Covid-19 has dramatically altered how the NFL has conducted business in 2020. The entire offseason has seen many changes and with the season coming up, how will fan interaction including that of Raider Nation be affected, assuming there will be any at all?
This year was supposed to be the big coming-out party for Allegiant Stadium and the newly relocated Las Vegas Raiders. Instead, a global pandemic has forced a shift within all things sports. What should’ve been a massive grand opening Week 1 could now have very little bang to it. The issue has many layers to it, such as social responsibility, profits, and the safety of an entire league of players. Assuming the 2020 NFL season goes on despite rising Covid-19 numbers, will there even be a fan experience?
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Recently, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal shed light on this potential dilemma.
“As it stands, fan participation beyond a vacated social distancing area consisting of the first eight rows of all stadiums will be predicated on the regulations and stipulations of the states where all 32 teams reside. In Nevada and California, NFL teams have the go-ahead to play but are not allowed to have fans in attendance, pending a steady decline in COVID-19 cases and a relaxing of statewide social distancing guidelines.”
An Ever-Evolving Challenge for Raider Nation
The challenge with this dilemma is that it’s constantly evolving. Month to month, week to week, day to day and that brings with it difficult propositions. It’s understandable that fans want a sense of “normalcy” but at what cost? Would the cost of attending a football game and all the inherent dangers that come with it be worth it? As we’ve all seen, the pandemic has unfortunately shown everyone has different priorities in life. Perhaps the love for their football is so great that if proper precautions they’d actually be willing to take a chance.
Bonsignore broke it down like this. Basically, the Raiders, and really the NFL in general, have limited options. First option, allow only a certain number of fans in, find a way to organize games so to offer certain packages with potential options for refunds set up. There’s another option, undoubtedly the most unpopular and one Bonsignore mentioned. “No one gets to attend any games, and everyone is refunded.” That isn’t something many fans want to hear. Nevertheless, it’s a possibility with so much ambiguity surrounding current circumstances.
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*Top Photo: Sam Wasson/Getty Images