No fans inside, only a smattering outside for Wisconsin Badgers home opener

Badgerville turned into Boringville to avoid Covidville.

Yes, the Wisconsin Badgers opened their delayed and shortened season on Friday with a 45-7 victory over Illinois, but without 80,000 fans.

There were no visible pregame staples like tailgate parties. There was a drastic reduction in beer pong tables, and the UW Marching Band was put on mute.

Union South was empty, parking lots were staffed to prevent access, and beer gardens along Regent Street had only a fraction of their typical crowds. Parking was plentiful and free, something most Badgers fans have never experienced.

A 41-degree temperature combined with brief sleet and a brisk 12-mph wind out of the north northwest piled on to the surreal, eerie scene.

“It’s really disappointing, honestly,” said Audrey Sarasin, 18, a UW-Madison freshman from Glenview, Illinois, who was with two other classmates taking selfies in the largely vacant but renovated plaza in front of the UW Field House. “You’ve got to make the best out of it because we’re still here and there’s a lot of kids who are stuck at home who don’t get to go out, be independent and start their college experiences.”

COVID-19 created a scene Friday unlike any other since the Badgers began playing at the corner of Regent and Monroe streets in 1917. The gates of the stadium were locked shut. On it’s south side, no one posed with statues of Barry Alvarez and Pat Richter, while Bucky’s Locker Room was also off limits. Even street vendors were prevented from selling T-shirts, hats and other memorabilia, although it was likely just as well, since there would have been few customers.

The Bucky Badger mascot was no where to be found as university officials asked fans to stay away. Chancellor Rebecca Blank said earlier this month that fans should consider all of the football team’s games as away games and stick to home.

“We’re asking fans in Madison to follow public health guidelines and avoid gatherings with anyone outside their household. We’re asking our fans around the state to watch the games at home,” Blank said. “Given the high rates of infection in the state of Wisconsin, we don’t want anyone in the stadium who doesn’t need to be there.”

Tailgating, loitering and open containers were not allowed on university property. Badgerville, a free tailgate on Engineering Mall north of the stadium, has been scrubbed until at least 2021. Same for the Badger Bash at Union South.

A smattering of small gatherings could be seen in and around Edward Klief Park, two blocks south of Regent Street, and one group used the open space for a game of flag football. Fire pits were common in some driveways and backyards to ward off the chill, while Noah Herkert, a senior from Verona, and his four roommates, who share a house on South Orchard Street, set up a beer pong table in their front yard. They were unsure 90 minutes before kickoff if they would watch the game on the front porch or retreat inside.

Last year they were part of a tailgate of 40 to 50 people who gathered at the park across the street five hours before each home game.

“It probably is a little more quieter, as it should be,” Herkert said. “It’s definitely strange ... but I think football coming back is something for the student body to be excited about again.”

Economic hit

But the economics of it all have leveled a devastating blow.

As a whole, intercollegiate athletics at UW-Madison have an annual economic impact of $610 million for the state, including $395 million in Madison, according to a study completed last year. Each Badgers home football game contributes $16 million to the state’s economy, but the vast majority of that money won’t materialize this season due to a lack of fans.

Hotels, normally booked solid on home football weekends and with some of their highest rates of the year, have ample rooms available at cut-rate prices. HotelRed, located across from Camp Randall, is closed until fall 2021 due to a lack of business and a pending construction project that will add more floors, rooms and a rooftop bar to the property.

Meanwhile, bars and restaurants that normally thrive during the football season are operating at reduced capacity.

At Jordan’s Big 10 Pub, those sitting inside had to reserve a table and those outside had to stay seated at their table with waiters and waitresses taking orders and serving food and drinks to prevent gatherings at the bar. Capacity inside was 75 people compared to 300 and the outdoor beer garden, which normally holds 1,200, was limited to 220 people.

“That might be a little ambitious. I don’t know if we’re going to fill them up tonight,” said Billy Van Wie, the bar’s general manager. “We’re just trying to manage it as best we can. It’s not ideal. It’d be nice to have a little more leeway and be able to get a few more people in the bar. It hurts.”

Grateful for anything

Across the street, at Lucky’s 1313 Brew Pub, the doors didn’t open until 5 p.m. When guests, who needed reservations, arrived, they found tables scattered throughout the bar and spaced to health department guidelines. But even though the 90 seats were sold out at $90 to $125 per table, it will in no way make up for the loss of about 600 customers. Badger homes games account for nearly 40% of the brew pub’s annual revenue.

“This is a huge deficit for us. It’s significant,” said Angela Genin, the brew pub’s general manager. “But we’re just happy to be open, honest to God.”

Just up the street at Sconnie Bar, the outdoor beer garden normally jams in 1,200 people, but 40 minutes before kickoff only two of the more than two dozen tables had customers. About 30 people had reserved tables inside the bar, and 10 to 15 people had reserved tables outside.

“The staff is still excited to have that game day energy here, but we’re hoping that the 50 to 100 people that do come out we’re able to show them a great time,” said Lucas Simon-Wambach, the bar’s general manager. “But as far as the numbers go it’s definitely a huge blow.”