Ohio State Football: Will fans be back in full force?

The last couple of Ohio State football seasons hasn’t been normal. In 2020, Ohio State didn’t play a single non-conference game and didn’t start playing football at all until October. When they did, there were no fans in the stands at any of the games because of COVID.

Even last year things were different. Some players still missed games because of COVID and there were fewer fans for sure. The game against Tulsa saw the lowest attendance for an Ohio State football game since WWII. That’s not something you want to see.

So with COVID mostly in the rear-view mirror, are fans going to be back in full force for games? Students didn’t fill up the student section against Oregon which was arguably the biggest home game of the year. No one showed up to the Tulsa game in any section.

Notre Dame is the second-biggest home game of the year this year behind TTUN. That will give us a good indication of how much the fans are willing to come back. Higher ticket prices and a change to the seat selection system certainly won’t help matters return to “normal”.

I would have to think that more fans would be in the stands for Buckeye home games this Fall. With vaccines widely available and mask mandates lifted, there should be more fans that want to go to the stadium to support the team. That’s especially true with the type of team they have this year.

Still, the issue of fan attendance isn’t going away anytime soon. The at-home experience has improved so much over the last few years that some fans don’t want to deal with the hassle of buying expensive tickets, parking, beverages, and then dealing with traffic in and out of the stadium.

However you watch the Buckeyes is your concern. I just hope more of you join me at the Shoe this Fall!