The Mountain West Conference Board of Directors met on the night of September 24 and decided to resume plans to have a fall 2020 football season.
“The first thing that ran through my mind (when I heard we were playing) was it was about time,” said quarterback Sean Chambers in a gowyo.com release. “I’m ready to go. I think the team is ready to go. Watching other colleges around the country play was not a good feeling knowing we weren’t playing. Now that we have a plan in place for us to play, it is a great feeling for us,” Chambers said.
The decision to resume the football season comes after a 50-day hiatus where many were unsure if there would be any sort of season at all.
Tom Burman spoke about the delay in a gowyo.com release, “I would say a lot of things have changed in the few weeks since that original decision was made. But the number one most important issue that all the A.D.s and the conference office have spent the vast majority of their time working on is testing.”
But with the increased focus on COVID-19 testing and safety, many are not sure who will be allowed in the stands at game time.
“We will have fans. The number of fans is still to be determined,” Burman said. “The Wyoming Department of Health — Mike Ceballos, Dr. Alexia Harrist, Stephanie Pyle — are unbelievable how effective they are and how good they’ve been to work with. We are blessed in Wyoming to have people like these who really care about our university,” Burman said.
But with the news of fans in the stands comes controversy.
Burman said “There will be fans in attendance in War Memorial Stadium based on today’s data and today’s information. What that number is and who can gain access — we’re not sure yet. Our goal is to take care of as many season-ticket holders as possible.”
With such a focus on season ticket holders, students around campus are concerned that they will be kept out of the stadium in favor of fans who will pay to see the games.
“I would understand their motives for prioritizing season ticket holders,” said senior Luke Gluhosky, “but I would be upset by their disregard for the student population that always supports the school that we pay to attend. This is my final year (at UW). I want to be able to go out, cheer for my team, sing the beer song and enjoy the atmosphere one more time as a college student.”
With the season set to start on October 24, more updates are expected to arrive soon. Until then, UW campus can rest easy knowing our Cowboys will be taking the field again in just a few weeks.
“This season will be one to remember even before the first kickoff,” said Gluhosky.
