Socially Distanced BPS Experience From a Spectator's Perspective
STILLWATER -- Going into Saturday's season opener, the expectation was that Oklahoma State's offense was going to be loud and energetic while the crowd would be quiet and slow.
Well, in 2020 fashion, it happened to be the other way around.
Because of COVID-19 protocols, Oklahoma State decided on allowing only 25% capacity in Boone Pickens Stadium for home games for the 2020 season. The current capacity of BPS is 55,509 so roughly only 13,900 fans were allowed into the game, 2,500 designated for students.
There was also no pregame tailgating or gatherings allowed outside the stadium or anywhere on campus. Walking into the stadium was very weird with only a handful of people in each line and not much noise being generated.
Related: Fans made all the difference in Saturday's win over Tulsa, according to the team
In a normal setting, I would have been on the field for the game as a media member, but there is a limited number of media members allowed on the field this season. But, I, as a student at Oklahoma State, was able to be one of the 2,500 in the stadium for the game.
I was sitting on the front row of the student section in a four seat "pod" with my girlfriend and some friends. I will say, personally, it did not feel "socially distanced" while watching the game.
The way the "pods" were set up and placed, there was enough people within our proximity that it did not feel like we were sitting by ourselves. Also in the student section, nearly everyone was standing during game play and being very vocal, cheering and yelling.
Obviously, there were some quiet spurts in the middle of the game as starting quarterback, Spencer Sanders, left the game with an injury causing the offense to struggle to get anything going. Still, there was energy in the stadium with the defense on the field.
Related: Spencer Sanders to be re-evaluated Wednesday after injury against Tulsa.
The largest jolt of energy and buzz in the stadium came with two minutes left in the third quarter when freshman quarterback Shane Illingworth walked onto the field for the first time in his career.
Immediately Illingworth threw a deep jump ball for Tylan Wallace who came down with an acrobatic catch for a first down. In unison, throughout the stadium, the crowd jumped to their feet and let out a roar of excitement. In this moment, it sounded like 55,509 voices together when in reality, it was only a fraction.
From this point on in the game, the energy in the stadium was very high, which I believe fed into the late success of the offense behind Illingworth. We saw Illingworth spreading the ball around, Wallace playing like his old self, and Chuba Hubbard scoring his only touchdown of the game.
I was able to talk with other students, fans, and even parents of a player to get their insight on their experience in such a unique game environment.
"I thought the fans that came did a really good job of keeping all of the traditions alive", said one fan. "When this place is full and you're doing the wave, singing 'Friends in Low Places', or any of the common traditions we have, it just gives it a whole 'nother level. It was still a good taste and a great atmosphere."
My personal thoughts and experience of the games environment may be somewhat skewed as I was in a section full of 18-22 year olds, who even at normal games, tend to be more active in yelling and making noise.
"It wasn't bad but it certainly was not the same", said a multi-year season ticket holder. "You could feel the absence of people mainly because in a normal game, you can't have a conversation with the people around you due to noise level. In this one, you could talk a little bit more with the noise being down. The highs were certainly high, but the lows were pretty noticeable."
When talking to students, most of them brought up the lengthy drought in offensive movement for the Cowboys following Sanders' injury and the silence that came with it. They would then say they were thankful Illingworth was put into the game, as it brought the stadium back to life.
"It was pretty depressing just watching us fail on offense for most of the game. It was dead in the stands when we were on offense but it would have been the same way even with a full stadium. Our defense kept people on their feet so that was a positive", said one student in my section. "Thankfully they put in [Illingworth] at the end, you could feel the whole mood and momentum shift immediately."
One student also told me he was "impressed with fans for sticking through it and being there for the team."
"In a thinned out crowd, it was important that fans didn't leave when they were struggling and they didn't, so that was good to see. I'm sure stuff like that helps the team get back in a groove."
It was interesting that while interviewing people around the stadium, not many people brought up any comments about pregame tailgating around the stadium. In fact, some were okay with not having it.
"It would have been cool to have it but honestly I just wanted to see how it would be in the stadium. I can live without tailgating."
One of the more important interviews I did throughout the day was with a parent of a player. I was able to speak with Ruth Cobb, the mother of freshman linebacker Mason Cobb.
"You know what, I don't think the social distancing even played a part in how I experienced the game", Ruth said. "I was just so excited to watch them play and see the team, that I didn't even pay attention to anything else. For me it was awesome."
There was an overall pleasant reaction to the gameday environment and most expressed that they believe it will get better as the season progresses.
I will be in the stadium once again next week as a fan for a 2:30 kickoff. What I am looking forward to the most is experiencing a socially distanced night game inside BPS. Night games always carry a bit more excitement and buzz to them so it will be interesting to see how much energy is in the stadium this time around.
I can also say fans were very good about wearing their masks and staying around their own seats during the game. There were lots of doubts about whether allowing fans would be safe or doable, but I can attest that it indeed was a positive experience.
