Masks to be mandatory at all Georgia football home games

If you want to cheer on Georgia football in Athens this year, mask up.

For Georgia football, it’s all about hunkering down and masking up in the Classic City in 2020.

Per University of Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity, masks will be mandatory to attend any Georgia Bulldogs football games at Sanford Stadium this fall. If fans are even allowed to be in attendance, they are required to wear a mask if they want to watch the Red and Black tee it up Between the Hedges this season. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as this is the new normal.

The SEC announced on Thursday afternoon its plans to play a 10-game, conference-only schedule. This means Georgia’s annual rivalry with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate) will not be played this fall, despite only 75 miles separating the Atlanta and Athens campuses. However, Georgia-Florida is still on in a big way down in Jacksonville.

If you want to take in a Dawgs game at Sanford Stadium, wear a mask.

While McGarity and University of Georgia president Jere Morehead are smart and getting out ahead of this by requiring all fans to wear masks at UGA football games this season, how will Georgia governor Brian Kemp handle this? He is a Georgia alum and graduated from Clarke Central High School in Athens, but has not exactly been the greatest supporter of mask usage in his state.

There has been a lot of push back from the Georgia governor and the mayors of major metropolises in the state, such as the state capital of Atlanta and the home to the University of Georgia in Athens. This shouldn’t be that hard, but it’s been beyond pulling teeth in the age of the coronavirus across the board, regardless of where you call home.

What is interesting is the neutral-site affair between Georgia and the arch rival Florida Gators will still be played at TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Will masks be required down in Duval County on Halloween or whenever these two teams play? What’s also interesting is will this game be one of Georgia and Florida’s five roads or five home games in the 10-game SEC slate this year?

We don’t know all the ramifications of the SEC schedule, but you’ll have to wear a mask in Athens.

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