Expected WrestleMania 37 Stadium To Have 20% Capacity For The Super Bowl
WWE is still expected to move WrestleMania 37 to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida and if that does happen, we now have an idea of what attendance could be like for The Grandest Stage of Them All next year.
The NFL is now planning for 20% capacity at Raymond James Stadium for Super Bowl LV, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter. Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has a standard seating capacity of 65,618, and maybe a few more with temporary seating at a Super Bowl game.
This means attendance at Super Bowl LV could be between 13,000 and 15,000 fans. WWE could expect the same numbers for WrestleMania 37, unless something changed between the two big events.
On a related note, it's been revealed that fans at the Super Bowl will be in pods that are six feet apart, and they will have to wear masks. WrestleMania 37 would likely have similar COVID-19 safety measures, depending on the status of the pandemic at that point.
The NFL said just last month that they were preparing for a "full house" for Super Bowl LV. Thousands of fans are expected to attend the related Super Bowl Week events, which will run along the Riverwalk in downtown Tampa. It was recently reported that WWE had already booked several venues in Tampa that would host the WrestleMania Week events. There is no word on how many fans WWE expects to travel into Tampa that week, during a pandemic, and how COVID-19 travel restrictions will impact fans coming in from around the world. It's possible that some of the international travel restrictions are lifted by then.
While the NFL allowing 20% capacity for Super Bowl LV confirms that WWE would be able to run WrestleMania 37 at the same venue with fans in attendance, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already announced that the Sunshine State will allow full capacity for events. We noted earlier this month at this link that DeSantis has given clearance to the NFL's Miami Dolphins to go full capacity of 65,000 fans at their home games, which are held at Hard Rock Stadium. Despite the clearance from the state under Phase 3 of re-opening from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dolphin decided to stick with their limit of 13,000 fans. DeSantis recently urged NFL stadiums to move forward with filling their seats as the season continues. He also said the state wants to be able to show that they're going to be able to host "a full Super Bowl" in February.
The state would allow for more fans at the Super Bowl and WrestleMania 37, but the decision has been left up to the league. DeSantis has noted that the sticking point with the NFL crowds has not been a "question of government," but one of "what the leagues have been comfortable with." He has also said that he believes the league "can do much more than what's been done" with the crowds, and that he's been asked about certain restrictions but there are "certainly no legal prohibition" stopping the league from having fans. DeSantis has also pushed for Florida to return to live music, especially at outdoor venues. These comments were all made earlier this month before the latest spike in COVID-19 cases.
It's been reported that WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon has been privately holding out hope for a full capacity WrestleMania 37, but the league and stadium officials may prevent that from happening, despite what the state says.
For those who missed it, WWE issued the following statement earlier this month when asked about the possible WrestleMania 37 venue change:
"We have nothing to report and given the current environment, we continue to monitor locations for all of our potential events."
WWE's WrestleMania 37 is currently scheduled for Sunday, March 28. The company still has the WrestleMania location listed as So-Fi Stadium in Hollywood, but it's believed that they will be announcing Raymond James Stadium in Tampa as the new venue soon. Raymond James Stadium is where WrestleMania 36 was originally scheduled to take place before the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year.
Stay tuned for updates.