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On second thought: Nebraska backs out of Pinnacle Bank Arena watch party for football opener
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It didn’t take long for the University of Nebraska to reconsider hosting a watch party at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Oct. 24, when the Huskers football team opened the season on the road against Ohio State.
General Manager of Pinnacle Bank Arena Tom Lorenz released a statement on the matter on Wednesday. Originally, the venue was going to host a viewing part as Nebraska opened the season against Ohio State in Columbus — enforcing mask wearing and social distancing during the event.
However, due to the unpredictability of COVID-19, the event will no longer take place.
“As we’ve learned, the COVID-19 pandemic is unpredictable and with the current high number of cases and hospitalizations, we reconsidered this event,” Lorenz said in a statement. “We have worked with the Health Department to successfully and safely hold other events, and plan to continue that cooperation for future events at PBA.”
Because the B1G decided not to allow fans at football games this season, Nebraska was looking for unique ways to keep fans involved as the Huskers played this fall. This was a good thought, but ultimately proved to be too risky to move forward.
Perhaps if restrictions are loosened, PBA will reconsider hosting the event. For now, though, Nebraska is shelving the idea.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB