Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced his desire for Texas to fully open while removing mask mandates, and the Texas Rangers are taking advantage of the state's reopening.
The Rangers announced Wednesday they will have 100 percent capacity at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas this season. Levi Weaver of The Athletic added masks will be required and there will be no tailgating allowed, though there is a weird mention of “voluntary compliance.”
There will eventually be social-distanced sections, though those will not be available on Opening Day.
BREAKING: Texas Rangers plan to open to full 40,518 capacity for 2 final exhibition games and Opening Day, with plans to have social-distanced sections available in subsequent games.
— Levi Weaver (@ThreeTwoEephus) March 10, 2021
– masks will be required
– no tailgating allowed
– team is asking for “voluntary compliance” but refusal to comply will fall under the usual three-strike rule, just like excessive profanity, etc.More to come.
— Levi Weaver (@ThreeTwoEephus) March 10, 2021
It is not a surprise the Rangers would go full-bore in attendance, considering the reopening as well as the context behind last season and Globe Life's opening.
Texas was banking on the grand opening of Globe Life to be a major source of revenue as the Rangers showed off their new stadium. Of course, attendance eventually became null and void, with the coronavirus pandemic drastically altering the course of the season.
The Rangers still managed to use Globe Life as a showcase during the 2020 MLB playoffs. It was the site of the National League Division Series and NLCS prior to playing host to the World Series. Fans were allowed in the ballpark in limited capacity for those playoffs. Now, the Rangers will fully open the park to spectators.
Nearly every team in baseball has approved limited seating to start the season. But some franchises, like the Chicago Cubs, could see attendance reduced to zero in the event a positive case of COVID-19 is traced back to ballpark attendance.
I was told yesterday that if public health officials traced a case of COVID-19 back to Wrigley Field, #Cubs capacity would go from 20% back to zero immediately.
So the fact that a team would have 100% capacity in a state that just lifted their state mask mandate is pretty wild. https://t.co/cEqMKF5W54
— Russell Dorsey (@Russ_Dorsey1) March 10, 2021
Although the Rangers are initially just asking for “voluntary compliance,” they might have to install more stringent measures if the reopening proves problematic.
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