Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1378330
Franklin, Wolf team up to boost state's vaccination effort >> of their game day experience as a way to impress recruits. Said Pry, "Our guys feed off of that stuff. It's a big reason why a lot of our guys come to Penn State – the environment they get to play in." Penn State didn't have that last year, and while there were plenty of reasons why the team's 2021 recruiting class was its lowest-rated in eight years, one of those reasons was that the coaching staff wasn't able to showcase the pro- gram in the kind of flattering light that game weekends, particularly White Out weekends, had always provided. So now, with the 2021 season fast ap- proaching, one of the big questions for Penn State is just what game days will look like going forward. It's all but cer- tain that they won't look like they did last year. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced in early May that the state would be ending nearly all of its COVID mitigation orders on Memorial Day, clearing the way for events to be held at full capacity. What's more, the Big Ten recently announced that it will not im- pose any limits on crowd sizes this fall. Does that mean Penn State could have a full house on hand in September when Auburn pays its first-ever visit to Univer- sity Park? Not necessarily. In a recent let- ter to Nittany Lion Club members, athletic director Sandy Barbour said that the university is studying a number of at- tendance scenarios, from a plan for a full- capacity stadium to one in which fewer than one-fifth of the seats would be filled. The uncertainty stems from how much social distancing will be required. With 6 feet of distancing, the stadium will be able to accommodate fewer than 20,000 fans, Barbour said. University of- ficials have been working with Ticket- master and Populous to develop pod-seating arrangements that will allow groups of up to six fans to sit together with a buffer zone in between the pods. Barbour said in her letter that univer- sity officials "are hopeful to have full ca- pacity for the 2021 season and know Nittany Nation is excited to return to make Beaver Stadium a true home field advantage and provide a one-of-a-kind experience to all involved in game day. To be able to do that, we need everyone to continue to do their part to stop the spread of the virus by following the guidelines, wearing masks and social distancing." Penn State took a couple of tentative steps in that direction in April. It invited freshman students to attend the first of its two open practices, and about 7,500 fans took James Franklin up on his offer. The second practice was held six days later and was belatedly opened to the general public after initial plans called for only senior students to be admitted. Penn State didn't offer an attendance estimate for the latter event, but there's no need for guesswork when it comes to the impact of the two practices. The crowds helped the team reacclimate to a world in which people show up at stadi- ums to watch them play. Pry called it "a little taste of what we'll hopefully get back to in the fall." M idway through Penn State's spring football practices, James Franklin was asked to describe his approach to the COVID-19 vaccine individually and within the program. Rejecting the notion of mandating anything, the Nittany Lions' head coach instead insisted that education held the key to a return to some semblance of normalcy. And, he added, he would be happy to do his part to encourage those efforts if he could be helpful. On May 5, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf took Franklin up on the offer. In a press conference at the Pegula Ice Arena on Penn State's campus, Franklin joined Wolf, university president Eric Barron and tight end Theo Johnson in urging all Pennsylvania residents to be vaccinated. "We ask Pennsylvanians to continue to get vaccinated to help us begin to re- turn to the activities we've enjoyed prior to the pandemic," Franklin said in a prepared statement. "I encourage everyone who is eligible to get vacci- nated. The more people who are vacci- nated, the better chance we have to get back to 107,000 strong here in Beaver Stadium." Reiterating his priorities of health and safety for the students, coaches, staff and community in and around Penn State football's program, Franklin re- vealed that he and his wife, Fumi, have both been fully vaccinated. Addition- ally, in an update to comments he made through the course of the team's spring practices, Franklin said that "many members" of the team's staff and roster have also been fully vaccinated. Speaking on behalf of Nittany Lion players, Johnson discussed the vacci- nation effort and what it might mean to the team as it continues to prepare for the 2021 football season. "This past season, we really missed the Penn State family cheering us on at Beaver Stadium," Johnson said. "In order to be able to have 107,000 of our closest friends cheering us on this sea- son, we ask everyone who is able to get vaccinated. I myself am halfway through my vaccination process. I'm |