Steelers Hold Back Half Of General Tickets Anticipating Social Distancing
FootballNFLSports
May 27, 2020
Kelly Byrnes 0
A limited number of fans will be able to get their hands on Pittsburgh Steelers tickets this year.
The team has chosen to release only half of its inventory for single-game tickets in the event that fans must distance themselves in NFL stadiums this season as a result of COVID-19. Steelers single-game tickets went on sale last Friday and Pittsburgh is thought first team in the league to limit their total inventory released for sale.
“We are holding back 50 percent of the individual game ticket sales inventory because we are preparing for possible social distancing scenarios this year at Heinz Field,” said Steelers director of communications Burt Lauten, via ESPN.
No official guidelines regarding social distancing at games have been announced by the NFL. In fact, one league executive revealed that having teams fill stadiums is their plan for the fall although officials are keeping contingency plans in place should stadium capacities be reduced at the recommendation of health experts.
Pittsburgh’s move, should limited fans be admitted into games, would potentially escape the issue of selling a number of tickets deemed unusable. Other sports leagues like the MLB, NBA and NHL have had to navigate this issue upon their disrupted seasons with some fans even suing to get refunds for their unused tickets.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo to all 32 franchises prior to the season’s schedule release outlining the basis for a required ticketing policy “if a game is cancelled, or is played under conditions that prohibit fans from attending.”
Steelers Hold Back Half Of General Tickets Anticipating Social Distancing