Tag: AT&T Stadium

Notre Dame vs Texas rematch: CBS projects iconic schools meet in bowl season

According to bowl projections from CBS Sports, the Texas Longhorns and Notre Dame are on a collision course for a NY6 bowl.

The Texas Longhorns. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish. These two football programs are among the most prestigious in college football history. Texas and Notre Dame rank fourth and fifth respectively in all-time wins. The two have 1,824 wins combined. A bowl game between the two schools brings back some memories of their battles at the Cotton Bowl.

January 1, 1970 at the Cotton Bowl immediately comes to mind. Trailing 17-14 with 6:52 left in the fourth quarter, James Street led the comeback. Texas was trailing after Joe Theismann led the Irish 80 yards to take the lead. Street found Cotton Speyrer to get the ball to the two-yard line. A run by Billy Dale gave Texas the win. They were named the Coaches Poll National Champions. It wasn’t until the 2016 thriller that the Longhorns would beat Notre Dame again.

It took overtime in 2016 to decide a winner between these two teams. Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes sealed the deal when he dove into the endzone to cap off a 50-47 victory.

Could we see this matchup again for the 13th time in their history? CBS Sports thinks so in their latest bowl projections. The Longhorns and Fighting Irish would meet in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. These two schools have met in the historic bowl game three times. Texas won the first matchup and fell in the next two.

A trip to North Texas likely means the Longhorns finished second in the conference to Oklahoma to earn a NY6 bowl berth. It would be a welcomed sight but we know the Longhorns are aiming to knock Oklahoma down a peg. Oklahoma is projected to battle Alabama in the Rose Bowl. We know how well that went last time.

Big 12 Projections:

  • Rose Bowl- Oklahoma vs Alabama
  • Cotton Bowl- Texas vs Notre Dame
  • Alamo Bowl- Iowa State vs SMU
  • Liberty Bowl- TCU vs Mississippi State
  • Sun Bowl- Kansas State vs Pittsburgh
  • First Responder Bowl- Texas Tech vs Rice
  • Cheez It Bowl- Baylor vs Louisville
  • Cactus Bowl- West Virginia vs Texas State
  • Texas Bowl- Oklahoma State vs Missouri
  • Frisco Bowl- Kansas vs Arkansas

Looks like everyone is going bowling this year.

Jerry Jones says Cowboys will play in front of fans at AT&T in 2020

The Cowboys owner believes AT&T Stadium is uniquely designed to accommodate more live fans this year than many other facilities in the NFL.

The list of NFL teams capping or outright cutting fan attendance for 2020 home games is growing by the day. But don’t expect the Dallas Cowboys to put themselves on that list anytime soon. At least, not if team owner Jerry Jones has anything to say about it.

As usual, Jones had plenty to say- about a wide range of topics- during Wednesday’s press conference to open training camp. Clearly, though, one of his main points of emphasis for the reporters assembled via videochat was attendance at AT&T Stadium for the club’s eight upcoming home games.

“The Dallas Cowboys plan on playing all of our football games,” Jones stressed, “and we plan on playing them in front of our fans.”

He said it twice. In the first nine minutes of the press conference. Just so there would be no misunderstanding.

But beyond vowing that there would be fans in the stands, Jones declined to go any further by giving a number or percentage.

“I don’t have an expectation,” Jones said. “As you know, you’re dealing with a little bit of a moving target, and I’m not trying to diminish the moving target aspect of it. But we’re very unique in that we have the suite capacities that we have out there that give us some extra control.”

The NFL has already ordered that, at any stadiums that are open this season, the bottom several rows of seats be tarped off to keep players, coaches, and sideline personnel safely distanced from fans. For AT&T Stadium in Arlington, that mandate almost assuredly includes the field-level suites.

Just this week, the New Orleans Saints became the latest team to announce attendance changes, saying their season opener will be played before an empty Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The team also calls in-person attendance during their next home game in Week 3 “unlikely,” and won’t even commit to allowing fans in for their Week 5 contest.

