actively eating and drinking at their seats, as was the case for the postseason major-league games played at their $1.2 billion stadium in October.

All concession and merchandising transactions this season will be cashless; tickets will be digital; and the roof will remain open during games when weather permits. The team will enforce social distancing for fans entering and exiting the ballpark, as well as when in lines for concessions or merchandise. No tailgating will be allowed outside the stadium.

Rob Matwick, the team’s executive vice president, stressed the need for fans to voluntarily comply with any requirements, but said they will be enforced when necessary.

“We will need fan cooperation, there’s no doubt. The good news is the numbers are trending down,” Matwick said. “Can we drop our vigilance? No. We need their cooperation.”