Study shows NFL and NCAA football games did not cause an increase in COVID-19 cases

What role did having at least some fans at college and pro football games last fall have on COVID-19 spread? Researchers at Georgia Tech and Massachusetts General Hospital aimed to assess whether NFL and NCAA football games with limited in-person attendance contributed to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the counties where they were held. The study appears on the preprint server Medrxiv. The authors of the study did not find an increase in COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the counties where NFL and NCAA games were held with in-person attendance. They believe that NFL and NCAA football games do not cause a significant increase in local COVID-19 cases. Now, limited attendance is the key. But with cases falling across the country, expect to hear more calls for full stadiums at sporting events in the summer and fall.