Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith expressed optimism on Tuesday, that there will be a way for the Buckeyes home stadium to be at least partially full this year.
According to Kyle Rowland of the Toledo Blade, Smith said he’s “confident” that as many 20-30k fans may be able to attend games at Ohio Stadium:
Ohio State AD Gene Smith says he’s confident that a plan can be implemented where 20,000 to 30,000 fans can attend football games in Ohio Stadium.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) May 20, 2020
Though, the clock is certainly ticking if the Buckeyes are to play a full season this year.
Gene Smith says scheduling has to be completed in early July for a fall football season to take place.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) May 20, 2020
Ohio Stadium has a 102,000 seat capacity, but can and has gone as high as 110,000 for big games such as Michigan or Michigan State.
Smith hastened to add that he is still not entirely comfortable with the idea of football being played.
Gene Smith says he’s not 100 percent comfortable yet with football being played.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) May 20, 2020
Still, much of what determines whether fans will be in the stadiums this year, is the reopening process dictated by state governments. Given Ohio’s current status, it’s entirely possible that fans could be allowed in the games with social distancing restrictions in place. That would essentially give put the number of fans in roughly the 20-30k proximity that Smith talked about.
While teams in the Midwest and the South might be able to hold games with some fan attendance, the outlook appears to be more bleak in states like California and New York where reopening is taking place at a slower rate. However, on the upside, the governors of California and New York have recently voiced support for getting their sports teams back on the field.
Though, at this point, without fans.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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