If you sit down with anyone and ask them what COVID-19 took from them, they could talk for hours. For sport fans, the cancellation of all professional sports amid the pandemic would be on the top of their list. Most sports have returned but fans are forced to watch from the living room couch at an empty stadium with only the players, coaches, and referees/umpires. 

As October comes to an end, professional sports leagues like the MLB and NFL have opened up to the idea of allowing fans at select venues. The National League Championship Series (NLCS) and World Series, both held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas as part of the MLB playoffs have sold 11,500 tickets (28% capacity). The long wait has officially ended for empty stadium drought. Despite COVID-19 surging across the country, fans feel like it’s about time they reopen the gates to their beloved ballparks and stadiums. 

Allison Stock, a math teacher here at SCHS and a strong Los Angeles Dodgers supporter, understands the mixed feelings a fellow fan must have amongst the allowance of fans at games again.

“I don’t want progress to be prevented, but I also know the importance of these events and how people value them in their lives,” Stock said. 

After a marathon of a 2020 Major League Baseball season, safety procedures and regulations prevented the season from being shut down once again. COVID-19 outbreaks were handled and players who tested positive were treated and returned to the field after two positive cases in a span of 48 hours. George Porter, a Sage Creek English teacher, feels the efforts of professional sport organizations like the MLB have done a great job with handing the pandemic. 

“We haven’t seen a wide-spread COVID cases in any sports as far as I know. So I think if they take that same approach, I don’t see any reason why they can’t have some fans in the stands,” Porter said. 

Returning to sports games once again will be tough for most fans despite rules like masks on, limited capacity, and temperature checks. Fans are used to a typical environment in which fans go crazy over a homerun, touchdown, or a 3-point shot and when it’s half-time or a break in the play, it’s time for concessions. With this comes long lines and congestion in the seat aisles and concourses. Dominic Manente, a Sage Creek math teacher, believes something as easy as being six feet apart at all times wherever you are in the stadium can prevent the spread. 

“Getting into the stadium and concessions and then the restroom use and things like that are the big wine times of a sporting event, so if they had all the facilities open they could probably manage it,” Manente said. “But it’s kind of also at the same time, in line at a grocery store, you have to have the required distance between you and the next person.” 

Sophomore Marlena Bosnak believes that the players and staff will also be positively affected with select sports and venues allowing a certain capacity of fans once again. 

“I think having fans back will have a positive effect on everyone because players tend to play better when they have an audience and are more into the game, fans are looking for a distraction from all the current issues, and allowing fans will create more jobs for the staff which helps the economy,” Bosnak said. 

It’s our job as fans to listen to the guidelines that these venues force to combat the spread of Covid-19. It’s the utmost importance to help progress the process back to packed stadiums no matter how long it may take. One person’s actions can change everything. 

 “People love sports, they want to be able to go back to sporting events, so as long as they can remain healthy, it seems like the positives will outweigh the negatives.” Porter said.