Barring any major coronavirus relapses, which could be possible after recent spikes have been seen across the U.S., sports fans are going to have a lot to look forward to in the last half of 2020. The NBA and the NHL already had plans in place to finish out their seasons, and MLB, after embarrassing delays, has just now been able to figure out how to proceed. The last component among the top sports organizations in the U.S. is the NFL, which continues to shape the upcoming season. The league and the players association have been in almost constant contact, and have come up with new strategies for the upcoming season.
NFL training camps are going to start on July 28, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He adds, “The NFL and NFLPA are still negotiating what camp will look like and how the protocols will be handled and everything else. But players will arrive on time.” Typically, rookies would be the first to report to the camps but, because of the situation, all players are expected to report.
So there is a date to report: July 28. The NFL and NFLPA are still negotiating what camp will look like and how the protocols will be handled and everything else. But players will arrive on time. https://t.co/BLrbUQnRXx
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 24, 2020
The NFL regular season is scheduled to start in September, which means a July 28 start for training doesn’t give a lot of time to prepare. This has resulted in the league and the union deciding to reduce the number of preseason games and, according to NFL.com, the first preseason games will be held on August 13, preceded by the Hall of Fame game on August 6. There will be four weeks of preseason football action, running through September 3, with the first regular-season game coming on September 10.
As part of the plan to see fall football not have to be called off, the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) have agreed on a number of changes, such as an order that all teams have to remain at home and use their own facilities in the offseason. In some cases, teams typically practice off-site, but this won’t be allowed this year. The president of the NFLPA, J.C. Tretter, had asserted this past May, “Our priority is always going to be the health and safety of the players. Usually when you say that, it is things that will happen on the field. Obviously, that takes a new meaning with everything going on now where you talk about the health and safety of the players is you are talking about their own personal health. That is always going to be the top priority for us. There is probably not one, two or five things. There is a long list of hurdles we have to get over and things we have to watch and check. We just continually seek out information to be informed.”
There is a little bit of good news for NFL fans regarding the upcoming season. The NFL is apparently ready to allow teams to establish their own rules for fan attendance, which is going to make a lot of people happy. One NFL insider told The Athletic, “Attendance will be a state-by-state, county-by-county thing. It will not be a one size fits all.” However, there is one caveat. The first few rows at the stadiums will be reserved strictly for advertisers as a way to pick up greater revenue since those seats are offered at a premium. Still, the mere fact that there could be public participation is a step in the right direction.
