A&M will not be able to accommodate all 85,000 season-ticket holders if social distancing is in placeGETTY IMAGES
Texas A&M officials have "informally listened to guidance from an architectural firm to map out a 'socially distanced seating chart'" for Kyle Field, according to Laine Higgins of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The university also is "discussing ways of allowing fans to experience Kyle Field’s electric atmosphere, even if they aren’t actually at their seats." That "could mean creating viewing areas in the concourses, or common spaces with large television screens." Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork said that entering a football game at the 102,733-capacity stadium "may mean standing in a spaced out line and going through a sanitation screening after scanning your ticket." Higgins reports bathrooms will "likely be cleaned with greater frequency," and "limiting contact during the concessions process will be a priority." Vendors "might pass food to fans from behind a plastic shield and customers might pay using an electronic service like Venmo." Bjork said Texas A&M also is "considering requiring fans to bring their own empty, reusable containers if they wish to purchase a beverage." Bjork knows he "won’t be able to accommodate" all 85,000 season-ticket holders if social distancing is in place. That means the school will have to "sort out who gets to attend which games, which season ticket holders get priority in selecting games and how to distribute refunds" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/19).
MAN OF MANY HATS: In Austin, Kirk Bohls wrote Bjork wears "all kinds of different hats" at the school, including "boss, counselor, mentor and friend to 280 athletic staffers since being plucked away from Ole Miss last June." He is "already getting high marks for his accessibility, approach and aptitude." He does a "bi-weekly chat with reporters and has been very visible in the community." Bjork said of what preparing for '21 amid the coronavirus pandemic will look like, "My guess is you'll see two things. The stark reality of cuts because of revenue loss, and people taking the opportunity to get leaner just because. But every interview we give should have two asterisks and three caveats because we just don't know." Florida AD Scott Stricklin said of Bjork, "He's level-headed, understands issues at a deep level and is forward-thinking." Bjork said, "A job in the SEC is not for the faint of heart. The scale, the attention, the scrutiny" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 5/17).