The Washington Football Team recently declared that there will be no fans at FedEx Field at any point during the 2020 campaign. The Raiders have also closed their new stadium to the public for its inaugural season. The Packers won’t have live fans for at least its first two home games. The Jets and Giants won’t host fans until further notice. Eight other clubs so far are already publicly expecting their stadiums to be at a greatly-reduced capacity; others will surely follow.

But Jones spoke in glowing terms of the building jokingly called JerryWorld, claiming that the structure’s unique architecture will actually help allow for more Cowboys fans on gameday.

“We opened that stadium,” Jones said of AT&T, which made its debut in   2009 as Cowboys Stadium, “and it was pointed out that if you didn’t open the doors at the right time and had the roof open in a certain way, that you had an air current through there that is pretty impressive, if you will. A serious, serious air current … quite a naturally-built airflow that can be very positive relative to protecting and be safe for our fans. That’s not all of it, but when we finish showing our fans what and how and what we can do to make it safe to come to the ballgames, I’m really proud that we’ve got that stadium to work with.”

The Cowboys’ home can indeed transform itself away from a completely-enclosed building, and that added ventilation may, in fact, help comfort fans who are worried about breathing recirculated air for three hours on a Sunday. The league will still require all fans at NFL stadiums to wear face coverings.

But given the stadium’s sheer size, Jones believes it will also be possible for a large number of fans to socially distance quite easily within its walls.

“We have, also, a stadium that has three million square feet in it,” Jones reminded reporters. “And the fans going in the southwest side do not get near the ones going in the northwest side. As a matter of fact, that goes on like that all the way up until a very reasonable close. When you look at a number in the stadium, don’t think that number’s getting together out there. They’re not. It’ll be in pods of possibly five, ten, fifteen different people.”

Jones alluded to a more official attendance policy being issued by the team in the coming days. But he promises that the team will follow federal, state, and local guidelines in determining how many fans will be permitted to see the Cowboys play in person in 2020.

Whatever the number, Jones is optimistic that the Cowboys fans who show will be treated to a great product on the field and a safe environment inside the stadium. But he also acknowledged that some of the responsibility for keeping everyone healthy will fall on the Cowboys faithful.

“We’ll adhere to all protocols,” Jones announced. “And we will adapt them to the uniqueness of our stadium. That’s within the protocol. We have a real unique situation, and I think that we’re going to be able to really have a great experience. I think that our safety precautions that we’re doing won’t be unfamiliar to a lot of people when we look at the general protocol of the country or we look at how you get together numbers of people. We will have our challenges. The people that will be there will be there at their own volition, just as the players that are on this field out here for the Cowboys are here because they have chosen to be here. Our fans will be in the stadium because they have chosen to be there. I’m completely confident that if I’ve ever seen a general population have had information of where the issues are, where the vulnerabilities are, how to conduct yourself, the ‘do-right rule’ relative to the person with you and beside you that you do know or don’t know, I’m confident that we’ve got a very educated situation and that our fans can come and have a safe experience at our stadium.”

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says fans will be able to attend home games

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones thinks fans — some fans — will be at Dallas Cowboys home games

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones delivered some intriguing news Wednesday:

“The Dallas Cowboys plan on playing all of our football games and we plan on playing them in front of our fans,” Jones said.

This on the same day the Washington Football Team said it would play its games without fans.

As of now, the state of Texas allows 50 percent capacity for sporting events.

Jones said the team will adhere to any local or state protocols regarding attendance and they don’t have a number of fans in mind at this point, but he said he thinks the size of AT&T Stadium and the number of suites make them capable of having people on hand while maintaining social distancing.

 

Big 12 gives update on Texas-Oklahoma, conference championship game

COVID-19 has brought uncertainty to the 2020 CFB season. The Big 12 announced plans and gave updates on UT-OU + Big 12 Championship game.

