Report: Front Rows of NFL Stadiums to Be Used for Sponsorships

The increased in-stadium advertisements could "significantly defray pandemic-related revenue losses," per the Sports Business Daily's Ben Fischer.

NFL teams will be allowed to sell "camera-visible" signage to local sponsors in 2020, according the Sports Business Daily's Ben Fischer. 

Teams were not previously able to sell local signage near the field, but the policy has altered in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, per Fischer. 

The first six-to-eight rows of the lower deck in each stadium will reportedly be unoccupied by fans in 2020 in order to protect coaches and staff members. With no fans in those seats, they will now potentially be covered by tarps, which could include sponsorship logos, per Fischer.

The use of tarps should help mitigate the NFL's revenue shortfall in 2020, though it won't fully solve the problem, according to Genesco Sports Enterprises CEO John Tatum.

“Static signage on the tarps have a level of value but it may not be the panacea, the cure all, for the fact there’s not hundreds of thousands or millions of people walking through the building engaging with the brand through a more lively or active manner,” Tatum told Fischer.

The NFL is currently planning on continuing with the 2020 season despite the COVID-19 crisis. The NFLPA advised players on Saturday to not take place in offseason workouts as coronavirus cases rise across the country.