If there ends up being a 2020 NFL season, America’s Team will play in front of a lot less of America than they’re used to. The Los Angeles Rams announced on Tuesday that their new stadium will see drastically reduced attendance for home games, including their season opener against the Cowboys. And that’s if fans are allowed in the building at all.
SoFi Stadium, newly built with a capacity of 70,000 fans, is expected to cap attendance at 15,000 for any games played this season, and all fans will be required to wear a mask unless actively eating or drinking. The Rams join three other teams on the Cowboys’ away schedule who have already gone public with changes to their attendance policies.
Here’s how the road slate breaks down, game by game, based on what is known currently.
Week 1, Sept. 13: Cowboys at Rams
As noted, the Rams say they will admit no more than 15,000 fans for SoFi Stadium’s first game on Sunday night of opening weekend. The team points out that the first seven rows of stands will be tarped off, and that seating blocks to accommodate between one and ten fans apiece will be set up to promote social distancing, with separation of six feet between blocks.
Week 3, Sept. 27: Cowboys at Seahawks
The Seahawks have not yet made an announcement regarding home games at CenturyLink Field. But as per the CDC, the state of Washington has seen almost 6,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the last seven days. Seattle’s KOMO News reports that the daily case count is currently higher than it was during the spring, which officials then called “the peak.”
Week 7, Oct. 25: Cowboys at Washington
Washington also has not come forward with any changes to attendance policy at FedEx Field. The CDC reports over 11,000 positive cases of the virus in the District of Columbia, or 1,600 positive cases per 100,000 people. That puts D.C. in the highest bracket nationwide for that category. The nation’s capital saw 102 new cases on July 21 alone.
Week 8, Nov. 1: Cowboys at Eagles
City officials in Philadelphia stated last week that the Eagles would be allowed to play their games at Lincoln Financial Field with no fans in the building. The team has not made a statement, though, and the city has declared “that this is a fluid situation, and this policy is under constant review.”
Week 11, Nov. 22: Cowboys at Vikings
Minnesota has given no word on what the game at U.S. Bank Stadium might look like, or if any changes will be needed at all. According to the CDC, Minnesota currently ranks in the bottom half of the US in new cases over the last seven days and total cases per 100,000 people.
Week 13, Dec. 3: Cowboys at Ravens
The Ravens organization was the first NFL club to announce plans for reduced capacity. Dallas will see no more than 14,000 fans when they travel to Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium. That’s under one-fifth of the venue’s capacity.
Week 14, Dec. 13: Cowboys at Bengals
There have been no announced alterations as of yet to the attendance policy at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Ohio currently sits just outside the top 10 states in reported COVID-19 cases over the last seven days.
Week 17, Jan. 3: Cowboys at Giants
The regular season finale could be played before an empty house. An executive order from Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey means no fans in the stands at MetLife Stadium “until further notice.”
While the Cowboys have not made an official announcement regarding home game attendance at AT&T Stadium, the most recent guidelines from Texas state governor Greg Abbott- dated July 2– specify that professional sports venues may not exceed 50% capacity. If that figure holds, it would put the Cowboys playing in front of no more than 40,000 fans during each of their eight home games.
We will #ComeBackLouder pic.twitter.com/8KFvpc1P8u
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) July 21, 2020
The team did, however, share a video via their social media accounts showing an empty AT&T Stadium with the message, “We Will Come Back Louder.” The Cowboys were included with the NBA’s Mavericks, MLB’s Rangers, NHL’s Stars, and other pro teams based in the Metroplex. All shared the video on Tuesday.
It is an admirable show of solidarity with local teams who are already playing under bizarre circumstances. Whether the video is to also be taken as the first hint that the Cowboys and their fans are about to receive similarly disappointing news cutting live attendance at games is unknown.
But two weeks ago, only one NFL club had altered their attendance plan. Now, half of the Cowboys’ road schedule looks to be played before reduced crowds or in completely empty stadiums. The writing is on the wall.
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