OMG, Vols Wil Allow Fans At the Game

This from Alexa P this morning:



Has Coach Harper retained much of what Holly taught (oxymoron?). I'd think one game tape would give you so much more. Some Tenn fans grouse that Harper is pretty much classic SEC dump it into the middle and fight for it.

Fear not. If anything, I suspect the crowd will fire them up.

How in blazes can they possibly allow 4000 people to come to a game in an enclosed space where the air will travel all over. Our kids will all get infected. I would withdraw. This should just NOT be allowed. Could destroy our season. And get Geno or CD really really sick. I hate this.

I've long been interested in the various components of the home-court advantage:

> short or virtually no travel
> sleep in your own bed
> play on a court you are familiar with (especially sightlines)
> eat food you're familiar with
> fan support
> No time zone change (which only applies to some situations)
> Human nature of referees possibly contributing to making close calls less likely to annoy the fans

I've often wondered if someone could do a statistical analysis to figure out how much each contribute to the home support. As a relevant aside, this year would be an important data point as so many games have virtually no fans.

I generally think fan support helps the home team, but of course, I may be a bit biased as I tried to contribute to it. While I think it's generally true I can think of some notable exceptions.

The main one that comes to mind is the game against Duke at Duke (DT's famous "call me" game). Duke has decent fan support now but it wasn't a strong leading up to that game. However, the place was packed and rocking for that game. It's my belief that UConn had experience playing before packed houses, and even though the fans were obviously supporting Duke, I don't think the Duke players were use to the atmosphere and it's my theory that it ended up rattling them and didn't really hurt UConn. I'd have to double check the box score but I thought we started out strongly and ended up with a good win but doing better in the first half than the second when the Duke players finally got used to the atmosphere.

There are probably other examples, because it's not uncommon that the fan size when UConn comes to town will be the largest crowd of the season and sometimes by multiples rather than just a little bit larger. If you are used to playing in front of 300 fans, and suddenly there are 3000, even if they are supporting you, it might be disconcerting.

This is not about crowd noise. It's about virus control. I'm appalled.

It would be fascinating. Much of the lore ... even when they use apparent stats is biased, because often playoff games are played at the venue of the better team.

Betting lines give 3 points to the home team before applying other rules.

Players and coaches also buy in with the mantra not in our house.

Such shenanigans are presumably less common these days... but there are many stories about sending up bad food, or laced booze, or prostitutes to visiting teams the night before a game. Also rumors of setting rim's at 10'1" to throw off a top shooting team. That's gone now.

But even if we tease all of that out, travel can be tough and getting good sleep and good food is tougher on the road. Sightlines... seems logical, but nobody's intentionally building features into arenas to throw visitors off, and many (most?) teams -UCONN included- practice in a different facility than they play their biggest games.

LOL. I guess this is many words saying that I too, wonder and would like to see a good analysis

It should be STOPPED. End of story.

I think both science and public health initiatives are outlawed in Tennessee?? 

In the name of fairness, all the facts have to come out.

They allow 4000 fans and have done that since the season started. So no,it's not new for this game.

Only around 2150 have been showing up.

It's a giantic arean and they spread them all out.

They come no where near the benches.

From the press release in November - "Seats will be assigned to create at least a six-foot buffer between groups and will not include the first four rows of seating in the lower bowl. SEC indoor event recommendations call for a 12-foot buffer zone between essential personnel in and around the playing floor.

Quantity caps will be placed on most donor accounts with eight tickets as the maximum, but most receiving four or two or their previous allocation, whichever is fewer. Tennessee does not plan to sell single-game tickets aside from student tickets and any tickets distributed to the opposing team that are returned."

I'm not a fan of them having fans, but it's not as bad as you guys are freaking out about.

The inserts are the closest thing.

6 feet does nothing much with this new strain of the virus. Sorry, DD, but this is not a good idea. This new strain is way more contagious and it creates a far larger viral load in those who have it, far larger. 500,000 people will die from this before we get it under control, probably more. If you read the Times today you will find several articles about the tragedy of it, and how easily at least some of it could have been prevented. It's infuriating. I can't imagine how people feel who have lost loved ones to this. It is evil stuff.

well, I'm not crazy about TN having any fans there. 1st, it seems unfair to the opposing team if they are not allowing fans at their home games. 2nd, I wouldn't put it past UT to do anything they could to ruin UC's year, including allowing fans too close to the court. 3rd, UC doesn't NEED to play TN, TN needs to play UC and with the pandemic, why run the risk?