Downtown businesses look forward to football’s return for UW due to the business it will bring.
“(Restarting football) will definitely help a lot of downtown businesses,” said Juan Soto, general manager of the Library Sports Grille and Brewery. “Also, with the limited number of fans that are allowed in the stadium we will see more people staying at our place throughout the game.”
Under the previous decision by the Mountain West Conference, local businesses have been losing revenue as stated by bar owners and managers in a previous article. Now that an official 8-game season has been announced, Laramie institutions are starting to regain that lost hope.
“It just doesn’t feel the same to have a fall season without football,” said Soto. “Even more so when we can watch other conferences play on TV. I think that once the BIG10 and PAC12 agreed to return it was only a matter of time before (the Mountain West Conference) did the same.”
Many aspects still hang in the balance, like who will be allowed in the stands, how many of them will be students, and how the conference/university will react to any potential outbreaks. For the Library however, there are more things to consider.
“Well without tailgating allowed on campus lots we may see an increase in pre-game traffic. We still do not know kickoff times yet so we will see if we need to adjust some hours for that,” said Soto. “We will continue operations under the current guidelines.”
With so much hinging on a successful season, many businesses and fans alike are worried about the feasibility of a football season with no repercussions.
“I am hoping that there is not an outbreak amongst the athletes/townspeople that would cause a shortening of the season. We also need to consider the health of the visiting teams. If they have positive cases, they more than likely will cancel and not come to Laramie to play,” said Soto.
Other Laramie restaurants and businesses were unable to be reached for comment.
