The Medic: Will this weekend’s Super Bowl be a superspreader event?

The stage is set and the Kansas City Chiefs are going up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. It’s Patrick Mahomes vs. Tom Brady, the future vs. the past. As you’d expect, I’m happy for my Chiefs and rooting for them to run it back. 

However, there’s still a lot to be concerned about in light of the Super Bowl’s health risks and the everpresent pandemic which continues to rage on. 

First, we should think about what will happen on-site at the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay. 

In terms of attendants, the NFL is giving out 7,500 free tickets to vaccinated health care workers, and all 32 teams are following suit by allocating their own free tickets to local health care workers as well. The University of Kansas Health System, located primarily in Kansas City, said it received 18 tickets. 22,000 fans are allowed into Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium, which seats approximately 66,000. So assuming that around one-third of the game’s attendees are already vaccinated, it will be safer than most sporting events this year that allowed fans.

Still, even if the NFL properly distances fans throughout the stadium, being vaccinated does not mean you cannot still spread the virus. Some people and groups fail to realize that the virus can exist and transfer to others even if you are vaccinated, so if an unvaccinated fan and a vaccinated one interact, spreading could occur. The NFL needs to be careful in how they let fans move around in the stadium and interact with each other.

After the game, travel will pose dangers as well. Although most Tampa fans that show up won’t have to trek far to get back home, Kansas City fans and other spectators will be traveling back to various parts across the country, so there is reason for concern there. 

The Buccaneers will be playing a Super Bowl in their own stadium, the first time this has occurred in NFL history. So at least, on their end, it will be safer since they are right next to home. But, the Chiefs are planning to arrive in Tampa just a day before the game. Usually, teams come a week in advance of the Super Bowl to prepare in that location’s climate. The Chiefs doing this might not be best logistically or strategically, but it definitely makes things safer for them. 

By having the team stay in Tampa for as short a time as possible, they won’t run as big of a risk of spreading the virus. Since this will be the last game until the fall, all parties involved will hope things go smoothly. 

Still, look out for coronavirus to make some players ineligible to play right up until kickoff. Two players on the Chiefs, offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, are on the coronavirus reserve list already. Also, the NFL is willing to remove players from the field when necessary. In December, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Dez Bryant was ruled out when he tested positive for coronavirus right before kickoff against the Dallas Cowboys.

The more important thing here is the potential implication of the Super Bowl acting as a superspreader event in homes across the country. Super Bowl parties are one of America’s most beloved traditions, and this is the first time Americans will be hosting theirs during a pandemic.

As we saw in Los Angeles in 2020, people tend to congregate for sporting events, especially when their team wins a championship.

Now, with the Super Bowl, the same health dangers may arise again. In pre-pandemic circumstances, almost 100 million people in the nation gather together at homes across the country to watch the Super Bowl. So if we even come close to that amount, it will not bode well for mitigating the spread of the coronavirus.

In Los Angeles County, public health officials are advising against any type of gatherings.

“It will be tragic if the Super Bowl becomes a super-spreader of coronavirus,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County Department of Public Health director.

Cases are finally dropping nationwide to almost 150,000 per day, but we are nowhere close to the end, so it is critical that people just watch the Big Game at home. 

It will be important to monitor how cases fluctuate after Sunday and the weeks to come. Those fluctuations will indicate how well Americans did staying at home and being socially distant. Nevertheless, I am hoping for a great game on Sunday and go Chiefs!

Pratik Thakur is a sophomore writing about sports and its intersection with health policy during the coronavirus pandemic. His column, “The Medic,” runs every other Wednesday.