The Super Bowl isn't as packed with fans as you think it is - Yahoo Sports

Ever since late June, when American team sports restarted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, most games have been played without fans. When stadiums have opened, capacities have been significantly restricted.

So when millions of viewers tuned into the Super Bowl on Sunday, some were alarmed to see a stadium that looked pretty darn full.

And indeed, there are more fans at Super Bowl LV in Tampa than there have been at most sporting events over the past seven months. The NFL expected to welcome around 25,000 people to Raymond James Stadium.

But many television shots, and even some photos from inside the stadium, were deceiving. More than half of the “people” you saw in the stands are actually cardboard cutouts.

Some ‘fans’ are actually cardboard cutouts

In between the 25,000 actual fans, there are around 30,000 pieces of cardboard depicting fans.

The NFL sold cutout spots for $100. Fans who paid could send in a photo of themselves and get their spot at Raymond James Stadium without actually traveling to the game.

The cutouts serve to make the stands look more full than they actually are on TV, but also to keep fans at a distance from one another.

Look closely at some of the photos from Tampa, and you can see that the actual humans are more spaced out than they appear in wide shots on TV:

The stands at Raymond James Stadium looked packed for Super Bowl LV, but only some of the 'fans' were actual humans. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Fans are seen prior to a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

A fan holds up a sign honoring heart care workers before the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans take photos before the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Fans sit socially distanced at the Super Bowl match between Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida on February 7, 2021. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Fans cheer before the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Of course, some fans are still closer together than many epidemiologists would recommend. And mask-wearing – despite the NFL handing out masks to everybody who entered the stadium – wasn’t universal.

But pictures have been deceiving. And of the 25,000 fans in attendance, approximately 7,500 were vaccinated healthcare workers.

Super Bowl LV pandemic images

More from Yahoo Sports:

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"Many" - Google News
February 08, 2021 at 10:23AM
https://ift.tt/3aLMnib

The Super Bowl isn't as packed with fans as you think it is - Yahoo Sports
"Many" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2QsfYVa
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini