February 13, 2021
by Theo Allen

The 2020 National Football League season was, like other events, changed by the coronavirus pandemic. In April of 2020, a virtual draft was held, with teams required to meet remotely. In addition, the entire preseason was cancelled. But the National Football League persisted into playing games. They implemented various protocols, including limiting who can access the facilities, nearly daily PCR tests with a 24 hour turnaround, frequent cleaning of surfaces, and other measures. But the league still had outbreaks and games were postponed. The reasons for outbreaks was because of the failure to take precautions against a few different areas.

As SARS-CoV-2, the virus that creates COVID-19, which transmits via airborne transmission, the protocols did not effectively prevent spread in team facilities. The NFL saw transmission in travel by not wearing high filtration tight fitting masks snug to the face, by players having meals together, especially indoors, and by having team meetings in person. Due to often recirculated air in travel, which can be mitigated by opening a window, not being thought out as a solution, the league required personnel to wear a N95 or KN95 mask when traveling. The league also banned office meetings and required such actions to be conducted remotely, such as via Zoom, and closed shared spaces for meals.

Ironically, the league said that if carbon dioxide exceeded 1000 parts per million, complete surface disinfection had to occur. The way to clean the air is to improve ventilation, not by cleaning surfaces when fomite transmission is unusual at best. The NFL implemented protocols such as mobile ticketing, handing out PPE kits including KN95 masks, and separating fans throughout Raymond James Stadium. In addition, the NFL uses PCR testing, but tests are in addition to, not in lieu of, non pharmaceutical interventions. Since the stadium is open air, transmission among fans would not be likely. I tweeted at the start of the game, “The fact that #COVIDisAirborne does not mean all gatherings are dangerous. You are significantly more likely to get COVID-19 at a Super Bowl watch party indoors at home compared to going to the game.” Nevertheless, the Super Bowl was not a success in promoting public health measures.  The celebration at the end, with masks removed, shows how the heat of the moment can turn an event into a potentially dangerous situation.

Advertisers did not run advertisements wearing masks, which according to Robert Klara, was to avoid politics. The McDonalds advertisement was an exception.  While a mask mandate is a political decision, wearing a mask has been called by former Center of Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield as more effective than a vaccine. Dr. Vinny Arora, a Hospitalist and tenured professor at the University of Chicago, tweeted “This is exactly what’s wrong with our nation’s response to the pandemic.” Most of the advertisements did not have masks. The referee unmasked to announce penalties, and the panelists at the halftime show sponsored by Rocket Mortgage were unmasked. 

CBS showed fans, who were either not wearing face coverings, wearing a face covering under the nose, or under the chin. The network also showed the national anthem singers six feet apart unmasked. During the halftime show performed by The Weeknd, in addition to not wearing masks or being unmasked in seemingly a crowded, possibly unventilated, hallway, or likely a hundred people on the field wearing face coverings that looked like a helmet, which is not how to get a good fitting mask. Singer and songwriter Dana Parish would have refused to participate in such an event during this pandemic. 

While it is important to accommodate people who use lip reading to communicate, short from using separate booths, wearing a mask correctly, physically distancing, and avoiding under ventilated spaces are important. Ford is developing see through N95 respirators, while The ClearMask is cleared by the Food and Drug Administration as a surgical mask (even though because it is not breathable, it is ineffective at stopping aerosols). Watching the Super Bowl at watch parties or in indoor bars or restaurants. Yet, restaurant workers often have to wear cloth face coverings without a nose-bridge or a disposable mask that gaps at the sides.

The response by Weathertech to my tweet is that “we took significant precautions during the production of each of the spots that aired today. All talent and crew were tested rigorously, N95 masks were mandatory and hand sanitizer was everywhere.”

I quote retweeted “It is not just about the setup, but about what is seen on TV. If people see people wearing masks, it normalizes this public health measure. #WearAMask” This problem is that with a captive audience, the league could have done more than having President Biden and an advertisement before halftime by Toyota to remind people to wear a mask, physically distance, and get vaccinated. Healthcare workers are being put into danger of contracting the virus, not due to the nature of their job as the First Lady said, but due to inadequate personal protective equipment in the form of respiratory protection such as a fit tested N95 mask.

The final action was in the Press Box of Tom Brady, where an unmasked celebration erupted and was broadcast on CBS. Such a celebration can normalize the riskiest behaviors, gatherings indoors unmasked with people you do not live with. We need a national mask mandate, not just one on public transportation, Federal property, and by some states, as the Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team has called for since June of 2020, not lifting mask mandates as Iowa has done effective February 7, 2021, or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis banned enforcement of. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention needs to acknowledge that COVID-19 is airborne, as urged by Dr. Kimberly Prather, Director of the Center for Aerosol Impact on Chemistry of the Environment at the University of California - San Diego, and member of the National Academies of Science and of Engineering. Indoor dining or bars should not be opened at this time. And finally, the social gatherings at people’s homes indoors need to stop immediately. 

Theo Allen has a Bachelors of Science Degree from the New York University Tandon School of Engineering.