Iowa’s decision to reduce capacity at Kinnick Stadium seems like delaying the inevitable
Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – You should have realized this was coming.
It was only a matter of time before the Iowa Athletic Department would announce that the seating capacity would be greatly reduced for the five home football games that are scheduled for this season at Kinnick Stadium.
The announcement came Thursday afternoon in the form of a letter from Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta, and it was sobering to say the least. Even if you were expecting it.
Capacity will be reduced to approximately 10,000 to 15,000 per game, or in other words, about 50,000 fewer fans than normal.
The reduction will a have devastating effect on the atmosphere at Kinnick Stadium, which normally ranks among the best in college football with fans seated so close to the field.
But even more important is the financial impact it will have on the local economy.
It has been estimated that Iowa’s seven home football games in a normal 12-game season produces about $100 million for the local economy.
That money helps to support the local restaurants and bars, the hotels, the shopping centers, and so many other businesses that rely on Hawkeye football to thrive, and in some cases, just to survive.
These are scary and surreal times and it’s hard to see the light at the end of tunnel with the start of the 2020 season now less than a month away.
It seems pretty clear at this point that starting the season won’t be the problem. The problem will be trying to sustain the season during a global pandemic.
The highly contagious Coronavirus still is spreading in multiple states, and unless drastic steps are taken, it will continue to spread and will continue to make our lives miserable.
Iowa has taken a drastic step by greatly reducing seating capacity in the one sport that can least afford to have fewer fans because it helps to support so many other sports.
It sort of feels like the 2020 season is slowly, but surely slipping away, at least for the fall.
The decision to limit seating capacity is an act of desperation during desperate times.
You can’t blame Iowa for doing it because so much is on the line with football.
But is it just delaying the inevitable?
Are we fooling ourselves to think that college football can last during a global pandemic that has killed over 150,000 in the United States?
Penn State announced on Thursday that no fans will be allowed to attend its fall sporting events, including football, while Connecticut announced recently that it will not even have a football season.
Iowa isn’t ready to go that far, but the situation is fluid.
Some of the top college players in the country, including Purdue receiver Rondale Moore, already have said that they will not play this season due to concerns about the virus. And don’t be surprised if that trend continues.
A group of more than 1,000 Big Ten football player also are demanding that the conference and the NCAA devise a comprehensive plan to ensure the safety and well-being of the players.
The Big Ten Conference released the revised football schedules on Wednesday, and the plan is to start the season in the first weekend of September.
Actually, hope is probably a more accurate word to use than plan at this stage.
Because who knows what the circumstances will be in a week or two with the virus, and with school close to starting?
Iowa is doing whatever it can to avoid a disaster, but you worry that it’s too little and too late.
And don’t be surprised if Iowa takes it a step further in a week or two by not allowing any fans to attend fall sporting events.
The thought of Kinnick Stadium being close to empty, and with no fans to perform the Wave after the first quarter, is so depressing.
So it’s better not to think about it, and to just hope for the best.
Because right now, hope is about all we have.