NATIONWIDE -- Imagine this. It's November, and the Red River Shootout is set to play. But what happens if Texas and Oklahoma play in the middle of an empty Cotton Bowl?
- Seton Hall University poll found most respondents wouldn't attend a game without a vaccine available
- Poll included 762 Americans
- Some respondents said they would attend games if social distancing measures were in place
Normally we’d be enjoying the NBA and NHL playoffs this spring. America’s pastime is nowhere to found. March Madness was sorely missed.
Make no mistake, Americans love their sports, and sports will undoubtedly return, but, if the results of a recent poll are accurate, they could look very different for a long time.
A recent poll generated by The Sharkey Institute at Seton Hall University found that 72 percent of respondents would not attend a game prior to the development and approval of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Twelve percent of respondents said they would attend a game if social distancing measures were in place. Thirteen percent said they would be comfortable attending like they had in the past.
Experts don’t anticipate the arrival of an approved vaccine prior to 2021.
The poll additionally found that if social distancing policies continue into the fall, 70 percent of those surveyed think the NFL should cancel the season. Twenty percent said the league should start play but allow players to choose not to play. Six percent said the league should start as planned.
The poll, which has a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percent, was conducted by contacting 762 Americans via cellphone and landline.
Of course, the poll did not address televised or streamed games. Major League Baseball threw out the idea of having all teams play an abbreviated season entirely in Arizona.
Spectrum News spoke with Round Rock Express management last week, and team leaders were quick to point out that it’s not just the front office and players who are hurting. Plenty of employees work on game day, and the sooner the crack of the bat can be heard again, the better.