Hometown Broadcasting Sports Thursday 10/8/20
8 October 2020 Sports
Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers teammates won’t get a chance to celebrate their fast start by leaving town during their week off. The Packers (4-0) and Detroit Lions (1-3) don’t play this week and therefore are the first NFL teams to get a taste of how different off weeks will be amid a pandemic. Players and coaches aren’t allowed to leave the city where the team is located during the off week, as they must provide daily specimens for COVID-19 testing.
“Totally sucks,” the 36-year-old Rodgers said after the Packers’ Monday night victory over the Atlanta Falcons. “That’s all I can say about that. Obviously it is what it is, the situation. But especially as a older player, I look forward to the bye weeks immensely. I look forward to kind of a reset, recharging the batteries.”
Indeed, players often have used these off weeks to visit their hometowns, take their families on a quick trip or return to their alma maters to watch college football games from the sidelines. They won’t get those chances this year. Packers coach Matt LaFleur closed his postgame Zoom session Monday by reminding players and other Green Bay-area residents to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Lambeau Field is eliminating cash transactions. This includes the ticket office and all of the atrium businesses, including restaurants, the Packers Pro Shop, and Packers Hall of Fame, and will include concession stands on game day. The only exception will be parking on game days at the stadium once fans are allowed to return.
The change also affects businesses operated by the Packers in Titletown — 46 Below, The Turn and Ariens Hill. Private businesses such as Lodge Kohler and Hinterland will make their own decisions.
The Green Bay Packers organization says going cashless at the stadium should make transactions faster, making lines move faster and reducing contact between fans and workers. Cashless transactions will accept credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and the MasterCard Nearby Mobile App. They won’t accept checks. There will be ATM-like conversion stations where fans can put in an amount of cash and receive a payment card for that amount. The payment card is from MasterCard and can also be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted, including outside of the stadium. The Packers say they planned to roll out cashless transactions over the next few seasons but decided to expedite the changes because of the pandemic.
In the National League Divisional Series on Wednesday, Atlanta shut out Miami 2-0 and the Dodgers nipped the Padres 6-5. The winners lead in their individual series 2-0. In the ALDS Oakland downed Houston 9-7 and Tampa Bay beat the Yankees 8-4. Oakland and Tampa Bay lead in their respective series 2-1. Both series continue with two games in each league today.
In Thursday Night Football Tampa Bay is at Chicago. Both teams are 3-1 this season. Meanwhile concerns about the spread of COVID-19 continue in the league, but at this point all games are still on for the weekend. The Packers and the Lions are in their bye week.
In high school football Friday night Kettle Moraine Lutheran plays at Berlin. The game can be heard on 102.3, The Bug, with the pregame at 6:45 and the kickoff at 7:00.
Share |