All airspace within a three-mile radius and altitude of 3,000 feet will be restricted, according to FAA spokesperson William Shumann. The measures apply to all major sporting events and open-air assemblies. The FAA did not, however, specify which events qualify as "major."
"There are places in the country where high school football would apply," Shumann told ESPN. "We were getting scores of requests from leagues, teams and all kinds of sports authorities. Rather than giving 40-80 of these individual requests, we just issued one blanket restriction."
The newest FAA restrictions follow a wave of increased security measures at stadiums and venues throughout the United States.
Major League Baseball announced several additional security initiatives last week, including the banning of coolers, backpacks and large bags in stadiums. In addition, all bags brought into stadiums were to be inspected; more uniformed police officers were put in place; the stadiums themselves were to undergo inspections each day prior to games; parking was to be restricted within 1,000 feet of any stadium; all ballpark deliveries were to be inspected thoroughly; and all personnel will undergo further security training.
Other major sports are following similar security patterns.
At the Rose Bowl for this weekend’s UCLA vs. Ohio State University game, for example, all fans entering the stadium will be subject to search, while coolers and backpacks will be prohibited.
Security at NFL games will be nearly the same as the measures implemented at Major League Baseball venues.
The NCAA, NFL and MLB stopped short of deploying metal detectors at all entrances.
"Personally, my view is that is an extreme," MLB senior vice president of security Kevin Hallinan told The Associated Press. "Baseball is a family sport. [Using metal detectors] is not an expectation of our fans and it's not something we deem necessary. As security experts, we are able to address many of these issues very quietly and not turn it into a security event."
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