by Dominic Rosetti
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
When the Baltimore Ravens matched up against the Kansas City Chiefs on the last Monday of September, 250 fans cheered, groaned and yelled in the cavernous M&T Bank Stadium on Russell Street.
The Ravens got swarmed, losing 34-20 before their moms, dads, grandparents, close relatives and the family members of the coaches and front-office personnel approved by Maryland’s Department of Health. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sept. 28 game was the first time “fans” were allowed to warm the seats and see the game first hand.
“This is an important step for us as we continue working toward the possibility of welcoming a larger number of fans at some point this season,” said Dick Cass, president of the Baltimore Ravens, in an email. “Ultimately, we all want to do what’s in the best interest of our community.
“We appreciate the guidance that Gov. Larry Hogan and Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young have provided,” Cass added.
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way Americans both play and view sports. Officials from major and minor leagues, professional and semi-pro clubs have tinkered with rules, regulations, dos and don’ts both on and off the playing fields.
Some rules are stringent. Personnel from every team that does not participate in whatever game it is must wear a mask at all times. The meals that players receive before and after each game also are placed in to-go containers. Before the pandemic, the head baseball coach from each team would exchange the lineup card with the umpire, but not this year.
Of all the rules, not allowing fans in the stands seems to draw the most attention.
“I think that it should be one way or the other. Either they do have fans in the stands or they don’t,” said Patrick Conway, 31, a manager at Outback Steakhouse. “I think that fans should be allowed in the stands again, 100 percent.”
When the Ravens decided to allow family in the stadium, officials decided that the 250 immediate family members were only allowed to attend if they were living in the same local household as a player, coach or member of the staff. Those fans were still required to wear a mask and follow the safety protocol by the team, the league and the local officials.
Even Gov. Larry Hogan long for the good ole days of crowded stadiums.
“I miss having fans, I miss being a fan,” Hogan told NBC Sports recently. “I usually go to games in Washington and in Baltimore every season. It’s just not the same, you watch it on television and you still see some pretty good football, but it’s missing something without the fans.”
Both Hogan and Mayor Young are granted skyboxes at the stadiums of the Ravens and Orioles as part of leases with the Maryland Stadium Authority. Also, there are no restrictions on who they can invite to the stadiums.
To open up the season across the National Football League spectrum, there were only six teams out of 32 that planned to allow fans in the stadium, but only at a very low capacity. The team with the most stadium capacity allowed was the Jacksonville Jaguars with 25 percent. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins allowed 20 percent capacity. The Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts allowed the least capacity with 10 and 3.5 percent respectively.
The 26 other teams decided to start the season without any fans, but officials privately hope to welcome fans back during the season.
“A few NFL head coaches have expressed frustration with the fact that some teams will be able to host fans in the stands and others won’t, but the league does not see an issue,” Sporting News recently reported.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell declared that he does not consider the teams who are opening the season with fans to have an advantage, competitively. He said in media interviews that there are different levels of capacity for certain cities that were allowed to have fans to start their season.
Goodell said fans should be allowed back in the stands for games, but only if there are proper safety precautions taken and if he receives full support from the city officials.
With baseball season just ending, players successfully competed amid dozens of new rules and protocols. Baseball players were not be allowed to high five each other nor celebrate. They also were not allowed to chew sunflower seeds or tobacco because the league prohibited spitting.
“Baseball has a completely different atmosphere now considering there are no fans,” said Michael Kral, a 21-year-old resident of Overlea. “Players are used to hearing thousands of fans and now there is silence.”
Previously, the coaches would both walk up to the home plate umpire and exchange their lineup cards with each other. Not so today. Also, the players were not allowed in the dugout if they were not on the list to play. Team members watched the game from the stands because of the social distancing protocol.
1 Comment
Interesting story. It really reflects a change in sports culture and the new normal of American society.