Sources: NBA hopes vaccines lead to full arenas


With COVID-19 testing becoming more available and more vaccines being administered, the NBA expects all arenas to be at full capacity next season and is hopeful that it can safely welcome additional fans into arenas this season, league sources said.

A key aspect toward that effort is the NBA’s new multiyear leaguewide partnership with Clear, a biometric screening company known for its expedited security process at hundreds of airports worldwide. The partnership makes Clear’s COVID-19 health screening technology available to all 30 teams in their NBA arenas, and it’s expected to help facilitate more fans returning to games, though it’s up to each team how to use the technology.

The partnership, which is in effect, is expected to be announced as soon as Wednesday morning, according to league sources. One-third of the league — including the Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks — has already been using Clear’s Health Pass program, which includes a combination of health surveys and secure linking to COVID-19 lab results and vaccination records, for their employee or fan safety protocols in-arena.

Currently, there are no plans for players to use the Clear service, league sources said.

More than two-thirds of NBA teams are allowing a limited number of fans to attend games in their arenas, though the number varies depending on evolving state-by-state regulations during the pandemic. The Phoenix Suns announced that they’re increasing capacity to 3,000 fans at home games. The Milwaukee Bucks announced that they were expanding attendance to 18% capacity, or roughly 3,280 fans.

The Magic were the first team to use the Clear services, signing up at the end of December, just before the season. Conversations for a leaguewide partnership began in early September. This is Clear’s first leaguewide partnership with a professional sports league, but the company has been working with teams in MLS, MLB, NHL and the NFL. Clear first rolled out this program in a leaguewide format with the NHL’s bubble season across two cities in Canada last year.

EDITOR’S PICKS

The ways NBA players were personally impacted by COVID-19
All 30 NBA teams are not required to use the program, league sources said.

As it pertains to attendance, fans can download the Clear app and upload an identifying document along with a selfie. To link their COVID-19 test results, fans log into their testing account through the app, and results will be linked to their health pass.

Before entering the venue, fans can open the app, verify their identity with another selfie and then answer health survey questions. (There are also expected to be an unspecified number of Clear kiosks where fans receive a temperature check and scan their QR code.) Fans are issued a red or green notification depending on their COVID-related health information.

A Clear spokesperson noted that the arenas only receive information about whether a fan has passed the requirements for access and not any private health information from the individual.

“You can do this with hardware or without,” Clear CEO Caryn Seidman Becker told ESPN in an interview. “You can just be purely mobile to drive throughput. I look around the world and Australia is back. New Zealand, back. China, back. It just depends how it plays out, but obviously, the goal is 100%.”

She added that as more people get vaccinated and as rapid testing and other measures improve, “I am very optimistic that you can head back to full stadiums.” (The Clear program is scalable, the spokesperson said, and could facilitate thousands of fans entering arenas.)

In terms of evolving restrictions, teams hosting fans must still comply with applicable state and/or local requirements, as well as the league’s health and safety protocols, league sources said. One fan-related aspect pertains to pod sizing. A pod is a group of ticketed seats next to each other representing a party that is attending the game together and therefore does not need to be physically distanced from each other.

Teams can create fully vaccinated fan sections in which social distancing is subject only to state and/or local requirements, league sources added. But in arenas with such sections, vaccination must be verified digitally or manually, signage should be present and other league protocols must be followed, such as wearing face masks, those sources said.

Got a story or tip for us? Email Sports Gossip editors at tips@sportsgossip.com 

Want More From Sports Gossip? 

For all the latest breaking Sports Gossip, be sure to follow SportsGossip.com on FacebookInstagram, and Twitter.

You can view the original article HERE.

Stacey McGill in ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ ‘Memba Her?!
Stacey McGill in ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ ‘Memba Her?!
Sugar Bowl Game Postponed After Deadly Attack In New Orleans
Sugar Bowl Game Postponed After Deadly Attack In New Orleans
Guess Who This Curly Haired Cutie Turned Into!
Guess Who This Curly Haired Cutie Turned Into!
Brad Pitt Has No Imminent Plans to Propose to Girlfriend, Despite Divorce
Brad Pitt Has No Imminent Plans to Propose to Girlfriend, Despite Divorce
Michael Moore Backs Palestine’s Oscar Entry ‘From Ground Zero’
Michael Moore Backs Palestine’s Oscar Entry ‘From Ground Zero’
Tom Hardy and Willem Dafoe’s Underrated Period Drama Is a Must-Watch
Tom Hardy and Willem Dafoe’s Underrated Period Drama Is a Must-Watch
December 2024 Blu-Ray Guide: “The Wild Robot,” “Conclave,” “Alien: Romulus,” More | DVD/Blu-Ray
December 2024 Blu-Ray Guide: “The Wild Robot,” “Conclave,” “Alien: Romulus,” More | DVD/Blu-Ray
Willem Dafoe Praises Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’
Willem Dafoe Praises Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’
Watch Billy Joel perform ‘Whole Lotta Love’ with Jason Bonham at New Year’s Eve gig
Watch Billy Joel perform ‘Whole Lotta Love’ with Jason Bonham at New Year’s Eve gig
Here’s what Morrissey played at his Hollywood Palladium New Year’s Eve show
Here’s what Morrissey played at his Hollywood Palladium New Year’s Eve show
All active Blox Fruits codes in November 2024
All active Blox Fruits codes in November 2024
I was made to feel like I was the problem
I was made to feel like I was the problem
Gear Up with the Best Equipment
Gear Up with the Best Equipment
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Borussia Dortmund preview, team news, tickets, and prediction
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Borussia Dortmund preview, team news, tickets, and prediction
Lions improve to 14-2 by holding off 49ers on MNF
Lions improve to 14-2 by holding off 49ers on MNF
Cowboys’ McCarthy won’t discuss future until end of season
Cowboys’ McCarthy won’t discuss future until end of season
TV Fanatic’s Best Shows of 2024
TV Fanatic’s Best Shows of 2024
John Travolta’s ‘Grease’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’ Top the Charts on Pluto
John Travolta’s ‘Grease’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’ Top the Charts on Pluto
Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Hell or High Water’ Becomes a Streaming Hit
Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Hell or High Water’ Becomes a Streaming Hit
32 (!!!) January 2025 Premieres You Cannot Miss!
32 (!!!) January 2025 Premieres You Cannot Miss!
Editor’s Pick: Lucky Girl Rosé
Editor’s Pick: Lucky Girl Rosé
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Effortless Elegance, Men’s NYE Style Inspo
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Effortless Elegance, Men’s NYE Style Inspo
Calvin Klein’s NYFW Return, Tommy Hilfiger’s New Stars!
Calvin Klein’s NYFW Return, Tommy Hilfiger’s New Stars!
What’s On Fashion People’s Holiday Wish Lists This Year?
What’s On Fashion People’s Holiday Wish Lists This Year?