ESPN star Paul Finebaum thinks fans being banned at college football games would be a major blow to the sport.
With the coronavirus pandemic putting sports on hold, one of the big questions is whether or not fans will be allowed at games. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
If fans are banned, Finebaum thinks the sport will have passed a point of no return and it “would be the end of college football as we know it.”
“I think it would be the end of college football as we know it … from what I hear, I do not believe college presidents and commissioners would go for this.”
—@finebaum on the possibility of college football being played without fans pic.twitter.com/znWfseD7TO
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 16, 2020
I couldn’t disagree more with Finebaum on his thoughts. As somebody who actually finds Finebaum entertaining (weird for a B1G guy), I don’t think it’d change the sport.
Now, he could be correct that college presidents don’t want to do it, but I think he’s wrong on the perception front.
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We’re dealing with a global pandemic! We’re dealing with an international crisis because of coronavirus, and I think people are willing to adapt.
If the choice is we get football without fans or we get nothing at all, then people won’t hesitate to choose the former option.
That doesn’t mean the sport has been changed forever or that the athletes are now pros. It just means changes have to be temporary.
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We will do what it takes to have our games in the fall. That’s just the reality of the situation. I think Finebaum might be just a shade dramatic on this one.