TCU to allow full capacity at outdoor events; masks won’t be needed at Colonial
After a year of reduced-capacity crowds at games on campus, TCU announced Wednesday it has removed attendance restrictions for all outdoor sporting events, effective immediately.
That means full houses for football games this fall at Amon G. Carter Stadium, and full houses at Lupton Stadium, where the baseball team, which leads the Big 12 standings, expects to host some postseason games next month.
Masks will be optional for fans who are fully vaccinated as well.
“Horned Frogs: we are so grateful for your patience over the past year,” TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati wrote in a social media post. “Welcome back to the FULL game day experience for all outdoor sports and venues effective immediately.”
TCU joins Baylor as Big 12 schools in the state that have announced plans to fully open up in recent days. Baylor announced its decision on Tuesday. TCU said it’s decision was expedited by the increase in number of individuals vaccinated as well as declining cases of COVID-19.
TCU athletics has lost an estimated $25 million during the COVID-19 pandemic, a source said. That number covers live gate losses from reduced capacity events as well as reduced TV distributions. The pandemic forced the Big 12 to cancel its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in 2020, as well as the NCAA to cancel March Madness that season.
Last fall saw reduced attendance numbers at football games followed by limited attendance for basketball and baseball games. Football games were reduced to approximately 25% capacity with attendance never getting higher than 12,500.
Basketball games at Schollmaier Arena were also limted to 25% as were baseball games early on this season. Baseball games have steadily seen its capacity limits increase, including up to 50% last month.
“There is no question the revenue component will allow for us to return closer to our pre-COVID budget in the department and on campus,” Donati said. “But community health and safety will always drive our decision making process.”
The first event on TCU’s campus that could enjoy expanded capacity will be postseason baseball games at Lupton Stadium.
As of now, TCU is projected to host a NCAA Tournament regional with the date range from June 4-7. TCU is among 20 potential sites selected by the NCAA to host a regional. Only 16 of those sites will actually host games. The sites will be selected on May 30 with the bracket for the 2021 Division I Baseball Championship revealed Monday, May 31.
TCU could also host a super regional June 11-14.
As far as football, TCU has been hoping to return to full capacity in recent weeks. This announcement not only allows full attendance numbers but also opens up tailgating again.
TCU has become known for its atmosphere on football game days, particularly the pregame tailgating scene.
“Frankly, the magic of TCU is being here on campus in person and it has been a long time since many were here,” Donati said. “We anticipate our fan base returning to a full game day experience in every sport and we are excited to deliver that to our fans and our students again.”
With that being said, Donati is not overly concerned that fans may have grown accustomed to watching home games on TV during the pandemic. Instead, he is bullish on the belief that the majority of fans are hungry to return to live events.
“You cannot replicate the feeling of being there in person,” Donati said. “We recognize that there are some that may not be able to come back for health or financial reasons. But by and large our fan base is longing to watch TCU sports in person with their family and friends. They are ready for a return to normalcy in their lives and this will play a part in that.”
No masks at Colonial
Along with TCU, the PGA Tour announced an updated mask policy for individuals attending events including the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial next week (May 27-30). Masks are no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals, per CDC guidelines.
Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines; or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
Unvaccinated individuals, per CDC guidelines, should wear a mask indoors at all times and outdoors when they cannot be socially distant.
This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 4:29 PM.
