Photo Of Fans At College Football Game During Spanish Flu In 1918 Resurfaces

Several states across the country are starting to re-open after being closed for weeks due the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, sports are looking to return to action with NASCAR and UFC set to return later this month. As for football, there are currently no plans to push the college football and NFL season, but rather the question being whether or not there will be fans in attendance.

Tony Barnhart, a broadcaster/writer for The SEC Network tweeted a photo of fans attending a football game at Georgia Tech in 1918 — during the Spanish Flu outbreak. The photo shows fans wearing masks to protect themselves while also keeping some sort of distance from each other:

Barnhart, who wrote about the 1918 college football season for Sports Illustrated, wrote that many schools were not able to begin their season until late October or early November. Some schools only played three or four games, while the annual Army-Navy game was canceled:

“One of the teams that played almost a complete schedule in 1918 was Georgia Tech, coached by the legendary John Heisman, The Golden Tornadoes, as they were known then, played a seven-game schedule with six of those games played at home at Grant Field.

While there seems to be little doubt about whether or not the NFL season will actually take place, the big question surrounding college football will be determined on whether or not universities are open to the students in the fall.

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