Penn State AD Sandy Barbour dashes fans’ hopes for tailgating outside Beaver Stadium this fall
Penn State football will be back in Beaver Stadium next month, but everything outside of the play on the field will be the inverse of what it usually is on fall Saturdays.
Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour announced the university’s plan for tailgating and fan attendance outside the stadium this season.
“We will not be allowing tailgates in our parking lots and on campus property,” Barbour said in a teleconference with the media Thursday afternoon.
The decision comes after the Big Ten announced in its plan to start the season Oct. 24 that tickets will not be sold to the public this season, although each school is working to have the players’ families present for games.
The Nittany Lions previously had a plan to allow fans in the stadium, but it was denied by Gov. Tom Wolf’s office prior to the season’s initial postponement in August.
Barbour said the Big Ten’s decision was made in order to have a season as safely as possible.
“This has always been about health and safety,” she said. “We’re returning to an ability to play because we’ve determined that the play can be done safely. We’ve made a decision as a conference not to have fans out of an abundance of caution.”
While fans won’t be in Beaver Stadium, the Penn State AD hopes fans will still enjoy the Nittany Lions from the safety of their own home. She also hinted at virtual experiences to involve fans in the games, but did not offer any details.
“We’re really asking our Penn State nation to cheer us on — have small, home personal pod watch parties — but do it safely,” she said. “You’re not going to be able to do tailgating on the campus, as much as we would love (for) you to be able to do this.”
