Watching the Tide roll in a near-empty stadium: ‘It was a really fun environment’

This is a podcast/audio story. Listen to “Bammers” above.

This season of “Bammers” partially looks back at the 2020 season, when traditions like tailgating and sold-out stadiums were taken away due to COVID-19 restrictions. Future episodes will focus on other non-COVID stories.

While Alabama won a national championship in dominant fashion in 2020, there remained a hole in the hearts of fans whose beloved gameday tradition was stripped away -- for safety reasons, of course, and temporarily.

Today’s episode of “Bammers,” AL.com’s podcast about Crimson Tide fan culture, looks at what it was like watching a national championship season from a near-empty stadium.

COVID took away a lot in 2020, but Alabama football endured.

Obviously, with some restrictions. OK, a lot of restrictions. But fans still got to see an amazing national championship run.

Bryant-Denny Stadium capacity was reduced to 20 percent. So you normally hear more than 100,000 screaming fans on gamedays. That was more like 20,000 in 2020. Every fan had to wear a mask. Stadium gates were re-numbered. A digital ticketing system was in place. Concession stands were open but fitted with Plexiglass screens. No cash transactions were allowed. You had to sit in little fan pods throughout the stadium. It was weird.

And look, 20,000 people can get very loud -- and they did in Tuscaloosa. But compared to the full force that creates one of the greatest gameday atmospheres in all of sports, it was different.

Thankfully, the action on the field was roughly the same, as were the results. And now, Bryant-Denny Stadium is back to 100 percent.

Guests:

Hunter Johnson, Die-hard Alabama fan you know from Twitter as BurnerLJohnson

Hannah Saad, UA journalism graduate and former photo editor for the campus student newspaper The Crimson White

Roger Myers, Alabama superfan and season ticket holder

Nick Ferenz, University of Alabama Associate Director of Event Management

More on Bammers: Does Alabama football create unity?

Do women watch Alabama football any differently than men do?

Did Alabama fans take Mike Shula for granted?

“Bammers,” the AL.com podcast that takes you inside the hearts and minds of Alabama football fans, is now available to download on all platforms.

The show focuses on fans’ obsession with the Crimson Tide and the lengths at which they’ll go with their fandom. Past guests include like Paul Finebaum, Tim Brando, Laura Rutledge, Marcus Spears, Cecil Hurt, Warren St. John, Conrad Thompson, John Parker Wilson and Alabama football fans across the world. Listen to every episode now!

If you like the show, please leave a rating and review on Apple/iTunes.

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