Louisville basketball will play home games at a limited capacity in 2020-21. Why it was a good decision to go through with having fans.
After playing half of a season with limited capacity in football, Louisville basketball has implemented a plan to have fans for the 2020-21 season.
“KFC Yum! Center officials have worked collaboratively with UofL, the Governor’s office and others to craft a safe, flexible ticketing and operation plan for fans at a reduced arena capacity of 15 percent, allowing seating to be appropriately distanced,” the school said in a statement on Wednesday.
“UofL will admit approximately 3,000 fans per game within the 22,090-seat KFC Yum! Center, with all seating anticipated to be within the lower bowl and premium seating areas. Multiple safety measures will be in place, including temperature checks at the entrances, face covering requirements, physical distancing within the arena and other restrictions. All ticketing for the season will be digital.”
On the outset, it is exciting to know that Louisville basketball will have the opporunity for a somewhat true home game feel this season. However, the feedback has been mixed given the current state of the country. Coronavirus numbers are surging at record rates, and many would suggest that indoor transmission is a cause for concern at basketball games.
The NBA demonstrated how to properly run a bubble situation in Orlando this summer, flawlessly executing the end of the regular season and entire postseason without a single case transmitted.
On the other hand, the NFL and college football are showing us how quickly things can get out of hand when teams travel to different cities and players maintain a somewhat normal life outside of sports.
However, I’d offer this: having fans in the stands does not have any impact on the coaches and student athletes. Fans will be distanced from both the players and one another, wearing masks and avoiding most instances where transmission would be possible.
Additionally, from a fan perspective, we have seen what Louisville football and Louisville City FC can do to provide a safe, yet exciting, gameday atmosphere.
There are places- I’m looking at you SEC- who have failed to protect fans or truly implement the proper protocols. However, from my experience at Louisville football games, security, staff, and volunteers have been on top of things, and fans in attendance have complied.
While the season itself still remains in question, Louisville continues to handle the sitation about as well as you possibly can.