COVID-19 has brought uncertainty to the 2020 college football season. The Big 12 was the final Power Five conference to announce their plans but did so Monday night. The conference is going to a 9+1 scheduling format, giving the Longhorns the usual Big 12 schedule plus a nonconference game.

There had been concern over the annual Texas-Oklahoma game after the State Fair of Texas announced it was canceled. However, it seems as if the Longhorns and Sooners will still be meeting in Dallas this season.

According to The Athletic, as long as it is safe to host, the historic Cotton Bowl will still be the site of the Red River Shootout. The matchup has been played in Dallas since 1929 and is one of the best events in all of sports.

After reports of a home and home series emerging, The Athletic is reporting those ideas have been shut down and will luckily not be happening.

Multiple sources have also indicated that Oklahoma and Texas still intend to play their rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, provided it’s safe to do so, and likely with limited capacity, despite the cancellation of the State Fair of Texas. Sources said neither side is interested in scheduling a home-and-home arrangement instead.

As for the Big 12 Championship, the conference remains flexible for when the game can be played. It is currently scheduled for Dec. 5 but Bob Bowlsby could delay it by a week to Dec. 12.

Worst case possible, the championship game could not only move dates but also locations. Dec. 19 is still a possible date for the conference championship game but would need to be moved to Globe Life Field.

Texas high school football championships are scheduled for AT&T Stadium Dec. 16-19 and the Dallas Cowboys have a home game on Dec. 20. With no room for a college football game, the Big 12 would move across the street to the Texas Rangers’ brand new indoor stadium.

The Big 12 is expected to be flexible in its approach to its December conference title game, which Bowlsby previously discussed with The Athletic. That game is currently scheduled for Dec. 5 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and could be rescheduled for Dec. 12 if necessary.

If the Big 12’s title game must get pushed to Dec. 19, multiple sources have indicated the title game could move to nearby Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers’ new $1.2 billion ballpark, if there are scheduling conflicts. The UIL Texas high school football championships for class 1A-4A are scheduled for Dec. 16-19 at AT&T Stadium, and the Cowboys are scheduled to host the 49ers on Dec. 20.

Texas is currently scheduled to play Oklahoma in Dallas on Oct. 10. With the Big 12 expected to move the start date of the season back, the Longhorns will be waiting for a new schedule.

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Cowboys scrap 2020 season tickets, college kickoff at AT&T Stadium cancelled

The home of the Dallas Cowboys will not offer season tickets for 2020, nor will it host the AdvoCare Classic between Alabama and USC.

NFL training camps are underway, with 32 clubs trying to go about business as usual and hoping that the precautions and protocols they’ve put in place will allow them to play out the 2020 season that’s set to start in under six weeks.

Little by little, though, the realities of COVID-19 are seeping into the regularly-scheduled programming. The Cowboys this week announced sweeping alternative options for 2020 season tickets and single-game tickets at AT&T Stadium. In addition, one of the first major college football games of the 2020 season that was set to be played on the Cowboys’ home field has now been scrapped.

This year’s AdvoCare Classic was slated to be the season opener for both Alabama and USC, but both the SEC and Pac-10 have since declared that their schools will play conference-only schedules this season. The cancellation nixes what would have been a heavily-attended and widely-watched game on college football’s opening weekend.

The Cowboys’ home opener is on the books for September 20 against Atlanta. And while there has been no announced attendance cap- as several other NFL teams have made public– the club has informed fans that season tickets for the 2020 season will not be made available.

 

Current season ticket holders can, however, opt in for the first opportunity to purchase a limited number of tickets for a limited number of games this season. The single-game tickets they receive may be in different locations from their normal seats.

Single-game tickets will be available through a third party vendor, SeatGeek.com, but, according to the team, “we expect inventory to be extremely limited.”

