As lockdowns and government restrictions in the US start to slowly ease up across various states, more and more activities are expected to make a comeback. Businesses and establishments are slowly making a comeback, too. On the other hand, NFL fans have been asking: will there be a delay in the season kick-off for this year? If things go as scheduled, the NFL is set to start the season for this year on September 10. However, it seems that players may be facing possible challenges and changes due to the effect brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
Before you get ready to go back to sports betting and take advantage of offers like using your betwinner promo code, here are some of the most important things you need to know about the upcoming return of NFL for its new season.
Pay cuts for players of the NFL?
According to the NFL website, the main focus of their preparations is to have the season going on time as scheduled in the safest way possible. On the other hand, there are also other pressing concerns that they need to address, and one of them is the financial crisis they are facing and will continue to face.
Since there is a huge revenue loss predicted to hit the NFL due to the changes the pandemic brought, the league is getting ready to take on contingency measures for their finances–and this could impact all the teams that play on the league. One of the steps that the league is looking to take may involve taking pay cuts from the salary of the players.
According to rumors and sources, part of the contingency plan that the NFL is putting together involves a suggestion is for players for the league to take pay cuts for their base salary for the year 2020. This is so that the league may be able to recover and make up for the losses that they are expecting to happen this year.
While NFL is yet to officially announce what their final decision on this matter would be, this is something that most sporting leagues and series are facing right now.
Health safety protocols for the NFL
While the NFL organizers are putting together health and safety protocols that players and other league employees will follow once the season officially starts, most of it is still in development period and is being considered through a test of trial and error.
Part of what the NFL is working on right now is how they would be able to minimize infection and spread of the virus as much as possible. They know, however, that the challenge is that players and other employees would have other places to go to than a game–and who knows who they will be with and where they would be by then.
Can fans attend NFL 2020 games?
The question of whether fans would be allowed to watch any NFL games live this seasons, or if the live audience for sports games would be allowed at all, lies on the regulations and restrictions each state would have by the time the season opens.
Part of the contingency plan that the NLF is preparing for is the possibility of admitting only a limited number of fans per game. This is so that physical distancing measures can be followed. Also, players should expect to be required to wear a mask if ever live audience would be allowed at all.
To help you picture it, imagine a 60,000-seater stadium. With physical distancing implemented, the live audience would now only be around 15,000 people. Other would be forced to find alternative means to watch games live.
