Our curiosity is all peaking about whether or not there really will be no fans at 2020 NFL games. I went straight to the source – NY Giants nation on Twitter = to get the general vibe.
I don’t think I’m making any news by stating the thought of watching NFL games with no fans seems about as foreign as walking with your hands. After polling NY Giants fans over at our @GMENHQ Twitter, it appears fans couldn’t be more unsure if that will actually happen for the entire 2020 season, as obviously it didn’t look good for fans right out of the gate.
Here were the results:
***Daily Poll**
— GMEN HQ (@GMENHQ) June 20, 2020
Do you believe fans will be allowed in for NFL games at any point during the season?
(I think by Week 10 40% capacity)#NFL #GiantsPride
About as divided on the confidence of having fans at some point this season as possible. And, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing; we’re living in crazy times where critical information related to the issue at hand (COVID 19) is flip-flopped more than your average grilled hamburger.
It just seems so unbelievable to think there really could be NFL games played in empty stadiums that normally sit 50,000+, that many (like myself) still have faith we will end up seeing fans at games in 2020.
Despite everyone’s favorite “Doctor”, Dr. Anthony Facui (insert eyeroll), trying his darndest to come out from the rafters and make one more industry feel unsure of itself or its medical research, I believe we will beat this enemy known as COVID by the Winter, meaning I see fans returning at some point.
In the tweet, I speculated that I saw 40% of fans being allowed back (spread apart in a smart way) by Week 10, although I think most would label that as very unlikely and hopeful at this juncture.
Without getting too into the whole COVID matter at large, we’re finally recovering at a solid rate as a nation, and the only real threat to NFL football right now is the recent flare-up of positive tests among NFL players (although, obviously, they only just started testing them).
Cowboys star runningback, Ezekiel Elliott, was among those that tested positive.
We can only pray that after the first wave of all NFL players being tested – where many will undoubtedly test positive – that another, larger wave amongst the players pops up closer to or during the season.
With how long these last stressful months have taken to toll by, that October date seems eons away and so much can happen between now and then — I mean for Pete’s sake, the whole world changed in less time than that.
Luckily, we finally seem to have a coach with a head on his shoulder’s in Joe Judge, which inspires confidence that he’ll be able to get the players used to the conditions before the season.
All we can do is hope the trajectory keeps swinging in a positive way, so we can all get back to doing what we love most — attending NY Giants game and supporting our squad.
How will this affect the NY Giants’ financially?
Realistically, the negative ways this virus is going to take a toll on the NY Giants – and the rest of the NFL – is almost unparalleled. Never before has an issue that will affect the bottomline this heavily (outside of strikes) come up before in this history of sports.
While the NFL has an amazingly lucrative TV deal that will more than likely keep it afloat despite the loss of ticket gate sales, there is no doubt about it that this is going to have devastating financial repercussions, even for an organization like the NY Giants that is among the most valuable in sports.
According to statista.com, gate revenues make up about 15% of NFL team’s total operating revenue.
That’s a HUGE number.
With the NFL relying on only an 8% profit margin, it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that means teams will be in the red — and that doesn’t even include all the other in-game factors like concessions and parking.
What effect will that have on the overall quality of the game and fan experience (from home under these circumstances), and, for more importantly the players as they make their slightly risky journey back to the field, is unknown at this juncture — but it can’t be positive.
To their credit, NFL owners have not yet made an issue of asking players to take paycuts despite the pandemic, although they are in a much different situation than the MLB who at best is going to miss half its games.
We’ll see if that issue arises as we get closer to the season with things still looking like there will be no fans.