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on “current guidelines established by state

and local officials” — roughly the number of

fans that have purchased season tickets. At

Kansas, athletic director Jeff Long said the

Jayhawks have planned for some 16,000 fans in

Memorial Stadium this fall — about a third of

official capacity.

Several NFL teams, including Miami and New

Orleans, are modeling for reduced capacities this

season. It will no doubt look different for fans

in the stadium, not to mention the millions that

will tune in on TV.

“There’s the old saying, ‘Necessity is the mother

of invention.’ I would say we’re in a heightened

situation of necessity right now,” Appleman said.

“There are a lot of really smart people coming

up with really cool initiatives that could just be

a new way of doing things, and new isn’t always

bad. Sometimes change is good. Sometimes we

have to adapt.”

Indeed, such plans bring both hope and fear:

hope that some fans will be able to see their

favorite teams live and fear that colleges and

leagues such as Major League Soccer that rely

heavily on ticket sales will be able to make

ends meet.

To help fill some of those gaps — both optically

and financially — many facility operators have

been exploring options with firms such as

Arizona-based Bluemedia, which designs and

produces screens that can cover large swaths

of seats. Such screens already are used when

arenas want to cap capacity or create more

intimate settings, but Bluemedia vice president

R.J. Orr said those same products can present

sponsorship and marketing opportunities.

Image: David Richard
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