No Fans In Happy Valley in 2020
There will be no fans in Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania this year for Penn State this year, according to Brett McMurphy of Watchstadium.com. Beaver Stadium has a capacity of 106,000 and is known for a raucous atmosphere.
Penn State follows the lead of the Philadelphia Eagles who announced several weeks ago they would not have fans at the games.
Not only will the Nittany Lions be missing out on one of the special fan traditions in college football, The Whiteout, but the lack of fans could create an exorbitant amount of financial hardship for the university and community.
The university has told season ticket holders it could be facing $100 million in losses whether the season happens or not. The loss of fans in the stands could potentially devastate the local economy in the surrounding Happy Valley area.
Penn State is scheduled to play home games against Northwestern, Michigan State, Maryland, Iowa and Ohio State.
Could more major universities follow Penn State's lead and bar all fans from attending games?
The University of Alabama has already begun the process of refunding money to students for their tickets as well as requested its season ticket holders to consider not requesting a refund if they cannot attend games.
While we all want to be in Bryant Denny this fall for games, is it safest for the players and the sport to play in front of empty stadiums?
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