Game Day’s Facing COVID-19
2020 has been a difficult year, complicating what we define as normal. Thankfully, we get to watch sports again, but a lot of questions begin to surface when thinking about the atmosphere on game day in Alabama.
Saturdays in Tuscaloosa are about to be interesting with no tailgating allowed on the quad, the stadium only permitting 20% capacity, bars still not letting full capacity, and greek houses having certain rules and regulations for who is allowed in the house. So much has changed, how will we adapt?
I personally don't even have a "game day outfit" yet. Will the attire be as formal as it has in recent years? I believe a lot more houses off-campus will be throwing watch parties and the bars will form lines early in the morning. I have a strong feeling that the environment will be crazy and uncontainable since this is our first home game and it's the first big event for the university since the start of the pandemic.
The COVID cases on campus have recently gone down from 119 to 48 this past week. What happens when everyone comes together to watch the Tide? Will positive cases skyrocket?
The University of Alabama is taking the proper precautions to ensure we have all five home games to celebrate at whatever fashion.
"We want to make sure we do everything we can to pull the game off in a safe manner to where we can make sure we can continue to move forward the rest of the year," said Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne.
In my opinion, the students at the university do not want to jeopardize possibly winning another national championship. Nobody wants to see the removal of sports, especially football. There is always a plan for game day, whether you watch at home on your couch or at a bar with your friends.
Although things are going to look different, I'm sure the energy in Tuscaloosa will be just as crazy as the past, if not crazier. With this first home game against Texas A&M, there is still so much to be excited about.