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Jerry Jones Says Cowboys Plan to Host Full-Capacity Crowds for 2021 Home Games

Adam Wells@adamwells1985Featured ColumnistMarch 10, 2021

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones prior to an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

After having the highest average fan attendance in the NFL last season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is planning for full-capacity crowds in 2021. 

Jones told reporters on Wednesday he feels "very good" about the possibility of AT&T Stadium operating at maximum capacity next season.

Jones' comment comes in the wake of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announcing on March 2 that all COVID-19 restrictions in the state have been lifted. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, told ESPN's Buster Olney on the Baseball Tonight Podcast he's optimistic that Major League Baseball teams "could have people in the stands, maybe not right next to each other" this season.

Fauci noted in the interview that MLB stadiums could allow full fan attendance if 75-80 percent of the population gets vaccinated and infection rates stay low. 

As of Wednesday, Janie Haseman of USA Today estimates 9.9 percent of all people in the United States have been fully vaccinated. 

The Texas Rangers announced on Wednesday they will allow 100 percent fan capacity at Globe Life Field for two exhibition games against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 29-30 and their home opener on April 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Nineteen NFL teams allowed a limited number of fans to attend home games last season. The Cowboys' average attendance for their eight home games was 28,187; no other team averaged more than 15,919 fans. 

The 2021 NFL regular season is expected to begin on Sept. 9.