With the announcement of football returning late October by the university, some students are rejoicing but some students are nervous it will bring an outbreak of COVID-19.
“There will be an outbreak, no question about it,” said a source who wishes to stay anonymous for fear against repercussions against them. “Either the players or students will have an outbreak. The marching band members may also get an outbreak, or there could be an outbreak in Laramie that we would not know about because there is less testing in the community.”
Senior Franklin Chapman shares similar views.
“Well I have mixed feelings,” said Chapman. “On the one hand I think it’s a great way to get campus closed down, but on the other hand we don’t really see a giant spike in cases because of the nationwide protests, mostly because they are outside, and people are wearing masks.”
“Up to this point, the university has done a great job, especially compared to other universities, but bringing football back is only going to reverse all the good work UW has done,” said the anonymous source.
The anonymous source said the simple reason why football is coming back is money.
“If they were worried about school spirit, they could have a safe pep rally. They just want the revenue that football brings,” said the anonymous source.
As a senior, Chapman is depending on a smooth senior year to complete his studies and ensure a positive transition into the workforce.
“It might not be a complete disaster. But I’ve got research this semester and I need campus to be open,” said Chapman. “If it were up to me, I would say a firm no to people at the games, as much as it pains me.”
“I think it is a bad idea for football to restart their season because of the danger it entails for the players, fans, students, and surrounding community of Laramie with all these fans coming into Laramie for the game,” said the anonymous source. “No matter how safe the football players are, there will always be the chance of someone attending the game who isn’t being safe, and that poses a risk to everyone in the area.”
“Anyone who gets infected who can trace this infection to the field, rather than attending class (since that is a choice to risk going to class), should be able to blame the university for this,” said the anonymous source.
At the time of this article, a UW press release notified the community of 11 cases of COVID-19 amongst the freshmen on the football team. That press release can be found here
