“We’ve got to have football,” said Dustin MacDonald, owner of Chris’ University Spirit in Stillwater. “You gotta pray and pray hard that we have college football because if we don’t, I don’t know what the economic outlook looks like for us and other businesses. Restaurants, hotels, we all depend on that.
“If that means wearing a mask, having hand-washing stations everywhere, we’ve got to have people again somehow, some way.”
While athletic departments across the country have been deeply affected by the pandemic, cutting costs and in some cases eliminating sports, businesses near college football stadiums felt the hurt and are bracing for further disruption if the season doesn’t play out as normal.
MacDonald estimated that 60% or so of his business for the year came during football season, as game days bring big traffic and fans also buy Christmas presents for family and friends.
“I’m kind of sitting on the edge of my seat every day watching news, waiting this thing out,” MacDonald said. “I don’t know how our business survives without football. … I think there’ll be a ton of businesses going out of business if there’s no college football.”
“If that means wearing a mask, having hand-washing stations everywhere, we’ve got to have people again somehow, some way.”
While athletic departments across the country have been deeply affected by the pandemic, cutting costs and in some cases eliminating sports, businesses near college football stadiums felt the hurt and are bracing for further disruption if the season doesn’t play out as normal.
MacDonald estimated that 60% or so of his business for the year came during football season, as game days bring big traffic and fans also buy Christmas presents for family and friends.
“I’m kind of sitting on the edge of my seat every day watching news, waiting this thing out,” MacDonald said. “I don’t know how our business survives without football. … I think there’ll be a ton of businesses going out of business if there’s no college football.”
'We’ve got to have football': OU and OSU home games are vital for many business in Norman and Stillwater
College football Saturdays are big business at O’Connell’s in Norman. OU fans pour into the historic Campus Corner bar and grill whether the Sooners are at home or on the road. It’s the same at E…
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