New Samford Covid Rules: Are They a Bust for Fans?

Over the course of the first few weeks of school I reviewed Samford's plan for the spring sports and how they are going to delegate the fans throughout the stadium for optimal Covid protection. I have to hand it to Samford though, they have done a phenomenal job at keeping the numbers down for Covid cases throughout the year. The consistent testing and mask mandating put in place by Samford was definitely annoying at times but it was for the health and betterment of the community.

However, that was before we had the opportunity for sports to be played. Now the plan for the seating at the spring sporting events have flipped the fan community on its head. The newly revised plan for the student and fan seating charts have come out for Football, Baseball, and Softball. Soccer and Track and Field have yet to receive plans but I am sure they will be out shortly.

When you think of football and going to your school's game, you envision sitting with all of your fellow students right next to the Home sideline getting hyped up with the team when a big play happens right? Well that won't be the case for this upcoming season as the student section has been moved to the opposite side of the stadium right behind the Visiting team's sideline. Samford sports have historically not been very fan engaging, but I believe that this may put the cherry on top. Moving the student section away from the Home side of the field will cause a massive drop in any atmosphere that could have been there if the students were next to their schools' athletes. Not to mention, if the stadium is packed, along with the 6 feet social distance, there isn't much standing room for other fans or families to come watch the game according to the current map of the stadium. This is great for keeping Covid from spreading but at this point it has already been a year with the virus and the majority of the people who are going to catch it have already caught it.

As for baseball and softball this spring the seating options have not changed much other than students not being able to sit in the stands at the softball games. If you are dying to watch a Samford softball game and are a student your best bet would be the Mountainview Parking Deck. It gives a good view of the field and you can maybe even get a foul ball, like I have.

The overall effects of these new plans are uncertain at the moment, but having to social distance and not having students on the Home sideline for football games could significantly bring down the atmosphere of college football that we all know and love. Nonetheless, we could take advantage of being on the Visitors sideline to heckle the opposing team and bring a little life into a pandemic that has already overstayed its welcome.