Good idea? Bad idea?

Florida is gonna go ahead with fans in the stands as various NFL and college teams kick off their seasons. The Dolphins, who averaged 63,000 fans in 2019, are going to be able to play in front of about 13,000 people in their September 20th home opener against Buffalo.

From the Associated Press:

Crowd size will be about 20% of the stadium’s 65,326-seat capacity, with the limitation imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Groups of spectators will be spaced 6 feet apart.

Fifteen of the NFL’s 32 teams have ruled out spectators to start the season. The Dolphins are one of at least eight teams hoping to have a limited number of spectators, and many teams haven’t announced plans.

…

Bills coach Sean McDermott wasn’t happy that some NFL teams will have fans and others won’t. As of now, the Bills don’t plan to allow spectators at their home games.

“I think it’s honestly ridiculous that there will be on the surface what appears to be a playing field that’s like that, inconsistently across the league with the different away stadiums,” McDermott said.

Agree with local product Sean McDermott, and that’s the question we’ve been asking from the beginning. Is it really fair to have some teams play in front of their fans, while others play in front of empty seats? Why should Jerry Jones be able to put disgusting Cowboy fans in his stadium while Eagles fans can only crowd the gates and shout from afar?

It’s not the NFL’s choice, since local jurisdictions have control over the matter, but it’s still blah. It’s not ideal at all.