(Reuters) – The Texas Rangers opened their doors to 100% fan capacity at Globe Life Field on Monday, making the game the first sporting event without attendance restrictions since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered North American leagues more than a year ago.
The 40,518-seat stadium in Arlington is the only one in baseball to allow full capacity after Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the state to fully reopen last month.
U.S. President Joe Biden and officials at the Centers for Disease Control have warned against the move out of fear that it could create a super-spreader event.
How safely the game against the Toronto Blue Jays is played could influence how other teams approach attendance going forward.
Baseball was hit especially hard by the pandemic with the league suffering a 70% drop in revenue after its season was trimmed from 162 to 60 games and fans were largely shut out.
“We know there is going to be a lot of attention on us,” Rangers’ executive vice president of business operations Rob Matwick told the Dallas Morning News.
Fans will be required to wear masks when not actively eating or drinking at the stadium, which was the site of last year’s World Series.
Abbott was supposed to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the game but pulled out on Monday to protest MLB’s decision to move the All-Star game from Georgia due to that state’s new voting restrictions.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
