Not everybody in the state has given up hope of stadiums that more closely resemble packed housesGETTY IMAGES
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that D-I ADs in the state should "plan on 50% capacity for the upcoming football season," as his concern goes "beyond fans in the stands," according to Chuck Carlton of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Abbott in a recent meeting with ADs said, "It includes more than just the seating strategy. It includes the way people will go about the process of entering stadiums. They'll include things such as avoiding large gathering areas within stadiums and certain other strategies." However, Carlton noted not everybody has "given up hope of stadiums that more closely resemble the packed houses we've seen in the past." Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork and Texas AD Chris Del Conte have "talked recently about having something close to the normal game-day experience." After the meeting with Abbott, Bjork was "not ready to commit to any reduced seating planning, still viewing the situation as fluid." Baylor AD Mack Rhoades said that the school "began modeling about May 1 based on 25%, 50% and 75% capacity," and a reduction is "built into the new athletic budget that went into effect June 1." At some schools, where season ticket holders are more than 50% of stadium capacity, longtime fans "may find themselves without seats" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/25).
BUSINESS AS USUAL? TCU AD Jeremiah Donati said that the athletic department "will allocate the standard 4,500 tickets for students," assuming there is a season and fans are allowed inside Amon G. Carter Stadium this fall. In Ft. Worth, Drew Davison noted TCU's football stadium as of now is allowed "to hold up to 50% capacity," which "would be approximately 23,000 fans." Donati during an interview last night on KESN-FM with Chuck Cooperstein and Mike Peasley said, "We want kids to come back and have experiences and a big part of that is going to sporting events, particularly football games. We will find 4,500 seats in the stadium for them to fill." Donati said that the school "continues to work through plans on how to fairly allocate tickets with a limited capacity," but it "would rely mostly on its priority points system" (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/25).