All fans attending Cowboys home games- or any NFL game in 2020- will be required to wear a face covering.

Season ticket sales are set to resume in 2021. Cowboys season ticket holders will reportedly retain their tenure, seat location, and associated benefits.

Also, as per the team website, “In light of the changes to the 2020 season, we are excited to announce that the Dallas Cowboys will be adding an additional year to the term of seat option agreement(s). This will include an added year of seat location, benefits, and season ticket holder perks associated with their agreement. No seat option payment will be required for the additional year.” This bonus year is ostensibly a make-good on the 2020 schedule of games, with no refunds allowed for the upcoming season.

Season ticket holders who have already paid their 2020 bill will have the option to apply the credit to future ticket purchases or receive a refund. Fans who have already purchased single-game tickets will be able to get a credit or refund through licensed sellers.

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What a Big 12 football ‘bubble’ could look like

Sports in America have been on pause since the pandemic began. Three major sports have returned, with the bubble method being effected.

Sports have essentially been put on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the MLB’s restart on July 23, it had been since mid-March since a major sports league had played a regular-season game.

College Football in the Big 12 is slated to begin on Aug. 29 when Oklahoma plays host to Missouri State and Southern Illinois travels to Kansas. Sept. 12 is the first conference matchup between Baylor and Kansas and the first full week of Big 12 games is Week 5 on Oct. 3.

What if the Big 12 followed other Power Five conferences in the Big 10 and Pac 12, canceled all of their nonconference games, and moved the entire conference into a ‘bubble’?

If the three major American sports already beginning/restarting their seasons have shown anything, the ‘bubble’ is probably a safer alternative than traveling. Even with no fans in attendance.

Four days into its restart and Major League Baseball already has a coronavirus outbreak within the Miami Marlins. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, 11 of the 33 Marlins’ players, plus two coaches, have tested positive for the coronavirus while still playing games in Philadelphia.

Baseball decided to not adopt the ‘bubble’ method the NBA and NHL decided to use to restart their seasons. With basketball in Orlando and hockey taking place in Edmonton and Toronto, it has gone much better.

The NHL announced Monday morning of the 4,256 tests and 800 players tested, zero came back positive, keeping their bubble clean. As for the NBA, according to Shams Charania’s report on July 20, 346 people had been tested since July 13 and the ‘bubble’ in Orlando had zero positive cases.

Translate this to football and each of the 10 Big 12 teams could temporarily relocate to Arlington, Texas to save the 2020 college football season.

Of course, since this is college football, athletes must be enrolled in courses at their respective schools. Thankfully, it seems as if most universities are inevitably going online for the fall semester. The student-athletes would not be missing any of their classes, instead, doing them remotely in the ‘bubble’.

So why Arlington?

First, six of the conference’s representatives are withing a five-hour drive of the city. The state of Texas is considered the main state of the conference, as the Big 12 headquarters are only 20 minutes away in Irving.

Next, the conference could host a majority of its games in one of the nicest stadiums in the world, AT&T Stadium.

The Big 12 Championship game is already hosted at the stadium on an annual basis and the two parties have a solid relationship. Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones and Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby could find a way to strike a deal.

It would be nearly impossible to play all five conference games in one stadium on a Saturday however and would require another stadium.

Luckily Globe Life Field, a four-minute drive away, has been transformed from a baseball field into a football field. Local high schools are already scheduled to play games there.

Here is what a hypothetical game week could look like in the Big 12 ‘bubble’:

  • One Friday night game at AT&T Stadium
  • Three games on Saturday spanning from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. start times at AT&T Stadium
  • One Saturday game at Globe Life Field

This would ensure all 10 teams play their games within the same time frame and are able to equally recover. Bye weeks could even be implemented, making sure nobody is coming off a short week.

We already know AT&T Stadium can handle multiple games in one day as the UIL hosts up to four Texas high school playoff games there a day. The stadium also has multiple locker rooms, making sure each team could distance from one another.

