Jamie Pollard gives further details on plans for Jack Trice Stadium in 2020

[cyclonedave25]

Has this happened in Iowa? I've been to Costco and Menards with their mask policy and not seen anyone without a mask and certainly no one making a fuss about it.

Have you ever seen anyone threaten violence when they took their beer away at the gate?
It could happen, but it would be very much the exception, not the rule.

Also, ISU will have security at the entrance, and in the stadium. Including police. It's not like it's some 17 year old cart wrangler at a WalMart trying to get someone to comply. It's hired security and law enforcement. If you get too drunk, too rowdy, or curse too much - you get warned, but if you still cause problems then you get thrown out of the game. They could do same with mask use.

Lastly, the AD could do all kinds of mask promotion to encourage positive peer reinforcement. Emails to each and every ticket holder, encouraging them to show the world how ISU is a family, wearing masks to protect each other. "We're all Cyclones, we're all in this together". Athletes on the video board promoting mask use. Etc etc.

I think you would have VERY few problems with enforcement. Especially for that late November game with the wind chill of -20F...

How many people sneak alcohol through the gate and drink it in the stadium? Thousands.
And if you see somebody drinking a beer, what do you do? Probably nothing because it doesn’t directly effect you.
Now what if some drunk person is being told to put a mask on by another drunk person? Things could get ugly with a lot of unnecessary confrontations.
I think JP will encourage masks closer to game time, but he knows an enforcement of wearing one is not realistic or 100% enforceable.

 

[beentherebefore]

Yeah, I don't think he should either. I guess my hope is that he is gambling only his reputation - losing face if he has to back down in the future and lower the number of fans in attendance. He's just in a bad spot. You know there are a lot of people in power around him who don't feel any measures, or only very minimal measures, should be put in place.



Masks should be required. But think about the results we have seen in places that try to require masks. There have been multiple instances around the country where store employees have been threatened with violence when asking people to wear a mask in stores. There was at least one person murdered for asking someone to wear a mask. For whatever reason, some people see the idea of wearing a mask as an extremely negative thing.

He should try his best, but he's just being realistic when he says some subset of people will not do it. Maybe a long PR campaign for it would work, but I have a lot of doubts.

Especially people already drunk.

 

[ArgentCy]

I'm unimpressed, but not surprised. His plan is to do nothing and let things sort themselves out while he makes that stupid argument that we just have to live with this.

Oh, well. Money wins.

20 Dislikes, now that is impressive. And that's coming from somewhere that most everybody agrees I have some experience.

I'm just curious what is the other side of that argument? If the money wins then what loses?

 

[06_CY]

Lastly, the AD could do all kinds of mask promotion to encourage positive peer reinforcement. Emails to each and every ticket holder, encouraging them to show the world how ISU is a family, wearing masks to protect each other. "We're all Cyclones, we're all in this together". Athletes on the video board promoting mask use. Etc etc.

Coaches/CY/Players promoting it in spots on Facebook and Twitter. ISU has been really good with their promotional videos. You might be on to something.

 

[cygrads]

Why state by state and not county by county? Just as NY skews the national numbers, the two meat packing outbreaks skew the numbers in Iowa. Story county looks to be on the right track with 59 of the 80 cases recovered.

I don't know why but this reminds me of discussions I used to have with my brother about Barry Stevens. My brother would say Barry is a streak shooter and take out the streaks and he's not that good and my reply was always - but he has a streak every game!

 

[Cyclad]

20 Dislikes, now that is impressive. And that's coming from somewhere that most everybody agrees I have some experience.

I'm just curious what is the other side of that argument? If the money wins then what loses?

Easy answer - people’s health and safety.

 

[Cyclad]

How many people sneak alcohol through the gate and drink it in the stadium? Thousands.
And if you see somebody drinking a beer, what do you do? Probably nothing because it doesn’t directly effect you.
Now what if some drunk person is being told to put a mask on by another drunk person? Things could get ugly with a lot of unnecessary confrontations.
I think JP will encourage masks closer to game time, but he knows an enforcement of wearing one is not realistic or 100% enforceable.

One responsibility of leadership is to set the expectation. Giving up now does not seem right to me.

 

[cygrads]

Has this happened in Iowa? I've been to Costco and Menards with their mask policy and not seen anyone without a mask and certainly no one making a fuss about it.

Have you ever seen anyone threaten violence when they took their beer away at the gate?
It could happen, but it would be very much the exception, not the rule.

Also, ISU will have security at the entrance, and in the stadium. Including police. It's not like it's some 17 year old cart wrangler at a WalMart trying to get someone to comply. It's hired security and law enforcement. If you get too drunk, too rowdy, or curse too much - you get warned, but if you still cause problems then you get thrown out of the game. They could do same with mask use.

Lastly, the AD could do all kinds of mask promotion to encourage positive peer reinforcement. Emails to each and every ticket holder, encouraging them to show the world how ISU is a family, wearing masks to protect each other. "We're all Cyclones, we're all in this together". Athletes on the video board promoting mask use. Etc etc.

I think you would have VERY few problems with enforcement. Especially for that late November game with the wind chill of -20F...

Agree, you communicate up front that you won't be allowed in the stadium unless you are wearing a mask and you will at least force everyone to wear one into the stadium - after that it's up to individuals (which I agree is a crapshoot).

