Opinions about how to have a football season during a pandemic range from urging the cancelation of football entirely, to having games in empty stadiums, to having games in mostly empty stadiums with strict social distancing rules. Florida State appears ready to push the envelope more than just about any other football program, at any level of the sport.
Florida State released guidelines today that said the school will allow tailgating at home football games this year.
“We are glad to be able to offer tailgating to our fans for the 2020 home football season, and we realize that it is an important part of the game-day experience for many ticket holders,” FSU Director of Athletics David Coburn said in a statement.
Fans who are participating in tailgating will be asked to stay six feet apart and wear masks, though it’s unclear whether and how such guidelines will be enforced.
“Just as it is with so many things in our society during this pandemic, we ask that our donors take responsibility for adhering to the tailgating guidelines, and make good decisions for the safety of our community so that we can continue to move forward with a safe football season,” said Coburn. “If we as a Seminole family can not create a tailgating environment that protects the health and safety of each other, it may be necessary to revisit this approach.”
It still maybe necessary to revisit whether football can be played in a pandemic at all. But tailgating will certainly need to be strictly monitored, and perhaps scrapped entirely.
