NFL schedule to be released Thursday. Here’s how coronavirus could impact 2020 season
Coronavirus what now?
With the 2020 NFL schedule set to be released on Thursday, it’s clear that while the league isn’t altering its fall plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic right now, it is anticipating a substantial loss in local revenue if the virus is still raging around the globe.
Delaying the start of the season to try to play in front of fans is under consideration, according to MMQB’s Albert Breer.
“Could the NFL move its schedule back, too? I don’t think it’s crazy to consider,” Breer wrote. “Two teams estimated to me that, on average, NFL clubs would lose about $100 million apiece in local revenue if the season was played without fans in the stands.”
Breer also noted that if the season did start as scheduled, with a Sept. 10 opener and the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida, league-wide losses could reach $3.2 billion if fans aren’t allowed in the stands.
NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent told the Associated Press last week that health and safety were a top priority during the planning process regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have to look at it in the current environment based off what we’re learning through the science and through the medical community,” Vincent said to AP.
He also said that the league will not take virus tests out of the hands of the public: “We won’t. General public safety is first and foremost.”
The NFL has been active about putting together a contingency plan if the COVID-19 pandemic is still not under control by the time the regular season rolls around. That plan consists of starting the regular season in mid-October, no bye weeks, and pushing the Super Bowl to Feb. 28, according to Sports Business Journal.
Breer also noted that host cities could submit alternative days to hold the big game in case a change is needed.
“How far could the league move the Super Bowl back?” Breer asked, according to Sports Illustrated. “It’s a fair question. A source told me that the league requires, with every Super Bowl bid, that cities hold extra dates in case the game has to be moved. So Tampa (where the Super Bowl will be held in 2021) presumably has those.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 9:55 AM with the headline "NFL schedule to be released Thursday. Here’s how coronavirus could impact 2020 season."