The return of Badger football is uplifting the spirits of the UW-Madison campus

A sunny, warm Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin with Badger fans filling the streets, bursting with anticipation for the first football game of the season. Outside of Camp Randall you can hear the erupting roars of fans cheering as the players take the field. The bleachers are packed with students and the energy is unmatched. They are home.

This, however, is only but a memory now, as Badger game days look much different this year. Covid-19 has impacted many things, and football is one of them.

On August 11th, the Big Ten Conference released a statement postponing the 2020-21 fall season, including football. Morton Schapiro, Chair of the Big Ten Council, says in this announcement that “our primary responsibility is to make the best possible decisions in the interest of our students, faculty and staff.” This, however, left many fans devastated as they no longer had something to look forward to. Nick Loberger, an avid Badger football fan, recalls his emotions upon hearing this news and says, “It was frustrating at first because all the other Power 5 conferences had not made the decision to cancel, while the Big Ten did. It felt like they were trying to avoid taking heat from health organizations by cancelling, even after all the other conferences decided to play.”

After a month of controversy the conference announced a return of football in October. Offensive lineman, Cormac Sampson, describes his thoughts regarding this news saying, “nothing had seemed like it changed in regards to the Covid-19 outbreak, but after realizing what the plan was, it was a relief to finally get back out there and play.” While still being a full-time student, Sampson’s days now consist of rapid daily testing that allows for quick results in 15 minutes, to-go meals that eliminate players from eating and socializing together, and mandatory masks in the training room. In regards to Covid-19 testing, Sampson says, “being able to know exactly who has it helps because then you don’t have to do contact tracing.” According to Kelli Steffes, Assistant Director of Brand Communications, the sports medicine staff has been working incredibly hard to make sure it is safe and comfortable for the staff and the players. This year’s football experience definitely won’t be the same, but this is something that people have been eagerly waiting for.

The pandemic has made it that fans won’t be able to attend games, but people have still been able to stay connected through social media. Loberger says, “The way I am most connected are the badgers' social pages, mostly Instagram and Twitter. Their twitter page has great content and also updates which keep me in the loop of what’s going on.” Paris Boswell, a former social media intern for the team notes that she doesn’t know exactly what will happen, “but after working behind their social media I know they’ll try and still get fans to virtually interact and submit content.”

The communications department for the football team has been working hard to create meaningful content for their fans, according to Steffes. The pandemic has caused a lot of things to massively slow down, which allowed this department the opportunity to connect with fans on a deeper level. The energy that draws so many people to Badger football games has to be conveyed through social media now more than ever.

As players, this can be a challenge as well. For Sampson he says,

“having nobody there will make it more intense on us to have to bring that energy that players thrive off of.” He describes players stepping up in practices to lead the team and get them riled up for game days, while outside of the stadium fans will be celebrating in small groups at home. Boswell says that although there won’t be huge crowds, “people here have so much school spirit I know there will still be a lot of celebrations and camaraderie, just in smaller ways. Especially because gameday has been anticipated for so long, after the initial cancellation people are itching to celebrate even in smaller gatherings.”

The fear of more Covid-19 cases rising due to the season coming back, however, is something that has heightened concerns. The Dean of Students, Christina Olstad, has sent out numerous emails to students stating that even though it is tempting to gather in large crowds and cheer on the Badgers, they need everyone’s help to make sure students stay safe. According to Olstad, “students and registered student organizations not following public health orders can be subject to heavy municipal fines and disciplinary action with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards and University Housing.”

In regards to this Boswell says, “I’ve seen videos on social media of huge tailgates at other schools, so if UW actually controls them, which I think they will, I don’t think it will drastically increase covid cases.”

Loberger agrees and states, “It is impossible to contain the spread as we’ve seen, only precautions to slow it are effective. Because of this, and the way leagues like the NBA and other Power 5 NCAA conferences have been able to function, shows it is possible.”

Sports are a huge source of revenue for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Covid-19 has financially hurt the UW Athletic Department, as well as drastically changed many senior years for the players. “The school and the city cannot thrive without the money from football, and so many jobs would be lost. Not just us student interns, but real people who need the jobs to support their families and themselves,” says Boswell. According to Steffes, the lack of revenue coming in impacted many families, as they all took a great financial cut of their salaries. For many players on other UW sports teams, their seasons are still up in the air, and many seniors could miss out on their final games as college athletes.

The pandemic has completely altered what this year looks like for students, staff, and players. “Madison used to have all parts of campus flooded with people and red. Now, the streets are quiet and everyone is masked up and physically distanced,” says Loberger. Although these changes are frustrating, and Loberger and Boswell will be watching Sampson play from their TV screens, they agree that it was the best choice to have a Badger football season.

“Madison used to have all parts of campus flooded with people and red. Now, the streets are quiet and everyone is masked up and physically distanced,”

“It's about the kids playing, some of their futures depend on it, and they deserve the chance to display all the hard work they have put towards their sport even if it is fanless,” says Loberger. Not only do the players need a football season more than ever, but the fans and the staff need it as well. Badger football brings happiness and liveliness back to a city that is known for its energy. So, instead of the loud, roaring cheers of fans coming from Camp Randall, fans will be watching from their homes, but appreciating the opportunity they have to cheer on the Badgers for another year.