On Aug. 24, the Miami Dolphins announced that 13,000 fans will be allowed to attend the first home game at the Hard Rock Stadium on Sept. 20 against the Buffalo Bills. With the ongoing pandemic and Miami alone having had over 2,000 deaths due to COVID-19, it may be too soon to bring fans back.
I can see the immense changes made to the stadium to ensure the safety of the fans. From food payments to bathroom toilets and faucets, everything is being molded to be as contactless as possible. Even the air conditioning filters are being upgraded to match a hospital standard. They’re doing everything to bring fans back, which I understand because fans are what bring the adrenaline that athletes feed off of to energize themselves physically and mentally. However, all sports teams are struggling with a loss of fan support. Many are in closed-off areas, but they’re going through the pain because they’re putting safety first, for both themselves and their fans.
In a hot stadium where people can only take their masks off when eating or drinking, I just think many people will choose to “eat” the entire time. Now, this announcement didn’t say anything about this new change and how it will apply to all future 2020 Dolphins games. It only clarifies that there would be 13,000 fans for the first home game. Therefore, I think they’re going to see how the first game goes, and then decide what is the best thing to do. Even though I’d rather be safe than sorry and hold off on the fans, at least they are taking things slow and waiting to see the outcome of the first game. However, I’d personally rather play it safe and wait. I wouldn’t bring fans back yet because this pandemic may have diminished a bit, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone. I disagree with this decision because I think they are overall putting their own team and fans at dangerously high risk.
