While others are sending students home, the SEC is making football attendance plans
When it comes to the SEC and football, the attitude is clearly let’s get in the boats and go.
“Very small,” was the answer SEC Network talk show host Paul Finebaum gave when asked recently the chances of the SEC, ACC and Big 12 ultimately joining the Big Ten and Pac-12 in scrapping the 2020 fall season.
North Carolina has sent students home after coronavirus cluster outbreaks on campus. Michigan State has switched gears and gone to remote learning. Notre Dame has put a two-week pause on in-person learning, opting for remote only, after 80 students tested positive thanks in most part to an off-campus party.
Meanwhile, the SEC is busy announcing how many fans they will allow to watch home football games:
▪ Auburn, site of Kentucky’s first scheduled game on Sept. 26, says it will seat 20 percent of capacity at Jordan-Hare Stadium, which seats 87,451 normally.
▪ Georgia says it will allow up to 23,000 fans into Sanford Stadium, which seats 92,746.
▪ Texas A&M said it will allow up to 30 percent capacity into Kyle Field. Its capacity: 102,733. So 30 percent figures out to 30,819.
▪ Alabama says it will allow up to 20 percent at Bryant-Denny Stadium, which figures out to 20,364 fans.
▪ Tennessee says it hopes to allow 25 percent capacity at Neyland Stadium, which seats 102,455. Same for Missouri, where Faurot Field seats up to 62,621.
Kentucky hasn’t announced an attendance target figure yet for home games at Kroger Field, but you get the drift.
To be fair, some sacrifices are being made. In his letter to ticket holders, Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne said tailgating will not be allowed at Bryant-Denny. Tennessee AD Phil Fulmer has said he doubts whether the school can continue its “Vol Walk” tradition before games.
The SEC has not banned such activity, mind you. In fact, the league released its “Fan Health and Safety Guidelines” on Monday. It says fans must wear face coverings inside the stadium. Face coverings will also be required of stadium and staff workers.
As for tailgating: “Institutions shall determine whether tailgating or other large gatherings of guests (e.g., alumni events, university recruiting events, etc.) are permitted on property owned and/or controlled by the institution in accordance with applicable state and local guidelines, policies and/or regulations. In the absence of state and/or local guidelines, CDC recommendations on physical distancing should be applied.”
As for team walks: “Institutions shall determine whether team walks are permitted in accordance with applicable state and local guidelines, policies and/or regulations.”
Kentucky opened football practice Tuesday. Before practice, head coach Mark Stoops told the media, via Zoom, he was optimistic that the season would start on time.
After practice, offensive tackle Landon Young, via Zoom, informed the media that the players feel safe working out and practicing inside the facility, repeating the oft-heard argument they are safer there than elsewhere.
“I tell a lot of people this, I actually feel safer probably here than regularly out on the streets and in society,” Young said. “Here, they take our temperature every day. We do questionnaires every day. We get tested so many times. Everything is clean. Everything is sanitized. They make sure that we’re 6 feet apart. We make sure we have our masks up.”
On a recent “Football Outsiders” podcast, epidemiologist Zachary Binney was asked about that claim by college athletes. Binney said it sounded good, “but right now they have zero data to back that up.”
Then there’s Brian Hainline, the NCAA’s chief medical officer, who appeared on Monday’s edition of “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“What’s happened is that they’ve decided to postpone and not make a decision yet,” Hainline said of the SEC, ACC and Big 12. “A month from now, when they’re contemplating possibly beginning their schedule, we’ll see where we are. But they have to follow the mandates. That would set up a confrontation if the mandates aren’t being followed.”
A confrontation between the NCAA and the Three Amigos of the Power Five? Perhaps. But right now, we can see in which direction the SEC is headed. Forward. Full steam ahead.
