The release of the NFL's schedule typically sparks a flurry of ticket sales.
That, by most accounts, hasn't been the case since the league's 32 teams announced their 2020 slates on Thursday night, May 7.
The Browns' launch of single-game sales coincided with the schedule release. And as of late morning on May 8, the team's official market on Ticketmaster showed verified seats made available by the team that were still available for the Browns' Sept. 17 home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The get-in prices for the Thursday-night contest at FirstEnergy Stadium, all verified tickets from the Browns, start at $75 on Ticketmaster. Resale tickets for the opener start at $117 on the site.
The $75 get-in costs also apply to the Browns' Sept. 27 and Oct. 11 matchups against the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts, respectively, as well as the final two home games: contests against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 14 and Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 3. The other three regular-season home games — Nov. 11 vs. the Las Vegas Raiders, Nov. 15 vs. the Houston Texans and Nov. 22 against the Philadelphia Eagles — have starting prices of $59 on the Browns' official ticket exchange.
It's not surprising that fans are hesitant to reserve their seats, since there's a decent chance games could be played without fans in 2020. Potential buyers on Ticketmaster are greeted by a warning about possible changes to the schedule.
"Full refunds will be available if the NFL or the team cancels a game and it cannot be replayed, or if it is played under conditions that prohibit fans from attending," Ticketmaster's warning says.
The site adds that if a game is postponed or rescheduled, fans should hold on to their tickets.
The league has said it will refund all purchases if games are canceled or played without fans. The same goes for tickets that are bought on SeatGeek, another NFL-licensed partner. StubHub, however, will only offer refunds in instances in which it's required by state law, USA Today reported on May 7.
Mark Klang, who operates Mayfield Village-based Amazing Tickets, told Crain's that his NFL sales were down "slightly more than 80%" when compared to the night on which the 2019 NFL schedule was released.
Klang added he expects that all concerts will postponed until 2021, which leaves him hoping NFL games will be deemed safe for fans later this year.
"If I could salvage the Browns, that would be huge," he said.
The broker added that Amazing Tickets has "had some good years," so he's "chalking this one up as a bad one."
From March 14, when the pandemic had begun to shut down the sports and events industry, until the release of the NFL schedule, Amazing Ticket's business is down more than 99% compared to the similar period in 2019.
"We will get through it," Klang said.
But will teams and brokers have more tickets to sell, or will they be issuing a bunch of refunds this year?
It's too soon to know, but NFL teams, to their credit, are working with fans who have been hit hard by the pandemic.
Nineteen teams, according to USA Today, have deferred season-ticket payments, and some have instituted or considered multiple deferrals.
The Browns originally imposed a March 6 deadline for season-ticket renewals, which chief operating officer David Jenkins told Crain's were "very strong," but the club removed the hard deadline as the COVID-19 crisis shuttered much of the country.
The team told its season-ticket holders it will work with customers who have been impacted by the pandemic, and the club has offered flexible payment options.
"We've worked hard to make sure that they know if there are any circumstances we need to help them through, we are here to connect," Jenkins told Crain's last month.
This week, a club source told us the Browns were close to reaching their cap on season tickets for the second straight year.
The eight- or nine-figure question for NFL teams: What will happen with those seats in 2020?
You can follow me on Twitter for sports information and analysis, and you can go here for Crain's coverage of the COVID-19 crisis. (You can also subscribe for a little more than $1 a week!).
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