Honestly, I can’t even believe this is a conversation we are having to have. A few months ago, life seemed normal. People were going to work, traveling, watching sports, and so on. A few months ago, this question never existed. But here we are. A few months later, due to the coronavirus, life is definitely not normal anymore. Sports are basically on stand-by, the majority of the country is at home, and many wonder when life will ever return back to “normal.”
But, what does this mean for the fall? Will there even be a football season? After all, spring sports were cancelled, as was spring camp for football, and so much more. Will schools even return for classes this fall? So many questions, and honestly, there are no answers. Even if schools were to return for classes this fall, would fans even be allowed to attend games in person? Time will tell.
ESPN released a study where they surveyed sports fans and asked whether they are in favor of watching televised sports without fans or if they would rather wait for sports to resume only when fans can be in attendance.
Their answer?
Out of the 1,004 fans who were surveyed, 65% were in favor of sports returning even if fans can’t be in the stands.
So the question has to be asked. If the NCAA announces that college football season would be played, but without fans, what would this look like?
First off, it would be eerily quiet. Some of the best parts of the games are the fans. The loud cheers, the louder boos, and the singing of the fight songs and celebratory cheers. If that was gone, would the players be as intense and excited to play? Majority of football players will tell you that the fans contribute so much energy into the game. The players feed off the fans.
I’m not saying that the players wouldn’t enjoy playing the game without fans, but it would certainly be different for everyone.
But another has to be the money revenue for each university. Many schools depend on their football program to make money.
A 2017 report by Business Insider shares that,
“According to data obtained from the Department of Education. To nobody’s surprise, football is the sport that is most responsible for total sports revenue. For example, at the University of Texas, the school with the most revenue from athletics ($182 million), 70% comes from football. However, the gap between football and the rest of the sports is jarring. While the average school generates $31.9 million in football revenue each year, the next 35 sports on average generate $31.7 million combined each year.”
If the stadiums are closed to the public, that means they’re losing out on costs of tickets, parking, concession, and so on.
Just imagine how much that would add up per home game, NOT open to the public.
Sure, schools will still make money from media rights and contribution, but in 2017, tickets accounted for 35.9% of Alabama’s revenue. In dollars, the equates $37.3 million.
These are just a few of the many concerns and questions those in charge of making these decisions will have to think about.
Will the players enjoy playing without fans?
How will they keep the players safe if the coronavirus has another outbreak wave this fall?
Is it worth it financially to play without fans in attendance?
The list could go on and on.
And like I said earlier, only time will tell what will happen.
Maybe the coronavirus will disappear and life can return to normal, somewhat.
That would be ideal.
But that may not be the case, and there has to be a solution in case of that.
So the decision will come down to two options: Play football without fans, or delay until a later date.
Both have pros and cons, and both have risks.
At the end of the day, it will have to come to this: what’s best for the players. After all, they’re the reason we watch on Saturday anyway.
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