Ohio State football: Who can attend the Spring Game?
By Coop Ledford
The Ohio State football program will soon begin spring drills in preparation for the 2021 season. The Spring Game will be happening in April, who will be able to attend the game?
The Spring Game is a big deal in Columbus. The first taste of a new team and a new football season. The first time seeing new players take the field, and a chance to make way-too-early assumptions about what the team may look like during the autumn.
The date of the Spring Game is not completely set-in-stone, but Ohio State is hoping to play the game on April 17. Spring drills are set to begin in late March and will be held around three times per week leading up to the Spring Game.
Close to 100,000 people have filled Ohio Stadium for a Spring Game in the past, but this year things will undoubtedly be different. Last week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine approved 25% capacity for indoor sporting events and 30% capacity for outdoor events. Masks and social distancing will still be required, but more seats can now be filled at sporting events throughout the state.
30% capacity of Ohio Stadium translates to roughly 30,000 people, but you may not just be able to purchase a ticket to the Spring Game as you may have done in years prior.
OSU Athletic Director Gene Smith does not plan to sell tickets to the game, and ideally, if possible, would like seats to be reserved for vaccinated healthcare workers who are the heroes of the pandemic. This would be similar to the Super Bowl, where the stadium was predominately full of healthcare workers and other first responders.
Programs across the country are hopeful for a return to larger, if not full, capacities this fall. Alabama is currently planning on hosting a full Bryant-Denny Stadium this fall. With vaccinations being rolled out more-and-more efficiently, and COVID-19 cases on a current decline, it is easy to be optimistic about a return to a new version of normality, and being able to attend a college football game once again.