Memphis exploring options around capacity limits

[Ajs120102]

Wonder if UConn goes a similar route. Seems smart and safe. Memphis will not be selling single game tickets as of now.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

They should open up the tarped off sections to allow for more space.

 

[kibblesnbits]

The 6' limitation is a killer because it requires 3-4 empty seats between groups and, at best, using every 3rd or 4th row. Frankly, it doesn't make sense to me. I've thought (with no science behind this other than an understanding of geometry and air flow) that it should be less outside and more inside. For example, 4' outside and 8' inside seem intuitively to be roughly equivalent in terms of exposure to somehow else's respiratory output, particularly since it's believed you need to reach a certain viral load to come down with the illness so having it hang in a static indoor cloud seems much more dangerous.

This should be time consuming but relatively easy to implement for season ticket holders. It will involve moving people around so they might not get the same view they are used to, but it's easy to identify each account as a group of people coming together and putting a buffer around each one. It will be up to the account owner and ticket holders to determine if they want to risk exposure to others in their group (they may have to offer refunds to some that don't). But what do you do with students? There are no obvious groupings so how do you enforce social distancing? Furthermore, I assume the student section is GA (is it?) so even if groups are initially seated apart late arrivals, movers, etc. will quickly change that.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The 6' limitation is a killer because it requires 3-4 empty seats between groups and, at best, using every 3rd or 4th row. Frankly, it doesn't make sense to me. I've thought (with no science behind this other than an understanding of geometry and air flow) that it should be less outside and more inside. For example, 4' outside and 8' inside seem intuitively to be roughly equivalent in terms of exposure to somehow else's respiratory output, particularly since it's believed you need to reach a certain viral load to come down with the illness so having it hang in a static indoor cloud seems much more dangerous.

This should be time consuming but relatively easy to implement for season ticket holders. It will involve moving people around so they might not get the same view they are used to, but it's easy to identify each account as a group of people coming together and putting a buffer around each one. It will be up to the account owner and ticket holders to determine if they want to risk exposure to others in their group (they may have to offer refunds to some that don't). But what do you do with students? There are no obvious groupings so how do you enforce social distancing? Furthermore, I assume the student section is GA (is it?) so even if groups are initially seated apart late arrivals, movers, etc. will quickly change that.

You should be able to go every other row. Offset seating in the rows so you don't have everyone sitting in seat 1,5,9...….

 

[zls44]

Isnt Iowa State also doing this?

 

[huskymedic]

Isnt Iowa State also doing this?

Yup... it’s buried in another thread (few other schools are intimating it also):

 

[gtcam]

Yup... it’s buried in another thread (few other schools are intimating it also):

Thats one way to increase season ticket sales
Last year this 6'rule could be 20' and the rent would still need fans
But much brighter days are ahead

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

What better way to social distance than a UConn football game?

 

[kibblesnbits]

You should be able to go every other row. Offset seating in the rows so you don't have everyone sitting in seat 1,5,9...….

That works if you are seating each ticket holder separately, but is pretty complicated if seating by groups. If my group is in row 1 seats 1-4 then you either must skip two rows and can reuse seats 1-4 or you can put people in the third row but seats 1-5 must be empty because they are all within 6 feet of one or more members of my group. It gets pretty complicated because you can be dealing with groups of all sizes.

On the other hand, 50% of capacity is more easily implemented but it doesn't ensure any level of social distancing so I don't know what problem it solves. As implied above, implementing the 6' limitation will lead to a far more than 50% reduction in capacity (skipping at least one row and staggering seating) or skipping two rows.

 

[Ldandy]

Isnt Iowa State also doing this?

Pretty much everybody is going to end up having to do something similar. I can’t imagine there is a school president alive who will go against the trend and allow 70, 90, 110 thousand people in their stadium. Imagine the backlash if there was an outbreak traced back to a game? I don’t envy the AD at my school trying to explain to the 80k fans who don’t get to go to The White Out vs. OSU.

 

[EJHarrington]

Just let everyone in.

 

[CL82]

If attendance is down anyway, and I suspect that it will be, why not break up the seating for “social distancing.” In that way an empty stadium looks like prudent policy rather than disinterest.

 

[UCFBfan]

I'm curious how they can really keep 6' on bleachers. I guess from a ticket stand point you can sell them that way but enforcing/following it is going to be tough. Not saying people will intentionally do it but in more popular stadiums, it's going to be interesting to see how this pans out.

There's still not been any decision if there will actually be any fans at all so we'll see.