Clubhouse Chatter: Should the NFL season be played without fans or not at all?

What our Sports staff has to say while waiting for the games to resume.

Plan to play it, but without fans. Control the on-field environment and blow up TV ratings like never before, but let's play it.

- John Radtke

I say without fans in the stands, but I'm extremely skeptical that a single game will be played. More and more athletes are testing positive for COVID-19, which makes it quite likely that numerous NFL players will become infected. And in a sport where it's impossible to social distance, how long will it be before they shut things down?

- John Dietz

I'd say play the NFL season with limited fans in the stands.

- John Lemon

Let's have an audience, please. I see no reason why you can't put 10,000 fans in Soldier Field this fall - assuming we don't have a setback with the coronavirus.

- Joe Aguilar

It depends on how the COVID-19 numbers change in the next couple of months. My gut tells me the NFL will play with no fans, surviving on the massive television money the league receives.

- Kevin Schmit

I hesitate to say this, but I'm worried that if the season is played at all teams will constantly be "plagued" by players diagnosed with COVID-19, knocked out of action due to that, and disrupting any sort of team and league consistency.

- Dave Oberhelman

Still too early to tell. Maybe you eventually start without fans in September, if doctors even give the go-ahead to play. Then you listen to those same medical experts to see whether you can bring fans into the stadiums as the season moves on.

- John Leusch

Without fans. We need to get going at least somehow. We've got to start moving a little bit back to normal.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw