Will students feel comfortable going to games this fall?

The UNC athletics department created a roadmap for the return of fall sports with the hope that fans and students could attend stadiums at a limited capacity on game days. But there are mixed emotions among students about their safety as COVID-19 trends continue to worsen across the country.  

Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham expressed his desire to resume sports in a 60 Minutes interview that aired in June. He discussed his intention of inviting athletes back onto campus — including the entire football team — which returned to campus in groups throughout the summer. 

Cunningham and Rams Club Executive Director John Montgomery sent an email to Rams Club members on June 11 — a few days before the CBS broadcast — sharing their hope to host athletic events at a reduced capacity, then reiterated their hope on July 27 with a statement about the reduced attendance plan for Kenan Memorial Stadium. That message included other alterations for dealing with COVID-19, selling digital tickets to individual games and spacing seat locations to accommodate social distancing. 

As of now, UNC football is scheduled to start its season at home on Sept. 12 against Syracuse. Cunningham showed his support for the fall sports season starting in a public letter sent out on Aug. 6, citing the impact these sports, especially football, have on the athletic department's revenue.

Some students are looking forward to having the chance to watch the Tar Heels compete. Junior Reagan Cooper said she is not concerned about potential health risks relating to COVID-19 and would be open to attending games in-person.

“When the coronavirus first appeared, I was really nervous about it," Cooper said. “But now it’s mid-July, and to my knowledge, no one in North Carolina under 24 has died of COVID-19.”

Cooper also acknowledged that college sports are a major part of campus life and to not have them would be disappointing. 

“I feel like it is important to return back to normal to prevent issues like the decline in one’s mental health,” Cooper said.

Other students disagree with Cooper, like senior Nicholas Batman, who said he believes holding fall sports with fans would increase the danger posed by the COVID-19. 

“By every imaginable public health metric, attending a sporting event is one of the worst things you could possibly do right now,” Batman said. “I won’t be attending any games for at least a year or more.”

Batman cited North Carolina’s increasing number of positive tests as the state continues to see well over a thousand new cases per day with a second wave still expected to come. 

Senior Elizabeth Farquhar said she believes sports can be conducted safely, but like Batman, said she would feel uncomfortable attending an athletic event if given the opportunity.

“I think they’ll still play because the school will need the money, and the players (need) their scholarships,” Farquhar said. “But I bet they’ll have limited entry on the student section.”

The unwillingness of many students to go to sporting events has made it difficult for Carolina Fever, a UNC student body fan organization, to promote engagement. Its point-based system is centered around game attendance, meaning students could be penalized for electing to stay home.

“We know the situation is constantly changing," Carolina Fever Co-Chairperson Erin Owens said. "But we’re working on ways to engage students outside of sports.”

Another issue is that the ticketing system UNC athletics has proposed will only allow a select group of fans to attend athletic events in the fall. This would give individuals selected a major advantage in points over those who were not chosen. 

“It’s not any student’s fault that they can’t come to the game,” Carolina Fever Vice-Chairperson Rishabh Patel said.

Carolina Fever has proposed several changes to spread their points out more evenly, including posting sports trivia and surveys on its group email list. The organization has made it clear that its members can choose whatever they feel is best for them, whether that means attending events or staying home to limit exposure. 

“At the end of the day, it’s everybody's own decision,” Patel said. 

@ryanheller23

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com