By this point, most fans had written off the possibility of being able to attend a Denver Broncos game at Empower Field at Mile High in 2020 due to the pandemic. You know, the whole, plan for the worst, hope for the best philosophy.
Well, the winds of fortune have changed on the attendance front as the pandemic wanes. The state of Colorado has reportedly granted the Broncos a dispensation as it relates to fans being in the stands starting in Week 3.
Matt Mauro of FOX31 broke the news on Sunday evening.
"Breaking - fans will be allowed at Broncos games starting w/ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sept. 27, multiple sources tell KDVR. The state has not said how many fans will be allowed in; Broncos have not said how tickets will be sold. Other teams are allowing 20-25% or about 15k - 20k," Mauro tweeted.
Brittany Bowlen has pushed hard as the chair of the Broncos' COVID-19 task force, doing all the legwork to assure Governor Jared Polis that a limited capacity stadium is workable. Bowlen has apparently assuaged the State that the Broncos and the stadium can safely accommodate limited fans.
However, KUSA's Mike Klis reports that expecting 15K fans in for Week 3 when Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town is "too high". Maybe it'll be less, maybe more. Klis reports that Governor Polis will announce the details on Tuesday.
Will having such a low number of fans make any difference in the game? Will it provide the type of emotional lift or spark that has traditionally galvanized home teams and pressured visiting opponents? Not in John Elway's estimation.
Elway agreed with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell who said recently that he doesn't believe that intermittent fan attendance will provide those home teams lucky enough to host fans with any competitive advantage.
"You’re talking about 20,000 people getting into a—you use our stadium for example," Elway said on Saturday following the Broncos' 53-man roster cut-downs. "If you put 20,000 people in our stadium, I don’t think that makes a difference. I think it’s too big and it’s too cavernous, and so therefore with the numbers that—when Commissioner Goodell says that it’s really a level playing field, I agree with him because I don’t think the amount of people that they’re talking about in stadiums will make a difference."
However, Elway does allow that if it gets to a point where states feel that three-quarters capacity can be safely accommodated by NFL teams, that would be a different story.
"Obviously, you get to three quarters, half to three quarters or even more so full, then you have a chance to make a difference," Elway said. "But the numbers that we’re talking about that they’re getting into the games now, the 10-, 12-, 15,000 people, to me, will not make a difference when it comes down to the level playing field.”
Elway was likely posturing there and closing ranks around the Commissioner for obvious reasons. I would disagree with both Goodell and Elway. After what has been such a bizarre outlier of a year, any number of fans in a stadium rooting for the home team will offer some kind of lift or spark to the players.
Thus, teams who can have limited fan attendance vs. teams who can't, it is a competitive advantage, whether the Commissioner wants to acknowledge it or not. However, even 10 percent fan attendance is better than nothing when it comes to the ol' bottom line and NFL revenue, which is why Goodell and Elway don't want to upset the apple cart by acknowledging that fan attendance would give qualifying teams an advantage.
Either way, I wouldn't look this gift-horse in the mouth. If the Broncos feel like they can minimize the risk of infection through social distancing and various other preventative measures, and the Governor concurs, fans can make the autonomous decision on whether or not to attend.
That would be a silver-lining development to me. And fans should take it as one too, all day long and twice on Sunday (if chosen in the lottery to attend).
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
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September 07, 2020 at 10:05AM
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Broncos Will Allow Fans at Mile High Stadium in Week 3, per Report - Sports Illustrated
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