There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the upcoming football season and whether or not it will begin on time, but it seems likely that games will be played in empty stadiums. Some teams are not ready to give up the thought of having fans in the stands, however.
South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said Wednesday that the school is developing plans to follow social distance guidelines at football games and other events, but he would not rule out having fans at Williams-Brice Stadium. He said school officials have been “running models” to determine the best course of action.
South Carolina AD Ray Tanner: "Social distancing will be in place at Williams-Brice and our other venues. We are running models to see what kind of attendance we could have."
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) May 6, 2020
A lot can happen in the next three or four months, which is why the NFL and NCAA have not announced any finalized plans yet. One health expert has indicated that the only way sports can return is without fans, but states that haven’t been as heavily impacted may have different guidelines by late-August.
The Miami Dolphins are also considering having a limited number of fans at games, and their CEO laid out a plan this week that might make that possible. At least one other NFL team seems to have all but ruled out having any fans at games.
