Introduction
It’s been almost a full-year since New York has let fans into indoor sporting events. It’s been a long road with a lot of television watching. Instead of buying overpriced hot dogs and beers, we stayed home and watched empty arenas from our couch. That looks like it’s finally about to change.
The News
On Wednesday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that large arenas can reopen at 10% capacity. Cuomo defined “large arena” as any sporting facility with over a capacity of 10,000. That would put football and baseball stadiums in the same category as smaller NBA and NHL facilities.
While some states have had limited capacity sporting events for months — such as Texas that hosted the World Series — New York kept stadiums fan-less. That was until a recent reversal by Cuomo allowed Buffalo Bills fans to attend home game playoffs, with capacity limited to 6500.
What Does 10% Look Like? The Math
Under the 10% capacity limit, 1,800 fans would be allowed at Madison Square Garden for New York Rangers’ games. For New York Islanders’ games, 1,390 fans would be allowed to attend, under the assumption they use Nassau Coliseum. Capacity of Buffalo Sabers’ games would be limited to 1,900 at Key Bank Center
What About New Jersey? We’re Better Than Them!
If The New Jersey Devils allow fans, capacity would likely be limited to 1,650 fans. That’s going off the latest capacity for ice hockey at Prudential Center being listed at 16,514. The arena originally had a capacity of 17,625, but different reconfigurations and changes after the 2013 season lowered that number.
New Jersey has yet to announce any plans to open sporting events. New Jersey usually follows New York’s example so there’s a reason to be optimistic with this news from across the Hudson River. We all know Prudential Center wants those fans in the stands, or at least that’s what the season ticket representatives that keep calling me are saying.
What About The Testing?
Part of New York’s plan is that all fans must have a negative PCR test, at the earliest, three days before the game. That could be a challenge, as PCR tests usually take some time to get results. With that being said, when would fans know when to get tested to make sure results come back in time? I know people who have gotten results in as little as a day, but some have waited for as long as a week.
Also, how do you prove the test? Is a doctor’s note good enough? Some people get their results online or through a message. Will those messages be accepted as proof?
When I talked to Bryce Salvador for our interview, and he was explaining COVID protocols for the MSG broadcast team, he explained they get a rapid test every home game. Those rapid test come back with results in about 15 minutes. PCR tests can take a few days to get results, even though the test is taken the same way.
So, the question is how do we deal with the time disparity? What if a fan doesn’t get their test back before the game? The only real option for “in-arena” testing would be the rapid tests, if stadiums wanted to go that route.