Cubs, White Sox Enthusiastic About Return Of Fans To Stands
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Cubs and White Sox will be allowed to have roughly 8,000 fans at the ballpark to start the season next month.
Capacity at both Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field will be limited to 20 percent, with groups required to remain six feet apart.
The fall of 2019 was the last time fans on either side of town were in the stands, so of course, the teams are excited too.
"I'm super-excited about that. I think everybody is trying to work back to some sense of normal and get back with fans in the stands, and you know, the atmosphere around Wrigley Field on a day game – or just a game in general – is just, I don't know that there's anything like it in professional sports," said Cubs Manager David Ross.
White Sox Manager Tony La Russa – who returned this season after serving in the same role from 1979 to 1986 – was last surrounded by fans as Sox manager in Old Comiskey Park. He too is excited to see them return as he takes the helm at Guaranteed Rate Field.
"We're all complimentary of the two most important – that's the players who play and the fans who pay to watch and who entertain. So you've got half the equation if the players are playing. We need the other side," La Russa said. "So that's great news."
Opening Day for the Cubs is April 1 against the Pirates. With a normal capacity of 41,374, Wrigley Field will be limited to 8,274 fans per game.
The White Sox home opener is scheduled for April 8 against the Royals. With a normal capacity of just over 40,000 guests, Guaranteed Rate Field will be limited to 8,122 fans per game.
The rules are in line with Gov. JB Pritzker's reopening plan for Illinois, which allows outdoor sports stadiums to reopen at 20 percent capacity. Indoor sporting arenas are not allowed to have fans yet under state rules.