Despite Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent claim that Super Bowl LV in Tampa would be a full event, NFL officials apparently have very different plans.
According to a story from WFTS-TV in Tampa, ESPN reports that the league is only planning to fill 20 percent of Raymond James Stadium for the big game.
Additionally, the actual date of the Super Bowl has not been finalized yet.
That’s because it remains unclear whether a Week 18 will replace the off week. If that happens, Adam Schefter of ESPN says the game would be played on February 7, based on the original plan.
The NFL is planning limited seating for Super Bowl LV and other safety protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic: https://t.co/wlnFqaPAzW
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 28, 2020
News of a stadium that’s only a fifth of the way full is not exactly what Tampa officials had wanted.
Like Gov. DeSantis, they were also looking forward to a packed stadium, with hopes of drawing thousands of people to that area in the days leading up to the Super Bowl.
With that, the question becomes: Can those few thousand fans create enough energy, fun and noise to make up for the other 80 percent?!
One thing’s for sure. This’ll be a Super Bowl truly like no other before…or maybe even after.