Citing Safety Concerns, OSU Athletics Cancels Fan Day in 2020

Oklahoma State announced Tuesday it has canceled its annual fan appreciation day this year, citing the safety of those involved and the uncertainty that comes with the global pandemic.

The annual celebration is typically held in the first week of August on OSU’s campus, which affords fans the opportunity to get signatures and photos from players and coaches. In recent years it has served as a dual-purpose event, with a more casual media day following the event.

We love our team and we love our fans. This is a time to take good care of both. With so much unknown and in the interest of safety for all involved, we are regretfully canceling our fan day this year. pic.twitter.com/HXjBMWBiHH

— Oklahoma State Athletics (@OSUAthletics) June 23, 2020

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Tuesday in a House committee meeting that “you should not congregate in crowds” until further notice as public health officials look to slow the spread of the coronavirus, so holding the fan day as normal would seem to go against that advice and the advice of public health officials as the pandemic rages on.

As of now the football season is moving forward as scheduled, but it’s unclear if it will go off in time (or at all), or if fans will be allowed in stadiums. If there’s an upside, it’s that a vaccine for the virus is coming along at a rapid pace, which could speed up the return to normalcy.

NEW: "We feel cautiously optimistic" that a COVID-19 vaccine could possibly be made available to Americans by the end of this year or early 2021, Dr. Anthony Fauci tells House lawmakers. pic.twitter.com/I4RZaaLiW3

— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) June 23, 2020

OSU’s football season is set to start on Sept. 3 in Stillwater against Oregon State.