Texas football fans can pay for cardboard cutouts of themselves or their pets to be at games
The Texas Longhorns will reportedly allow fans to purchase cutout space in the stands, displaying photos of themselves or their pets at home games.
With the Big 12 moving ahead with its fall football season, the University of Texas has set out a plan to help Longhorns forget that the games will be played in an empty stadium, allowing fans to purchase cutouts of themselves or their pets to occupy stadium seating, per Brett McMurphy.
The move is a clever way for the school to keep revenue flowing in without fans physically attending games, and follows the lead of the MLB, which has adopted the same approach, and NBA, which has used virtual fans, in making those watching feel at home.
Texas football games will feature cutouts of fans and their pats at home games
Texas fans can purchase Texas Fan Cutouts of themselves or their pets for $50. Photos must be approved by school & cutouts will be displayed at all Longhorn home football games. Fan Cutouts are not required to wear masks
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 24, 2020
$50 is a worthwhile expense to have a cutout of yourself or your pet to attend Texas football home games.
While a loyal Texas fan base will obviously be less than thrilled with the prospect of watching from home in 2020, playing without maximum capacity is a sacrifice that the school will have to make.
The 2020 season is a crucial one for Longhorns head coach Tom Herman, who could find himself on the hot seat if the team underperforms again. However, after landing top 2022 quarterback prospect Quinn Ewers, the future of the program appears to be in good hands.
For Longhorns fans still desperate to express their support, buying a cutout for $50 is the best alternative. With the option of displaying pets as well, fans will assuredly get creative to display their Texas pride.
Per McMurphy, all photos need to be approved by the school before being placed in the stadium and will remain displayed there for the entire season. Some fans on Twitter poked fun by suggesting Oklahoma or “horns down” cutouts, but the approval process will weed out tongue-in-cheek submissions like those.
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