Nine conference games would require nine weeks minimum in the ‘bubble’. If the conference wanted to continue with the Big 12 Championship, two teams would be required to stay another week.

Teams would also need to quarantine for 10-14 days before traveling to Arlington.

On the field would be the least of the Big 12’s problems. Off the field is where the real questions would emerge.

Yes, spending nearly three months in a ‘bubble’ is a considerable amount of time away from friends and family. Especially when there is no compensation going towards the players for their services.

Looking past time spent away, housing well over 1,000 people would become the main issue when mapping the ‘bubble’ out. Does the city have the capabilities to host that many people in such a small area?

That is before taking into account rooms for meetings, film, coronavirus testing, and weights. It would take a lot for 10 schools to uplift their programs to Arlington.

Also, could the quality of life be good enough? Nobody is going to agree to live inside this ‘bubble’ without up to standard necessities such as food, entertainment, and housing.

The NBA and NHL have already proven the ‘bubble’ is the safest way to have a season midst a global pandemic. Since the Big 12 is not a professional sports league, a ‘bubble’ method for their season is highly unlikely.

However, if there is a way the conference can pull it off, they should. Staying in Arlington for nearly three months would keep coaches, trainers, and players as safe as possible.

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Jerry Jones presents 2026 World Cup pitch for Dallas, AT&T Stadium

The Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium may play host to the world’s biggest sporting event

When Jerry Jones created AT&T Stadium just over a decade ago, the Cowboys owner and GM had more than just professional football on his mind.

In his latest attempt to branch out into other sectors of the sports world, Jones, along with the Dallas Sports Commission, presented a pitch to FIFA that made the case for Dallas to be the 2026 World Cup host city.

Dan Hunt, Dallas 2026 Committee Chairman and FC Dallas President, said after the proposal ended, “Today was our opportunity to present (to FIFA) and we had representation from the city of Dallas, from the Cowboys and AT&T Stadium, and FC Dallas.”

Hunt would go on to add, “We walked them through why Dallas is such a great city and why our region and metroplex can host such successful events. Obviously, one of the big ones is that we have a first-class stadium at AT&T Stadium. It can host – and has hosted – many of the great world events already.”

Jones chimed in about his grand plans for the stadium, “When I was thinking about building AT&T Stadium, I knew we wanted a great place for 100,000 people to have a unique experience. We’re ready to do what we can to make this World Cup the most special of them all.”

AT&T Stadium may be known for hosting the NFL’s most valuable franchise’s home games, but Jones has already used his state of the art arena to for many of the world’s most prestigious sporting events.

Some of the more substantial events include: 2010 NBA All-Star game (world record 108,713 fans for a basketball game), Superbowl XLV, 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship, the yearly Cotton Bowl, Wrestlemania, three world championship boxing matches, and numerous international soccer matches (majority were CONCACAF Gold Cup matches).

Dallas is no stranger to the World Cup, as it played host, along with nine other U.S. cities, to the world’s largest sporting event in 1994.

An event of this size would have a massive impact on the Dallas area. Dallas Sports Commission Executive Director Monica Paul stated their projections include $400 million in revenue and 3,000 jobs created for the span of the event.

A final decision on the host city is expected to be made in second half of 2021.

Season opener at Rams is latest Cowboys game to have attendance cut

The Cowboys now have four road games scheduled in 2020 to be played before reduced crowds or empty stadiums.

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.

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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Ravens announce attendance cap for 2020; what about Cowboys?

Fewer than 14,000 will attend Ravens games this fall; what would a similar attendance percentage look like in Dallas?

As the NFL plods forward with their plans to hold a 2020 regular season in the middle of a global pandemic, the focus- rightfully so- has been on keeping players and team personnel safe. But for the most popular sport in the country, uncertainty about fans’ participation has been lurking in the background ever since the phrase “social distancing” entered the national lexicon.

