First Call: Two huge developments on topic of NFL seating in the fall

For Thursday’s “First Call,” we take a look at two major developments when it comes to the prospect of having fans at NFL games in the fall.

I know what you’ve been thinking during this pandemic.

How … how, dear Lord above … will we be able to emerge from these historically unstable economic times with NFL owners as far in the black as possible? That’s all that matters!

Yeah. It’s been worrying me as well.

Assuming covid-19 restrictions last throughout the year — and that’s what I’m assuming at this point — league owners are going to lose beaucoup bucks compared to what projections were pre-coronavirus.

Preseason games may be shaved off the schedule. And, along with them, associated broadcast income. Merchandise sales from open training camps are gone. Let alone ticket sales from games in stadiums that are either empty — or limited — during the pre-season.

Well, fret not. These small-time, plucky NFL entrepreneurs have come up with a plan to buffer losses from the 2020 bottom line.

Check out what Ben Fischer wrote in Sports Business Daily Wednesday.

“The first six to eight rows of seating in every stadium — including on-field suites — will be off limits to fans this season. That move is officially to protect players, coaches and team staff from coronavirus exposure, but it would also free up that space to become lucrative sponsorship assets.

Sources said those seats will be covered by tarps that could include sponsor logos, similar to how EPL (English Premier League soccer) teams repurposed empty seating sections for ads during its return to play last week. The plan will be presented to owners at a meeting (Thursday). An NFL spokesman did not reply to a request for comment.”

So it’s coronavirus safety margins … by way of profit margins.

I say, why not?

Tarps that used to be sources of shame for franchises who couldn’t generate revenue in terms of ticket sales will now be beacons of creative cash flow.

‘Murica! The capital of capitalism.

Well, in this case, capitalism by way of the NFL’s socialistic distribution of wealth within its massive revenue sharing.

But, hey, let’s not split hairs.

Now then, what about the other seats in various NFL stadiums? Glad you asked.

On Monday, Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic quoted one NFL source as saying, “Attendance will be a state-by-state, county-by-county thing. It will not be a one size fits all.”

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network expanded on that thought.

From NFL Now: The NFL is considering allowing local authorities to set attendance levels for each team in the 2020 season. What it means ??? pic.twitter.com/sydE25qXMb

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 24, 2020

So let’s bring this story home.

Even though Allegheny County has seen spikes in recent weeks, allowing local authorities to set attendance levels still could be good news for the Steelers in the sense that Western Pennsylvania has largely kept covid-19 numbers in check.

The issue may fall to city, state and county politics. Will Gov. Tom Wolf feel the need to be equitable between the Philadelphia Eagles and Steelers? Or will he make decisions based strictly on data from both regions?

One would hope that Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald would lobby on behalf of the local franchise to open up Heinz Field as much as appropriately manageable, even if that created a bit of a rub within Democratic Party politics.

One would … hope … that.

With the disparity in size, density and usage of public transportation, Philly inherently has a more difficult fight on its hands against coronavirus than we do here. So it could be a dicey decision on a state level.

Or even on a local level if Peduto and Fitzgerald play the “optics” and “liability” game with the eventual number of fans allowed.

Oh, I’m sorry. Did I say optics and liability? I meant “public safety.”

Yes. That’s what I meant. “Public … safety.”

But we’ll see when September comes around. If the NFL even makes it to September.

I sure hope it does. I bet the advertising tarps feel the same way.