Iowa pausing sale of football tickets is not a reason to panic (yet)

Iowa football has stopped selling tickets for the upcoming 2020 season.

Iowa football isn’t selling tickets for the time being to watch a game at Kinnick this fall.

On Monday, the University of Iowa announced it was pausing the sale of tickets for the upcoming 2020 college football season because of ongoing concerns about the coronavirus. The athletic department said, “only individuals who have renewed season tickets and completed per-seat contributions by June 30 will be included in potential Kinnick Stadium seating plans.”

“Hawkeye fans are excited for the upcoming season and we appreciate their continued enthusiasm and support,” said Iowa athletic director Gary Barta. “With the current information available, we need to pause additional sales and focus on reduced-capacity seating models based on our season ticket holders. We anticipate finalizing this by late July and will share with our fans.”

“The option of having the ability to accommodate as many Hawkeye fans who are comfortable attending a game in Kinnick Stadium is still one of the scenarios.”

There are few in-game atmospheres like the one the Iowa Hawkeyes have at Kinnick Stadium. Night games at Kinnick just have a different feel to them. Kinnick is one of the toughest venues to play in as an opponent. Plus, how can you not love the Kinnick Wave to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital? It’s easily one of the greatest traditions in all of college athletics.

Iowa football has paused its ticket sales for now because of COVID-19.

So should we panic because Iowa football is ceasing the sale of tickets for the time being? No, we shouldn’t panic just yet, but there is some potential reason for concern. The University of Iowa wants to make sure it can accommodate as many fans as possible in the age of the coronavirus, assuming we even have fans in attendance of college football games this fall.

By putting a pause on ticket sales, it will help the athletic department have a better gauge on how to best space out fans who want to attend Iowa football games this upcoming season. Social distancing will remain the new normal, as the weather changes once again in the coming months. Iowa is just trying to be as proactive about this as the university and athletic department can.

If Iowa re-opens its ticketing sales, then we might be able to expect a more lively crowd at Kinnick. Full stadium capacity across the Power 5 seems a bit farfetched at this point but could be possible. At this time, we have no idea what’s ahead of us regarding college football or how fans will be able to attend these sporting events.

Iowa halting football ticketing sales isn’t a reason to panic, but it is something to keep an eye on.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.