NFL says no fans will attend training camp sessions this year
By Brian Miller
This year, NFL training camps will look different as fans will not be allowed to attend.
More and more information continues to filter in from meetings being held by the NFL and the NFLPA as it relates to the start of the NFL season.
NFL training camps are set to begin in less than a month with many reporting in 18-20 days from now. In places like Miami, where COVID cases continue to rise, the NFL is taking steps to protect their players while making sure a season happens.
Some of them are pretty ridiculous.
One that is not, is the lack of fans at training facilities during camp practice sessions. Many teams will allow fans to attend anywhere between eight and 14 sessions while some teams will only allow fans to attend a few sessions at best. Now, it won’t matter, the league is taking steps to eliminate potential issues.
Update on where things stand 18 days out:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 10, 2020
— Almost everything is done and agreed to except for number of preseason games and testing protocols.
— No fans will be at training camp, but teams can have up to two fan events at stadiums this preseason with strict protocols if allowed
The league has already imposed restrictions on the number of media members that will be allowed to attend practice sessions. They have removed all player and coaching interviews from being conducted live. Yet for all the precautions the NFL is taking to try and keep players safe, some don’t make much sense.
The league has told players they can’t exchange jerseys after games, asked them not to shake hands but contact is still permitted. Only a few media members can attend practice but they can’t tweet what they see, as if that is going to spread the virus.
Fans are going to experience a different type of season and specifically training camp. For older fans who experienced the NFL before social media, this will be a retro experience that brings back memories of waiting until a reporter posts his thoughts on a practice session. Sometimes you don’t get much news at all until the next day. It won’t be that bad this year.
The league will allow teams to have two fan events at stadiums but those are currently undefined and could be nothing more than intrasquad scrimmages. The Dolphins have done those each year for the last 10 years or so.
At games, with attendance way down, fans will be required to wear masks while attending games. No matter what happens, if the NFL season goes forward, there will be noticeable changes to how the league is presented to the fans, how fans will be able to interact with the game, and how information is delivered to the fan.