Will Bengals follow in Ravens footsteps and reduce attendance this season?
CINCINNATI — The NFL continues to stay on schedule, despite dealing with a global pandemic.
It's an inexact science, especially with more information about COVID-19 being released by the day.
There has been plenty of speculation about the preseason, the start of training camp and allowing fans to attend games. The Ravens were the first team to offer some clarity for their fans and season ticket holders.
Baltimore will only allow 14,000 people to attend each home game this season. They were the first team to give a specific number of people that will be allowed to attend. The Chiefs and Packers have also said that attendance will be significantly reduced in 2020.
The Bengals aren't far behind. They sent a memo to season ticket holders last week that gave them the option to opt out of their seats. They made it clear that Paul Brown Stadium probably won't be filled this year.
“We understand that everyone will have different levels of comfort with attending games,” the team said in an email sent to season ticket holders. “To ease any health concerns, all [season ticket holders] will have the option to opt out of your season ticket commitment for this season.
“Once we have further clarity on our return to football plan, we will communicate with you as soon as possible. This could include changes to our seating capacity and to our preseason schedule.”
The NFL has already decided that the first six to eight rows of every stadium will be blocked with a tarp. Teams will be able to sell advertisements on the coverings, much like baseball does in the outfield.
The league is allowing each team to dictate its own capacity this season.
The Bengals begin the season at home, but play four of their first six games on the road. They travel to Baltimore in Week 5.
Cincinnati should benefit from the lack of fans in the stands. The Ravens have one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL. They went 7-1 at M&T Bank Stadium last season.
On the flip side, not as many Bengals fans will be able to watch Joe Burrow and the rest of this remade roster in person this season.
Paul Brown Stadium holds 65,535 people, but all signs point to attendance being drastically reduced due to COVID-19.
