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Wisconsin makes announcement on attendance for winter sports
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It does not appear 2020 is going to let up to end the calendar year or allow people to get back to life as usual without a few more frustrating losses or deprivations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The University of Wisconsin today announced both men’s and women’s basketball and hockey would not, for “an indefinite period of time”, allow fans into the Kohl Center or LaBahn Arena to watch their teams compete against scheduled opponents.
According to the university’s press release all season tickets have been cancelled for both basketball and hockey and patrons of the programs either had been refunded or were in the process of being refunded. There was no indication of when season ticket holders or the public would be allowed to purchase tickets or attend games again.
The Badgers men’s hockey team is just out of the Top 20 but has received votes to be ranked, while the women’s team is the pre-season top ranked team in the country.
The men’s basketball team is a pre-season top 10 squad, coming in at seventh nationally while the women’s team is unranked.
How much longer are people going to be asked to stay home, to stay away, to avoid gathering together to enjoy each other and life? It seems no one with any authority to make that call has an answer. For now, the games will go on inside the cold, empty venues.
Mark Schipper is a reporter, sportswriter, and aspiring novelist living in Chicago, Illinois.