NFL Announcement: Commissioner Roger Goodell is opening up stadiums to full capacity in 2021

The NFL is making plans to kick off the 2021-2022 NFL season by allowing teams to open their stadiums to full capacity. With the COVID-19 pandemic partially under control, Roger Goodell believes it is time to open things back up. The NFL is not the first professional sports organization to allow fans to attend games.

Roger Goodell said the plan is to welcome back fans in 2021. "We want to see every one of our fans back," Goodell said. "We expect to have full stadiums in the coming season."

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 30, 2021

The UFC announced they will allow 15,000 fans to attend UFC 261 on April 24th in Jacksonville, Florida. Christmas came early for NFL fans after Roger Goodell made the announcement.

What made Roger Goodell decide to open up stadiums to full capacity in 2021? Is there anything that stands in the way of the NFL accomplishing their plan to go to full capacity?

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NFL Announcement: What made Roger Goodell decide to open up stadiums to full capacity in 2021?

Cleveland Browns v Buffalo Bills: NFL 2020-21

The NFL missed its fans during the 2020-2021 NFL season. When watching the games it just didn't feel like a true season, as the fan noise was pre-recorded and games didn't have the same electric atmosphere.

On Tuesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell dropped a whole Christmas bag of presents for all football fans. Goodell announced that the league is working on a plan to open NFL stadiums to full capacity for the 2021-2022 season. The commissioner had this to say after the first day of meetings:

"All of us in the NFL want to see every one of our fans back. Football is simply not the same without fans, and we expect to have full stadiums in the upcoming season."

Roger Goodell and NFL owners are expecting that the COVID-19 pandemic will be under control by fall. With vaccines becoming available more easily, Goodell has decided that it is the right time to set up a plan to bring back the fans. The big question is, what could stand in the NFL's way from accomplishing this in 2021?

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NFL Announcement: What could stop the NFL from opening back up to full capacity in 2021?

Super Bowl LV

There are a few things that could potentially spoil the NFL's plans when it comes to bringing fans back into full-capacity stadiums. The first problem is the virus itself. If COVID-19 numbers spike again, it could put a hold on the NFL's plans.

Lucas Oil Stadium will be at full capacity for #Colts games this season, per NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell:“We expect to have full stadiums in the coming season." pic.twitter.com/sLESOLS49p

— Locked On Colts Podcast (@LockedOnColts) March 30, 2021

The second problem is that the NFL will need to get some signatures from local municipalities to let the stadiums open to full capacity. If the NFL is planning on putting stipulations on who can or cannot attend games, it could cause another issue to their plan.

Not all NFL fans trust the vaccines and if the league makes it mandatory for fans to receive the vaccines before coming to the game, it could defeat the purpose of opening up the stadiums.

With the first of two meetings completed on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. The season is set to kick off in September and time is running out for the NFL to get a concrete plan in place for the 2021-2022 season.