The Department of Athletics today informed season ticket holders that precautions in the stadium made necessary by the Covid-19 pandemic will result in an 80% reduction of seats this season.
Additionally, the university made clear that any season ticket holder who wished to opt out of this year’s season could do so with no penalty relating to seniority and future ticket availability.
The University release appears below.
While no final decision has been made regarding the 2020 football season, the Department of Athletics has been working diligently with university leaders, public health experts and government officials to create game day plans that protect the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, staff, faculty and fans. In order to provide the safest environment, certain measures will need to be implemented at Ohio Stadium this year, including physical distancing, mandatory masks/facial coverings, limited concessions, no tailgating and no skull session at St. John Arena. These measures will result in a reduced crowd capacity of no more than 20 percent of overall stadium capacity and will impact all ticket holder constituencies in both overall ticket quantity and seat location.
Physical distancing in the seating areas will require a reduction in season ticket quantities in order to accommodate as many accounts as possible. Seat reductions will be made based on the following scale:
| • | 1-10 season tickets purchased – retain a maximum of 2 season tickets; |
| • | 11-20 season tickets purchased – retain a maximum of 4 season tickets; |
| • | More than 20 season tickets purchased – retain a maximum of 8 season tickets. |
The Department of Athletics must reserve the right to refund orders if necessary. We appreciate your patience and will communicate all pertinent details as soon as we have them.
We understand not all fans will feel comfortable attending games for health and safety reasons, or may not be interested in attending due to reduced capacity guidelines. Therefore, we are allowing all season ticket holders to opt out of their 2020 football season tickets commitment without longevity or eligibility penalty, if they wish. Those who choose to opt out:
| • | Will retain their consecutive years of purchase; |
| • | Will retain their full season ticket eligibility (no lapse in purchasing will be applied to long-time purchasers and faculty/staff members); and |
| • | Will still be able to participate in the planned reseating of Ohio Stadium as the 2020 Seat Selection Process will now occur prior to the 2021 season for all eligible accounts. |
When I was a student you could buy an all events card for $10. It included all home FB & BB games and any other event requiring admission charge. It was a card with numbers printed around the outside edges which were puncholed when you entered the venue. Ah yes, a little more student friendly in those days. You could also purchase one for your wife, if you had one; same price.
Students have always had to pay to go to the games. It will never be free for them. Well I guess I won’t be going to any games this year.
They should cancel all tickets, and only let students in the stadium (for free). Should lessen the chance anyone dies from going to a football game and also should make the stadium louder than if we let a bunch of 60+ (year old) season ticket holders into the stadium.
But greed will get the best of them, and someone is probably going to die because of it.
I’m an age 60+ season ticket holder and willing to die to see the Buckeyes beat the Weasels one more time.
That said, I agree with you: I’ve always believed that students and players’ families should get the prime seating behind the team benches.
Kansas Buckeye, I’m praying this is a misquote.You’d be willing to die??? Please don’t tell me you’re an tOSU graduate. That would devaluate my diploma and thousands more.
That does bring up the point of what they do with students?
In that case, I propose no one over the age of 30 be allowed to attend. We need people to be yelling and clapping their hands, not rattling their jewelry.
What are the odds that the loge people will be excluded? Lol.