So far, Ohio State hasn't made any declarations about fan attendance for sporting events. Momentum toward 100 percent capacity stadiums, however, continues to build.
Minnesota made the decision on Tuesday morning to return to having full crowds at all sporting sporting events. That's particularly relevant to the Buckeyes who will open the 2021 football season versus the Golden Gophers in front of a packed TCF Bank Stadium at 8 p.m. on Sept. 2 in Minneapolis.
Welcome back, #Gophers!
— Minnesota Gophers (@GopherSports) June 22, 2021
We are excited to announce that all #Gophers events will be back to full capacity!
All the details: https://t.co/337hVWjGK7 pic.twitter.com/PGA0Cj4cdA
The Golden Gophers are expected to go through all of their usual pregame festivities, including tailgating and the Ski-U-March arrival. It's unclear whether masks will or will not be required.
"We are excited to safely welcome fans back into our venues," Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle said in a statement. "We will follow all University, local and state guidelines, and we are looking forward to our fans once again providing a tremendous advantage for our Gopher student-athletes when they compete on campus. We are so thankful for our fans, donors and sponsors who helped provide necessary resources for our student-athletes last season, but we missed seeing and hearing them at games. We cannot wait to welcome everyone back to campus in a few months, while still providing our fans with a safe and enjoyable experience."
Gene Smith, Ohio State's athletic director, has expressed both optimism and confidence that Ohio Stadium will be full this fall. Thus far, however, the athletic department hasn't made any final decisions about fan attendance and crowd size for Buckeye home games.
