AMES, Ia. — Memo to Iowa State fans:
Obey the rules Saturday if attending the Cyclones’ 6:30 p.m. game against 16th-ranked Oklahoma at Jack Trice Stadium.
- Wear a face covering from the moment you exit the car.
- Don’t congregate in parking lots or around the stadium entrance.
- Sit in the seat you’ve been assigned.
- If you’re sick, stay home.
Athletics director Jamie Pollard’s letter to fans last week outlining the mitigation for the 15,000 fans permitted into the 61,500-seat stadium was strong, especially the face-covering part, where he wrote that anyone refusing “will be denied access and/or removed from the stadium.”
Sep 12, 2020; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones cheer squad root for the Cyclones from the empty stands before their game with the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports (Photo: Reese Strickland/USA TODAY Sports)
Family of players and staff were the only fans in Jack Trice Stadium for the Sept. 12 opener. The Cyclones played at TCU last Saturday, where 11,852 fans watched Iowa State’s 37-34 victory.
“Other institutions have successfully hosted fans (recently),” Pollard wrote in his Sept. 24 letter. “The Kansas City Chiefs opened the NFL season in front of 17,000 fans and other Big 12 schools have also had fans in their stadiums.
“Our staff has been in contact with the Chiefs organization and other Big 12 schools who have had fans at games to learn more about game-day operations in their stadiums. Additionally, members of the University public health team have connected with State and Story County public health officials to solicit feedback on game-day mitigation strategies.”
Iowa State also consulted Dr. Chris Hostler of Infection Control Education for Major Sports, an independent organization run by two Duke University infectious-disease doctors, who have provided recommendations to the NFL, the NFL Players Association and the Big 12 Conference.
“Please understand it will be critical that we receive full buy-in, from everyone attending the game,” Pollard wrote in the letter also signed by University president Wendy Wintersteen. “Any fan who does not adhere to our mitigation requirements will be denied entry and/or removed from the stadium. Furthermore, any fan removed from the stadium will have their tickets revoked for the season.”
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson has been writing for the Des Moines Register for parts of six decades. Reach him at [email protected], 515-284-8132, and on Twitter at @RandyPete.
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