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Game Days on Rocky Top During COVID-19

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Neyland Stadium typically holds 102,455 fans in orange. This Fall it will be at 25% capacity along with many other restrictions.

How Rocky Top Will Feel This Saturday

October 1st, 11:13am

Ahead of The University of Tennessee’s home opener, we look forward to football being back on Rocky Top, but we will miss some traditional aspects of what makes Knoxville special on a Fall Saturday. It is well-known that capacity will be at 25% in Neyland Stadium, but the university has also confirmed that there will be no Vol Walk either. The Tennessee tradition is anything but social distancing as players walk across campus embracing fans before the game, so its cancellation comes as no big surprise. One shocking cancellation is the removal of one blue-tick coonhound from the sideline of Shields-Watkins Field. The COVID-19 protocols for NCAA schools only allow vital personnel access to the field level to protect the players, and sadly Smokey X does not fall under the category of vital. The players will also not run through the “Power T” due to the removal of all band members from field access. The Vols fans still have something to look forward to… it’s football time in Tennessee!

During football games Smokey X sits sideline to support his team, and when they score he takes a lap across the end-zone.

Different Atmosphere on Rocky Top

October 3rd @ 6:35pm

Today was the first Tennessee Volunteers home game during the pandemic. It felt very strange here on Rocky Top as there was no traditional Vol Walk or running through the “Power T”. The stands were peppered with socially distanced fans and the coaches were required to wear face coverings throughout the entire game. The Volunteers did secure a dominant victory over the Missouri Tigers, but the looming presence of the pandemic seemed to put a damper on those wearing orange. The sounds of Neyland are typically seismic and electric, but the game today at 25% capacity was far from normal. In the coming weeks we may see slight increases in fan attendance, but social distancing and health concerns seem to be embedded with every game-day experience this season.

The Pride of the Southland marching band typically has a large pregame and halftime routine, but this season they will not leave the stands.

In-State Rival Memphis Ups Seating Capacity

October 6th @ 9:14 pm

The Memphis Tigers have increased their stadium capacity for pandemic games. The University of Memphis has almost tripled the previous number of 4,500 fans, bringing the stadium total to 12,000 this coming Saturday. This increase in fan attendance means that the social distancing policy will be altered from a 12 foot required separation to 6 feet. The increase in fan attendance in a smaller stadium is a good sign for Rocky Top. With in-state schools increasing their attendance, The University of Tennessee could soon see an upgrade as well, and any increase in Neyland Stadium will be far greater than any other Tennessee state program. Neyland will likely never make the same jump in fans seen in Memphis, but any step in increasing Rocky Top’s in-game noise is welcomed with open arms.

These results are from a Twitter poll with the question “How many in-person sporting events have you missed out on during the pandemic?”