The Golden State Warriors plan on having fans in the stands this upcoming NBA season.
According to ESPN, Warriors owner Joe Lacob is planning on having 50% capacity at the Chase Center during the upcoming season, which starts Dec. 22. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
How will the Warriors get it done? The team plans to spend about $30 million to fund coronavirus testing for people entering the arena.
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Lacob is very aware of the stakes of the situation and stated, “You cannot sustain this league with no fans. You can do it for a year. We’ll all get by for a year. But suppose we’re in this situation next year. Now we’re talking some serious, serious financial damage to a lot of people.”
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Obviously, Lacob is 100% correct when he says not having fans can’t go on forever. That should be clear to everyone.
The NBA can survive off of TV money for a very long time, but that would require a massive cut in salaries.
Do you think the players will go for that idea? Of course not!
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So, that means fans have to start getting back in the stands. It doesn’t mean you have to pack the arenas, but it does mean you have to start preparing to welcome some people back.
We’ve seen the NFL do it, and we’ve seen some college programs do it. Clearly, it can be done!
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We’ll see how it works out, but I have to give props to the Warriors for giving it a shot!