PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philly sports fans have a lot to look forward to.
City officials plan to ease more COVID-19 restrictions on May 21, then lift them altogether — except indoor mask requirements — on June 11. That means more fans can attend Sixers playoff games, Phillies games, and, eventually, Eagles games when the 2021 season begins.
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SIXERS
The first round of the NBA playoffs begins in less than two weeks. By that point, the Wells Fargo Center will be able to operate at 50% capacity, which is a huge development for Sixers home postseason games.
“The fans we have now, it feels like it’s a sold-out arena, so adding more fans will only add to that,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “Our fanbase is as good as anyone, so it’s a good thing for us.”
Neither Rivers nor Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has experienced a full 76ers crowd, as they are both in their first season with the organization. Morey is looking forward to the raucous — and not-so-friendly — pregame introductory tradition for the opponent.
In a statement, the Wells Fargo Center confirmed starting June 11, it will be open at full capacity.
Obviously, the Sixers will have to go on a good playoff run to have a chance at a packed arena this season.
PHILLIES
The Phillies have much more of their regular season to go. Although June 11 is a scheduled day off for them, they open a two-game weekend series against the New York Yankees on June 12.
“The Phillies will be allowed to sell as many tickets as they want (for games starting June 12),” said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley on Tuesday. “I don’t know whether (45,000) people will come to the stands.”
Regardless of how many fans attend, the fact that more will be allowed is significant. Nearby Yankees fans often travel for games, so pre-pandemic, these two games would have definitely been sold out among Phillies and Yankees fans.
In a statement, the Phillies said they “look forward to safely welcoming back more fans to Citizens Bank Park in the coming weeks. Once our specific capacity plan is set, we’ll have a further announcement.”
It is unclear how many fans the Phils plan on welcoming back when restrictions are completely lifted.
EAGLES
Eagles President Don Smolenski called the news “tremendous,” and the organization looks forward to “Lincoln Financial Field returning to form,” he said in a statement. “As we look ahead to a full stadium, we encourage our community to get vaccinated.”
Farley made it clear in his Tuesday announcement that anyone wanting to attend these large gatherings should get vaccinated beforehand.
TAILGATES
As for tailgating come June 11, Farley said he’s not sure “whether tailgating is restricted by others, but it won’t be restricted by the health department.”
The Phillies have not made any decisions yet regarding tailgating. The Wells Fargo Center said it is also looking into it.
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