As football fans wonder how forty thousand to ninety thousand bodies will safely occupy the league’s 30 stadiums on any given Sunday this fall, the Baltimore Ravens have an answer no one wanted to hear: they won’t.

The team has announced that fewer than 14,000 fans will be allowed into Ravens home games under Maryland state and local laws. M & T Bank Stadium seats over 71,000.

That’s approximately 19% capacity.

No other teams have released expected figures or attendance plans for their stadiums, though the Packers and Chiefs have confirmed that they will seat just a fraction of fans for 2020 home games. The Packers have also announced that face coverings will be mandatory for all fans in attendance at Lambeau Field. The league has already declared that the lowermost rows of seats at every stadium would be tarped off to keep fans and players adequately separated.

At AT&T Stadium in Arlington, 80,000 fans can be seated for Cowboys home games. Attendance figures for games often surpass that number, though, thanks to multiple standing areas located inside the gates.

The league is allowing each team to set its own attendance policy, theoretically following appropriate state, county, and city guidelines. Last month, Texas governor Greg Abbott allowed his state’s sports venues to operate at 50% capacity, up from 25% previously.

But using Baltimore’s 19% as a purely hypothetical guide, it would make any Cowboys home games played in 2020 some highly-sought-after tickets.

According to ESPN figures, the Cowboys averaged 90,929 fans per game in 2019. Nineteen percent of that equates to just 17,276 fans. If all of AT&T Stadium’s standing areas are closed off entirely, a “full-capacity” crowd is just 15,200, a downright intimate gathering for a Cowboys game at JerryWorld.

The Ravens’ decision will kickstart a lengthy and possibly complicated refund process for current ticketholders. PSL owners will have first priority at securing 2020 home seats. Fans who already own season tickets will see their seats saved and rolled over to 2021. Single-game ticket sales have been put on hold; those who already have single-game tickets will be refunded.

Of course, if there’s another round of widespread pandemic shutdowns, it’s not even guaranteed that any fans at all will be allowed in any stadiums by the time Week 1 arrives. But then again, it’s not a lock that there will be a 2020 NFL season, so the news out of Baltimore could well become a moot point.

But it is a disheartening announcement for fans clinging to the hope that football will look anything like it’s supposed to at any point in the near future.

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Texas governor green lights fans for Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, other venues

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is allowing professional stadiums 25% of their capacity open to fans to attend.

With the NFL preparing for a full season, good news came out of the Lone Star State when it comes to doing so in front of actual people.

Texas governor Greg Abbott announced Thursday that outdoor professional sports stadiums and arenas are permitted to allow 25% of their capacity for fans to attend.

This announcement comes just 10 days after Abbott announced that professional teams were permitted to resume play. With the Texas Rangers, Houston Texans, Houston Astros and Dallas Cowboys all having retractable roofs available, this puts these teams in play for this 25% rule.

All teams will be required to submit a plan to the Texas Department of State Health Services before being allowed to open their gates to fans.

When it comes to the Cowboys, AT&T Stadium otherwise known as “Jerry World” can hold two different types of capacities. Seating wise, the stadium has 80,000 seats. If you factor in the “standing room only” areas, AT&T Stadium can hold over 100,000 people. The assumption is that these standing room only areas aren’t part of this immediate plan.

When looking at the 80,000 capacity number, this would allow the Cowboys to have 20,000 of their fans to attend their home games as it stands right now. When looking at some of the states across the country with higher positive Covid-19 confirmed cases, this seems like an astronomical number of people to group together in one setting. Texas, on the other hand has 54,509 confirmed positive cases which currently represents 3% of the entire country’s total.

The entire state of Texas has been open for just over a month now and has shown no spikes as some may have predicted with their timetable for opening their state. For professional sports teams in Texas, including the Cowboys, this is a very positive sign that things are trending in the right direction as the team prepares for a possible mini-camp and training camp in the summer months.

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