(FILES) In this file photo the NFL 100 year anniversary logo is seen on the field before the AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. – The NFL will hold its annual draft next month as scheduled but the coronavirus outbreak has forced cancellation of public events due to take place around the three-day spectacle in Las Vegas, the league said in a statement on March 16, 2020. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would televise the April 23-25 draft as per usual but there would be no events for the public in Las Vegas. (Photo by Peter Aiken / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
NFL teams will be able to set their own stadium capacity levels under area laws and allow local businesses to advertise on special tarps within television camera range, according to reports.
The Athletic reported that the NFL will not establish capacity standards for venues no matter how coronavirus levels stand in an area, meaning some teams could play in near-full venues and others before near-empty stands.
Sports Business Journal reported that NFL teams have been told they can sell advertising signs on tarps in the first six to eight rows of the stands, which would be blocked off to protect players, coaches and staff from the deadly disease.
Using the space for financial deals would also help clubs recover some of the expected financial losses due to the COVID-19 outbreak reducing fan access to games.
The Athletic says the NFL could lose more than $3 billion by playing without spectators in the stands.
The NFL plans to stage a normal regular season in team venues starting September 10 when the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs entertain the Houston Texans.
Setting different attendance levels for teams depending upon local laws starting with August pre-season games could raise issues about competitive balance, with some teams facing noisy fans on the road and others getting near-silent stadiums with few fans.
COVID-19 guidelines vary from state to state and not always in line with how cases and deaths from the virus are impacting a particular region.
States have reopened at different speeds after months of stay-at-home restrictions with larger gatherings allowed in some areas compared to others.
Advertising signs would have to meet NFL requirements, including no conflicts with league sponsors. Most companies are banned from displaying signage nearer than 40 feet above the field.
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