College Football with a Global Pandemic

By Paige Greene
Assistant Web Content Manager

Many people, including myself, were unsure about how universities would host football games amid a global pandemic. After the first game on Saturday against SMU, many fans finally got to see how Texas State handled football with COVID-19 rules.

Students were asked to reserve their tickets this year before coming to the game, as they were first come first serve, other attendees could purchase tickets before or at the game.

The stadium was and still is only allowing 25% attendance at games.

As soon as everyone got to their respective sections, the masks came off. There were still many groups that I saw who kept their mask on the whole time, regardless if they were around other people or not.

During the first quarter, it started slightly raining so many people in the student section left their seats. At that point, social distancing had gone out of the window for many fans. While people continued to sit in the rain, fans also moved from their seats and closely sat under any dry spot they could.

I seemed to forget COVID-19 existed countless times during the game. Many times, I would look and see students in big groups or fans sitting close together laughing, and it was not until I looked towards the cheerleaders or band that I remembered.

It was odd not getting to watch a pregame show or even a halftime show. Instead of live performances from the Bobcat Marching Band and the Strutters, a pre-recorded dance was shown, and the band played a few stand tunes.

I spent most of the halftime watching the clock slowly ticking down for the third quarter. It was not until after the game and everyone was off the field that the Strutters performed live.

I will give Texas State credit for how well the game was organized. When people reserved or purchased tickets, each group was purposefully spaced out to comply with social distancing rules. The band, cheerleaders and Strutters were all spaced 6 feet apart in the stands and stayed organized throughout the game.

The main factor that contributed to the lack of social distancing was the rain. Without that, I believe Texas State organized the game very well and I was surprised by the turnout.

Even during a pandemic, I would recommend going to the game this Saturday against UTSA.

Featured image by Paige Greene.