Cubs, White Sox get go-ahead from Lori Lightfoot to have fans in stands

Cubs and White Sox fans will be allowed to attend games at Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field albeit with a reduced capacity to begin the MLB season.

Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field will welcome fans back in the stands for the first time since the 2019 season. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the news on Monday morning, coinciding with diminishing COVID positivity rates.

“As a diehard sports fan myself,” Lightfoot said, “I’m personally excited to have Chicago take its first, cautious steps toward safely reopening our beloved baseball stadiums to fans this season.”

https://twitter.com/chicagosmayor/status/1368955464545832961

Cubs, White Sox welcome fans back to Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field

Capacity will be limited to 20 percent to start the season, which will equate to 8,274 at Wrigley Field and 8,122 fans at Guaranteed Rate. Fans will still be required to wear masks, sit six feet apart and the stadiums will deal in cashless concession and merchandise sales.

This marks a return to a sense of normalcy for Cubs and Sox fans with the hope that as vaccinations continue to exponentially increase, capacity will increase as the summer goes on. Perhaps there won’t be a sold-out crowd at games this year, but, maybe there will be more than 20 percent at games as the teams chase playoff spots.

“Nothing can replace the energy and enthusiasm our beloved fans bring to the Friendly Confines each and every game,” Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts. said via ESPN. “We’re ready and excited for our much-anticipated Wrigley Field reunion.”

“We believe this is a moment when baseball can indeed serve our fans and our communities again as we all hope for a gradual return to normal,” said White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.

With the Cubs and White Sox having fans in the stands, that makes 25 of the 30 MLB teams cleared to have fans attend games so far this year.