 

[awd4cy]

Easy answer - people’s health and safety.

People are forced to go?

 

[jsb]

One responsibility of leadership is to set the expectation. Giving up now does not seem right to me.

I get Jamie’s point that they can’t reasonably police people into wearing masks—they can’t have security go up to every ******* who won’t wear them. BUT I hope they strongly encourage it and require it. A little peer pressure usually works. For example none of us had yellow shirts but damn near all of us got them for the memorial game.

basically, I want them to have put their full force behind masks and I’ll understand that they can’t completely enforce.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

Everyone here has freedom of choice to go to the games or stay at home. Pollard has already said, that if you are current season ticket holder, and chose not to go to the games this year, you will have the option to keep your current seats next year. That is a huge plus for many fans, and a huge shout out to Jamie for allowing that, EIU is not doing this currently.

I plan on going to the games and have renewed our 4 tickets for this season, if I have to wear a mask, so be it. I will not enjoy it, but will do that just so I can go to the games. I can always slip it up to drink some of my run and coke at the game.

Numbers of this virus are going to continue to rise, until a vaccine is available, it is what it is, there will be some lessening of the curve, but I am at the point, before its over, most of us are going to get the virus and get over it. But its also going to kill a couple hundred thousand of us, before the cure gets here.

Go Cyclones.

 

[cyclonedave25]

One responsibility of leadership is to set the expectation. Giving up now does not seem right to me.

The expectation should be realistic. Expecting and enforcing every single fan to have a mask on 100% of the time is just not possible.
In this case, encouragement is a better route than requirement. Reactance.

 

[IcSyU]

I'll bet the number of drunks goes down significantly this year when they limit tailgating.

 

[Cyclad]

The expectation should be realistic. Expecting and enforcing every single fan to have a mask on 100% of the time is just not possible.
In this case, encouragement is a better route than requirement. Reactance.

I think it is realistic, so I guess we disagree.

 

[Cyclad]

People are forced to go?

No
Just choose to go at a higher than necessary risk.

 

[yowza]

With regard to mask wearing, it will likely be group enforcement. If it is a deal where if you have people not doing it then they threaten no attendance in future, so you get the crowd sort of policing itself.

 

[yowza]

I know this virus is different so don't go there and I am not downplaying the risk of this thing to some, but honestly how many of you have drug yourselves to games and you were very much under the weather (not counting hangovers) because you did not want to miss the game? Just curious. You know when they have the stories of old timers who never missed a game in like 40 years, well you know they went sick as hell as some point.

 

[cycloneG]

I know this virus is different so don't go there and I am not downplaying the risk of this thing to some, but honestly how many of you have drug yourselves to games and you were very much under the weather (not counting hangovers) because you did not want to miss the game? Just curious. You know when they have the stories of old timers who never missed a game in like 40 years, well you know they went sick as hell as some point.

Which really reinforces the need for people to wear masks. People are still going to attend even when they're symptomatic.

 

[8bitnes]

I mean I get that but there is some calculations between excluding a minimum level donor who may be on the hook for the next ten years for students who potentially could give the next 40 years

In the 2018-19 campaign (from the 2019 Cyclone Club brochure; 2020 doesn't list number of donors), there were a total 6060 Cyclone Club donors. Only the directors level qualifies for 8 seats (318 people) and if one puts in an extra 25%, they can get a 5th seat. Conservatively, if each donor takes 4 seats (some take fewer, some take none, very limited take more); that's 24,000 seats. The hillside allotment is 1250 and they've allotted 5000 for students. That's 30,250 total seats.

As a result, I don't think any current donor that wants to keep their seats is being excluded.

 

[agrabes]

Has this happened in Iowa? I've been to Costco and Menards with their mask policy and not seen anyone without a mask and certainly no one making a fuss about it.

Have you ever seen anyone threaten violence when they took their beer away at the gate?
It could happen, but it would be very much the exception, not the rule.

Also, ISU will have security at the entrance, and in the stadium. Including police. It's not like it's some 17 year old cart wrangler at a WalMart trying to get someone to comply. It's hired security and law enforcement. If you get too drunk, too rowdy, or curse too much - you get warned, but if you still cause problems then you get thrown out of the game. They could do same with mask use.

Lastly, the AD could do all kinds of mask promotion to encourage positive peer reinforcement. Emails to each and every ticket holder, encouraging them to show the world how ISU is a family, wearing masks to protect each other. "We're all Cyclones, we're all in this together". Athletes on the video board promoting mask use. Etc etc.

I think you would have VERY few problems with enforcement. Especially for that late November game with the wind chill of -20F...

Fair point that it hasn't happened in Iowa. It has happened in Oklahoma, so in Big 12 country at minimum. I hope it doesn't happen, but I can't guarantee that, especially with alcohol involved.

I do think they should heavily promote wearing masks. It's just that wearing masks creates a visceral reaction in some people. There are people who would rather die than wear a mask - literally people who have killed or pulled guns on people to avoid doing it. I imagine at least some of our fans at Jack Trice will be people who feel that way. If they put on a mask to walk through the gate and take it off once they're in their seats, are you going to send an usher in to make them put it back on? If the people sitting near them ask them to put it on that will probably just start a fight.

It shouldn't be, but it's a divisive issue. I hope they do all the things you're saying they should do to promote masks. But, even then I think you'll still have 10-20% of people refusing to wear them.