By Patrick Phillips | July 13, 2020 at 9:59 AM EDT - Updated July 13 at 9:59 AM
CLEMSON, S.C. (WYFF) - A survey sent to Clemson IPTAY season ticket holders has some football fans wondering what's in store for the upcoming football season.
The 23-question survey sent from the athletic department covers a range of topics including comfort level when it pertains to game attendance and wearing a mask, among other topics.
One of the final questions on the survey asked if it came down to a "worst-case scenario, and these were the only two options," would ticket holders prefer to have football in the fall with no fans or football in the spring with fans in attendance.
It comes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s a little bit sad to know that it’s not just going to be a normal Clemson football season,” Taylor Baumgarner, whose family owns season tickets, said.
“Worst-case scenario to me would kind of be no football season at all,” Baumgarner said. “So any kind of football season right now, I would be happy.”
“Even if it means without fans, it would be important to get a little more back to normal and certainly being safe while we go through that process, we understand the importance of that,” Lindy White, a mother of two Clemson students, said.
Phil Ragsdale, a lifelong fan, said he'd prefer to have fans at games even if it means waiting until spring. But, he said, even that has the potential to present challenges."(If) you have football in the spring, what are you going to turn around and do when the next season rolls around in the fall? Are you going to have a season in the fall again?" he asked.
Shaun Lewis has also been a lifelong fan. He said there isn't an easy answer.
"There's no guidebook on how to handle a pandemic for huge stadiums, players (and) staff," he said. "It's just so tough. They've got a hard decision to make."
Jeff Kallin, Associate Athletic Director and director of Communications & Strategic Initiatives for athletics, sent a statement on the survey.
“As critical decisions are made in the weeks and months ahead, input from our IPTAY donors and season ticket holders is an important piece in informing those decisions,” Kallin said. “Deliberate and careful thought was put into the creation of the survey, which captures a set of beliefs during a select period of time. We will continue to evaluate a number of options related to stadium capacity, parking and ticketing.”
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