The Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick recently wrote an op-ed for the Dallas Morning News on the topic of bringing sports back with fans in the stands. Patrick was once in the business of sports reporting, most recently at the Houston, Texas television station KHOU-TV. He left the station in 1983 and after a failed stint with a sports bar chain, Patrick returned to broadcasting as a conservative talk show host before eventually becoming the Lt. Governor of Texas.
Each fan would be limited on the number of games he or she could attend, including season ticket holders, so more fans can have the opportunity to attend a game. Fans will have their temperatures checked at the security entrances. A fan with a high temperature will not be allowed in and the ticket will be refunded. Tickets will clearly state that fans waive liability if they should become ill. – Dan Patrick’s idea on Dallas News
Patrick goes on to discuss how a computer program can determine the seating so that fans can still be socially distant while enjoying their favorite team at a ball game. Fans obviously would need to wear their masks and even suggesting some sponsors would provide them with the team logo. A great opportunity for company branding.
The idea isn’t a farfetched idea and there is a lot of positives about his idea. Even at the 30% capacity that he suggested, that would still mean 30,000 screaming fans at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturdays. It won’t make everyone happy, including the season ticket holders based on Patrick’s plan. However, it would be a way to get to watch their team at the stadium. For college sports, the atmosphere is everything.
As Dan Patrick stated, let’s end this talk about sports with no fans in the stands. The focus should be on finding ways to get fans in the stands for games without putting people at any higher risk and the Lt. Governor might have some good ideas for the major sports leagues to take a look at.