NBA legend Charles Barkley painted a dark future for small college towns if fans are banned from football games.
Arguably the most talked about topic in all of sports right now during the coronavirus pandemic is whether or not fans will be allowed at college football games in the fall. I wouldn’t say it’s looking good, and the NBA icon is worried about the financial impact on towns with teams. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Barkley, who starred at Auburn in college, spoke with Paul Finebaum and said Monday, “These small towns who rely on college football throughout the year, they are going to be devastated if there are no fans in the stands.”
Charles Barkley “These small towns who rely on college football throughout the year, they are going to be devastated if there are no fans in the stands.”
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) May 25, 2020
There’s no question at all that Barkley is 100% correct when it comes to this statement. If fans are banned from games, then towns who rely on the university are in big trouble.
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Will a city like Madison be just fine? Without a doubt. Madison, while taking a hit, will survive. Will Tuscaloosa and Auburn survive?
They might survive, but they’ll be hanging by a thread. Those restaurants, bars and local shops need the money injected by football fans.
If the fans are banned from games, then they’re not going to show up on Saturdays to spend their money. If that happens, then you’re going to likely see businesses shut down.
It’s the unfortunate reality of the world in 2020 as we battle coronavirus.
Health experts: college football might be canceled this season because of coronavirus.
Football fans around America: pic.twitter.com/0XatouOtfV
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) April 9, 2020
Hopefully, fans are allowed into games in a safe manner, and we can put this all behind us. We need to get back to normal. If we don’t, the ramifications for small businesses might be something we never return from.