COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If Ohio State football plays games at Ohio Stadium in 2020, it will do so with 20 percent capacity.
The athletic department made that announcement to season ticket holders on Tuesday, along with several other restrictions for fans attending games this fall.
The guidelines were deemed necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic that already triggered the cancellation of the Big Ten’s non-conference fall sports contests and has threatened games being played at all this fall.
According to the letter, face coverings will be mandatory for all fans in attendance, and physical distancing will be required. Tailgating will not be allowed for the 2020 season, and the traditional “Skull Session” pregame festivities at St. John’s Arena will not be held. Concessions inside Ohio Stadium will be limited.
Ohio Stadium has a capacity of roughly 105,000, so a 20 percent cap would mean about 21,000 fans per game.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said in May that his department was gaming scenarios in which capacity could be in the 20-22,000 range. He later clarified that capacity could reach 40-50,000 if distancing guidelines and other local restrictions were loosened.
However, the city of Columbus currently requires face coverings in all public buildings. The city has seen a 220 percent rise in COVID-19 cases since reopening on June 1.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force designated Columbus as a potential coronavirus “hot spot.”
Ohio State reported $50.0 million in football ticket revenue for 2018-19 — the most recent season for which data was available — and an average of 53.04 million over the past five seasons. It is the single-largest contribution from one sport to the overall Ohio State athletics budget.
The coronavirus pandemic already wiped out Ohio State’s spring practices after one week. The Buckeyes’ voluntary workouts were also interrupted by a spike in positive tests among athletes.