What was expected has now been made official. The Chicago Bulls announced on Thursday that the organization will not house fans at the United Center at the start of the 2020-21 season.
Bulls Nation, we will miss seeing you when we take the court later this month. There is no greater feeling than playing in front of you at the @UnitedCenter but right now, following all recommended health and safety guidelines is most important. pic.twitter.com/1PJgoSUyUy
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 3, 2020
Most assumed that the city of Chicago would not allow the arena to welcome fans anyway. After all, the Cubs and White Sox both went their full season without fans in the building, and the Chicago Bears are likely on the brink of doing the same. The Bulls message shared over social media, however, does provide some hope that the United Center can open to some fans at a later date.
Of course, the regular season will go through May and the playoffs will stretch things until mid-to-late July. The current trajectory of the pandemic isn’t necessarily the most encouraging, but we all know a lot can change over that time span. So, out of all Chicago sports teams to recently play, I guess you could say the Bulls have the best chance of seeing a limited capacity of fans sometimes over their season. Only time will tell.