Breaking news!

Red alert!

Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration is giving approval to the Philadelphia Eagles to allow a limited amount of hard-working, blue-collar, lunch pail-carrying fans into Lincoln Financial Field, beginning this Sunday.

From the Birds’ website:

Under the guidelines set forth by the National Football League and public health experts, and with the approval of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia, the Eagles have finalized plans that will lead to a limited capacity of fans returning to Lincoln Financial Field, starting this Sunday.

The stadium occupancy will be limited to 7,500 total people, which includes players, coaches, team and stadium personnel, media, and fans.

It will easily be less than 7,000 fans, since you need to make room for the teams and other assorted people who work these games. The Yinzers capped their number at 5,500 last week.

Tickets for Sunday’s game will go on sale tomorrow, for season ticket holders who opted into the 2020 season. This is how most teams seem to be doing it. Tickets will be sold in groups “with the ability to purchase as many as six tickets in the same seating pod,” according to the Birds website. If any tickets remain, they’ll go on sale to the general public later.

Obviously this is a big step forward for a city and administration that had been reluctant to move ahead with attendance for sporting and other outdoor events. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Sixers and Flyers are in the clear, since the city attitude towards indoor events might differ, but it’s a positive step in the right direction as we try to return to some normalcy in these parts.

(no word on tailgating, however)