COVID-19 UNLV 

Sports and COVID-19: UNLV Offers $1 Season Ticket Deposit Deal For Football Season, But Virus Expert Fauci Calls For No Fans At Stadiums

Alan Snel

UNLV is trying to stir more football fans into attending Rebels home games by promoting a deal that allows people to plunk down a mere dollar as a deposit for season tickets for select seats at the new swanky Allegiant Stadium that’s scheduled to open later this year.

But what if fans are not allowed to attend sports games this summer? That’s what national infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci has suggested, saying not having fans at sports games this summer would help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus that has claimed the lives of more than 23,000 Americans, including 130 Nevadans.

“Nobody comes to the stadium. Put [the players] in big hotels, wherever you want to play, keep them very well surveilled. … Have them tested every single week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their family, and just let them play the season out,” Fauci told Snapschat’s Peter Hamby this week.

Keep in mind that UNLV hosts three late summer games: UNLV vs Cal Aug. 29, UNLV vs Louisiana Tech Sept. 5 and UNLV vs Arizona State Sept. 12.  UNLV sent out a press release Wednesday describing the season ticket promotion that would start with a fan paying one dollar to UNLV for a deposit for a season ticket deal of select seats. Also remember, UNLV and the Las Vegas Raiders, the NFL team that controls the 65,000-seat domed stadium, are negotiating to see if the Rebels can even play the home games at Allegiant Stadium Sept. 5 and Sept. 12.

The UNLV sports press release on the $1 ticket deposit included this statement from Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois, “We understand that many in our community have been significantly impacted by the current situation, and we don’t want that to be a reason that they cannot look forward to brighter days ahead. It is our goal to make sure that all people in Las Vegas can afford to see Rebel football at Allegiant Stadium.”

The future is so unknown in the sports world amid a COVID-19 pandemic crisis. LVSportsBiz.com’s Dan Lust, who writes on legal issues and sports, gave this legal take on Fauci’s call for no fans at stadiums:

Dan Lust
Now, if leagues disregard this advice, any potential plaintiff to bring a lawsuit would be inclined to argue that negligence occurred since they failed to proceed “reasonably.”
Some ask: does this mean that Dr. Fauci sets the standard of care moving forward?
Not necessarily – but he’s a good barometer. Courts have not dealt with this issue so there’s no precedent to guide us. Still, you’d fully expect plaintiffs to hire experts to mirror Fauci’s claims (or go even higher) to establish that leagues should have proceeded more cautiously.
This is essentially how it will have to go with states/localities and reopening of businesses outside of sports. Here’s the advice from Fauci, follow it closely, or potentially put your company liability in the crosshairs of plaintiffs’ lawyers. 

Fauci might have quite a bit of support from fans who don’t want to attend game if there is not a COVID-19 vaccine. A Seton Hall University study last week showed the majority of Americans and even sports fans said they would stay away from stadiums, ballparks and arenas if there is not a vaccine.

Here’s the entire Snapchat Hamby interview of Fauci.

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Alan Snel

Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.

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