GottaRun

Added new info about Ravens

The article below explains how MLS only made players quarantine for 24hrs before allowing them into the bubble - So they followed protocols, but the very first protocol was a weak link https://sports.yahoo.com/coronavirus-mls-nba-sports-return-protocols-025336665.html

You say "Life might as well go on at some point", sure, but that point is not now. There is no way for NFL life to go on if 1/3 of the game day roster is sick and needs to quarantine for 2 weeks or more. After FC Dallas had to pull out of the opening tournament due to 10 (now 11) positive tests, MLS had to cancel its second game due to 5 positive test results with Nashville. Are you really wanting to watch an NFL season where games are being cancelled, re-scheduled, or played with teams missing 1/3 of their starters? (I say 1/3 as FC Dallas lost 10 of 30 players or 1/3 of their roster, so I figure the same or similar will happen to an NFL team at some point)

FC Dallas had to pull out of the opening MLS tournament after 10 players tested positive*. Get too many of these types of stories and players in all leagues are going to be questioning the sanity of trying to play in 2020 * That's 10 of 30 players on the roster. What happens if an NFL team gets hit like that? Can't exactly play with 17 players out.. for 2 weeks or more. Link https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mls/fcdallas/2020/07/06/mls-fc-dallas-pulls-out-orlando-tournament-coronavirus/5387643002/

Link https://titanswire.usatoday.com/2020/07/06/tennessee-titans-season-ticket-holders-2020-options-covid-19/ "Adding to all that, Paul Kuharsky notes that the team is also refunding all single-game tickets." EDIT - Ravens will have less than 14,000 in attendance for games

Who has the final word on this? NFLPA or the league/owners? EDIT - I'll answer my own question. The league has the say according to this tweet

Question for @Hapless Bills Fan We know that sneezes and coughs hang in the air much longer in cold weather, I've read 1 second in hot weather before they drop to a surface vs 10 seconds or more in cold weather. Could this be the reason that Covid-19 spreads so much faster in meat packing plants vs the air conditioner circulation theory? I'm convinced if we haven't smothered this by October it will spread like wildfire.

If the decision had to be made today... I'd opt out. My wife is dead against me going this year and after 17 years of her being cool with me going I've gotta consider that, if I get Covid-19 I'm bringing it back home to her and probably to her 93 year old mother, and my 82 year old parents.

The thing with the Bills is, they draw season ticket holders from far and wide. WNY is in a good spot right now, but on game day New Era would be packed with people from all over. Of the 30 or so people I tailgate with regularly I think 6 are actually from the Buffalo area. 4 come in from the East coast, 1 comes from Florida, several are Rochester based, probably 1/3 are Canadian. We're all season ticket holders. If Covid-19 survives into the fall, which seems most likely, it will be around for the beginning of our actual flu season (Sept - Mar) , when the flu traditionally spreads the fastest. 100 infected people tailgating, walking the concourses, using the washrooms, high fiving in the stands, etc has the potential to explode into a large number of cases, and quickly.

My rep confirmed this morning that the first 6 to 8 rows of New Era will be tarped off this year. So the NFL mandate is true for that. They also confirmed Canadian season ticket holders will receive a refund or credit for any games where the border is closed. Also, the Bills have not announced the early access sale for remaining seats to individual games to season ticket holders. There may be fans this year* but clearly there will be no full stadiums in Buffalo. * I don't think we'll see fans in the stands. Flu season starts in Oct and hits full speed in December. Sneeze droplets hang in the air for a good 10 seconds and longer in cold weather. While 60 - 80K people die of the flu every year 128K are already dead and we are only at the half way point of the year. My fan side wants to be in the stadium, but my rationale side says it's a recipe for disaster

I suspect what you saw was a day where 13 people died as there have been 712 confirmed deaths in SC to date.

Did Florida really just report 8,942 new cases today? https://www.floridacovid.com/ Wow. Edit: as of this morning at 11 am, "only 5,000", but certainly trending up. They do seem to have some fluctuation, though, so perhaps it's a matter of a data-dump from a laboratory? https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/individual-states/florida

I also think it will end up being misleading. When a younger friend of a friend (in their 20's) got it, had to have a lung removed, then recovered, I finally got that everyone who recovers from Covid isn't necessarily leaving the hospital in the same shape they went in. I doubt we'll know the reality of the numbers for a long time.

According to this article in another thread ""the first six to eight rows of seating in every stadium -- including on-field suites -- will be off limits to fans this season." So the NFL is clearly already making some league wide attendance decisions.

"the first six to eight rows of seating in every stadium -- including on-field suites -- will be off limits to fans this season." Anyone have seats in those rows? Have you already been contacted, did you get a choice between refunds or different seats?

As a Canadian who has had season tickets since 2004 I hope the Bills give us some options. We'll know in the next few weeks if the border closure is extended past July 21st, if it is we're definitely out for the pre-season games. I'm certain they are working on a plan. They haven't had the season ticket holder early seat sale for remaining tickets. They haven't even announced a date. My rep said they don't want to sell the seats, then immediately need to refund them (that chat was about 6 weeks ago)

The border closure is extended to July 21st. We're only 2 more extensions* away from this being a no decision for us Canadian STH as we won't be able to cross. *We're only 1 extension away from missing the first home pre-season game

Taken from the dataisbeautiful sub on reddit.I believe it shows 2 regions decreasing in cases and 2 regions increasing (using key on the left). Accurate as of June 22nd. Reading graphs isn't a strong point of mine. [Edit: read it perfectly as far as I can tell. Point is showing that the overall US cases shape can obscure the actual pattern in different regions of the country, some falling, some rising - quickly. -Hap]

My buddy is a top audio mixer for live NHL broadcasts in Canada (Dome/Rogers/CBC). If he was to work in a hub city he would have to be in full isolation with the players. Once you enter you stay, if you leave you don't come back. It's not just isolated hotels, it isolated restaurants, food services, etc... If you have access to the players you are in the bubble. They've spent the down time working on a plan to do everything remotely, so some support staff can have a life outside of the sport. These sports reach so far beyond just the players, there's a hell of a lot of people that would have to be in isolation to make the NFL work inside a bubble.

We used to have to stand and listen to the anthem before movies. Times change.

No kidding. National anthems belong at international sporting events (The World Cup) and not in domestic sports. They should not be played before Bills games. People who are upset by the kneeling better get ready for the inevitable fans sitting down in the stands during the anthem.

The NFL had an agreement to show games at movie theatres here (Canada) for the last few years So it's not unheard of, and if we're not able to be in the stands I suspect the NFL will be open to ideas that generate revenue and give them fan footage to use during broadcasts

A friend of mine built a 2 seater in his backyard (Murphy Rebel?) and before the engine, seats, etc went in I could lift it with one hand*. I was amazed at how light it was. *Might have been 2 hands... but I could lift it pretty easy

I have seasons and I grabbed a couple of extras for the Chiefs game for family. From the Bills via Ticketmaster (face value). I asked my rep why tickets were available from the Bills via Ticketmaster before the season ticket holder pre-sale and they said they released a few but held most of the extras back for the pre-sale (probably in July)

The bottom of the schedule announcement email says that This seems a lot later than normal, is it?