KANSAS CITY, MO. — The Kansas City Chiefs examined the layout of Arrowhead Stadium and did some math. They talked with state and local health officials, monitored the spread of COVID-19 over the summer, then did some more calculations.
That’s the percentage of capacity that the Chiefs will allow through the gates at Arrowhead next week when they raise their Super Bowl championship banner before opening the NFL season with a Thursday night game against Houston. The number equates to roughly 17,000 fans — another seemingly random number — in the cavernous stadium.
Dozens of college and professional sports teams hoping to allow at least some fans into their facilities in the next few weeks are faced with the same question: What is the magic number that allows for proper social distancing?