Minnesota Vikings To Play First Two Home Games Without Fans
Zeke Warren-Weigmann
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It’s official, Vikings fans. As if Covid-19 has not taken enough away from us already, the first two games played in US Bank stadium this NFL season will feature empty seats thanks to the dangers posed by the virus.
Following the lead of teams like the Detroit Lions and the Denver Broncos, franchises that have already laid out their plans to limit spectators at the beginning of the season, the Vikings announced Tuesday, August 25th, that the teams’ first two home games will be played without fans in the stadium.
“Based on our conversations and the current Minnesota Department of Health guidelines that specify an indoor venue capacity of 250, we have determined it is not the right time to welcome fans back to U.S. Bank Stadium,” Vikings management detailed in a statement released early Tuesday morning. “As a result, the first two Vikings home games on Sunday, Sept. 13, and Sunday, Sept. 27, will be closed to the public.”
Vikings fans will have to watch the purple and gold from home for both the September 13th home opener against the Green Bay Packers, as well as the September 27th week three matchup with the Tennessee Titans. The team’s first home game following the fan moratorium will be their week 6 game against the Atlanta Falcons on October 18th.
While this news is undoubtedly disappointing, it is not an endeavor taken on lightly by the team. According to estimates done by money.co.uk, losing the revenue from concessions alone costs the Vikings approximately $1,066,000 per week, meaning that the team will lose over $2 million by barring fans for two games.
This is of course not to say anything of additional expenses, like refunded ticket sales, which would certainly make the overall tally of lost revenue skyrocket.
It is true that the NFL as a league does not rely on ticket sales primarily for revenue, especially when compared to other leagues (for reference while ticket sales make up 22% of NBA earnings, they make up only 15% of NFL earnings). However, that amount of money lost is nothing to scoff at for the Vikings, especially with the team being headed by one of the league’s poorer owners in Zygi Wilf.
Let’s just hope, for all our sakes, that the exclusion of fans stays at only the two games.