Who dat? A customer!
It is quite clear that the New Orleans Saints National Football League franchise ownership wants customers in the stadium despite the lack of containment of the COVID-19 illness. Around October 1st, the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell saying he was looking forward to having fans in the stands at Saints games. There have been some people in the Superdome, about 750 family members per game, who have watched Saints games this year. The Saints ownership decided to put more pressure on Mayor Cantrell earlier this week when Saints officials met with Louisiana State University officials in Baton Rouge to discuss the possibility of playing games in the college’s football facility. Baton Rouge is about 80 miles from New Orleans. Because the Saints New Orleans stadium has a roof making it an indoor venue, allowing up to 20,000 people in the facility may present a health problem.
The Saints next home game is scheduled for October 25th. There are 15 teams that can accommodate a limited number of customers. Local authorities in Arlington, Texas, Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Miami, Nashville, Tennessee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Tampa have opened the doors to the stadium. The NFL is hoping that more local authorities will allow a select number of people to attend games. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has allowed the college football stadium in Baton Rouge to open and has limited seating capacity to 25 percent or 20,000 customers. Louisiana State University hosted four Saints games in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans and the Superdome was used as a shelter. But allowing big crowds at Saints games is a problem as it falls under the category of large gatherings.
