Chicago baseball fans will have the opportunity to watch a game in person at Wrigley Field or Guaranteed Rate Field — at least, a certain amount.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a tweet announcing that a limited number of fans would be allowed to attend Cubs and White Sox games.
“As a diehard sports fan myself, I’m personally excited to have Chicago take its first, cautious steps toward safely reopening our beloved baseball stadiums to fans this season,”Lightfoot said in a statement. “We’re able to do that thanks to the commitment of our city’s two great baseball franchises who continue to work in close relationship with Chicago’s public health officials to find solutions that are not only safe, but offer a path toward safely increasing stadium capacity as we move closer into our Covid-19 recovery.”
Both ballparks will be limited to 20 percent capacity. Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the White Sox, will be allowed 8,122 fans while Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs, will be allowed 8,274.
Fans were not allowed in ballparks last season due to the pandemic, but with Covid-19 numbers declining, according to Chicago Department of Health Commissioner Allison Arwady, and continued progress in vaccinations, the city believes this is a good first step.
Fans, however, have had a mixed response to the mayor’s decision.
“I’m definitely conflicted with how I feel,” said Cubs fan Greg Albrecht. “When I first saw breaking news regarding Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, my first thought was that they were going to be used as mass vaccination sites. So I was a little disappointed to find out that wasn’t the case. I think that’s what our priority needs to be for the next couple of months.”
On the other side, there is optimism that the decision to let fans back in stadiums makes sense because more and more people are getting vaccinated.
“We’re nearing the point where I think it’s prudent,” said former Cubs season ticket holder Tim McGinnis. “The number of the vaccinated population is going up and the numbers of infected people are going down. So that’s a promising trend. If protocols can be enforced, the outside nature of baseball seems like a good place for fans to return with as minimal risk as possible.
Because of the limited capacity, certain fans are set to be prioritized.
Cubs spokesman Julian Green told the Chicago Sun-Times that the team plans to prioritize season ticket holders to make certain “our most loyal customers who have supported our business have an opportunity to purchase tickets first.”
“Tickets going to season ticket holders first is for sure the most fair thing to do,” Albrecht said. “Those fans have made an investment in their passion for the team, so they should be given priority.”
Source: depauliaonline.com