Kentucky’s plan for fan attendance at football games reportedly revealed

While the Kentucky Wildcats continue to progress toward playing actual games this fall, the major speculation has been about attendance. How many fans will be in the stands? How will the seating be laid out? How much will it cost?

Well, at least one of those questions was answered today, as Kentucky reportedly is planning for a reduction to 20% general seating and 50% premium seating at football games this fall, per Justin Rowland and Travis Graf of Cats Illustrated.

While disappointing, this should come of no surprise. Many professional football teams have announced decreased or no attendance for games, and we are currently watching NBA and Major League Baseball games with nobody in attendance. The writing has been on the wall for football, and if we want games this is something we have to live with.

As we see in the news seemingly every day, colleges and universities are having enough trouble trying to keep their players and staff members safe from COVID-19. And being honest, one of the primary reasons for proceeding with football is money. The money from television contracts is so much more important than stadium attendance, so it makes sense to drive more viewership through television and streaming services.

Kentucky is still slated to play 10 games, including home games vs. Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Georgia. While many may be disappointed at the limited attendance and the eradication of on-site tailgating, we should probably be thankful if we get any Kentucky football at all. This decision by the University of Kentucky is certainly an understandable one, and one I hope fans can appreciate.