No fans at UAPB spring football
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff athletic department has extended its ban on fans attending home sporting events to the spring football season that begins Feb. 27 against Texas Southern.
Along with that ban, fans will not be allowed to tailgate outside Simmons Bank Field.
In a statement, the department said the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution and the continued safety of student-athletes, coaches and staff.” UAPB began prohibiting fans from other home sporting events last month out of the same concern, as some basketball games had to be postponed
due to covid-19 issues impacting the teams that would have traveled to Pine Bluff.
“We encourage everyone in Golden Lion Nation to help slow the spread of covid-19 by continuing to mask up and socially distance,” the statement read. “Thank you in advance for your understanding and support.”
The Southwestern Athletic Conference, UAPB’s athletic league, was one of the first Football Championship Subdivision leagues to postpone the 2020 season from the fall semester to the spring. Other conferences followed suit, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association will conduct its Division I playoffs in May. (The SWAC does not send a team to the playoffs but instead hosts a championship game.)
The SWAC on Jan. 29 issued a policy restricting visiting bands from football games for the spring slate. It’s not immediately clear whether UAPB will allow its band to perform at Simmons Bank Field despite the ban on fans.
The conference has not issued a blanket restriction of fans for its 10 member universities.
“Game protocols will vary based on institution, location and regulations and guidelines and the municipalities that they are located in,” said Andrew Roberts, the SWAC’s assistant commissioner for media relations. “Those are institutional guidelines. It wasn’t a conference mandate.”
UAPB running back Omar Allen, who played high school football at Watson Chapel, said recently that he relies on his competitive nature despite the then-possibility fans would not be allowed.
“When you’re playing the game, you don’t look back in the stands,” Allen said. “The stands are great. You feed off the energy, but when you’re out here, you have to find something to feed off of. You’ve got to find your own juice. You’ve got to find your own music, so coming out here and competing with your own teammates, having fun playing the game, it’s a privilege to come out and play.”
Micheal S. Parker, a Pine Bluff native and longtime UAPB supporter, said he’s happy the university is putting public safety and the health of fans, friends and family above monetary concerns, but added having sports events in the spring is not necessary.
“So for me, spring sports academic-wise is unnecessary because the NCAA gave an exemption to student-athletes to not lose a year of eligibility due to covid-19,” said Parker, a 2002 UAPB graduate. “In football, any injuries in this spring football season could greatly affect the 2021 fall football season. We saw lots of schools lose money and we understand the financial impacts it has had on them. UAPB will now not allow fans or tailgating this season. So the financial impact has been added in with the loss of revenue from all those aspects affected.”
“No bands are traveling in the SWAC as well, so to me, we should grit our teeth and hang tight until fall 2021, for all of our sakes,” Parker added.