Big Ten Changes Attendance Policies at Spring Events, but Indiana Still Says No to Fans

The Big Ten has ended league-wide restrictions on fans at games, and will now leave all attendance policies to schools and their local government's guidelines and restrictions. Indiana, though, will not change its policies.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After allowing fan attendance for its Big Ten basketball tournaments, the league announced Wednesday that fans at spring events will no longer be restricted by the league. 

But Indiana's athletic department announced Thursday that their attendance policies will not change.

There is a full schedule of sporting events on campus this spring because several of the traditional fall sports – like soccer – are playing spring schedules too after their seasons were postponed in the fall because of COVID-19 issues and protocols.

The Big Ten said all decisions on attendance will now be made by the 14 individual schools along with local health guidelines and restrictions. 

Indiana athletic department officials told Sports Illustrated Indiana on Thursday morning that the "attendance policy is not changing due to recommendations from campus and local authorities.''

COVID-19 issues have continued on campus this spring. Indiana baseball coach Jeff Mercer tested positive and missed the past two weekends, and then two of his assistant coaches tested positive as well last weekend.

That's not an isolated incident. According to state reporting figures, there have been 94 positive tests for COVID-19 in the past week in Monroe County.

Indiana's football team postponed its spring practice on Thursday ''out of an abundance of caution'' according to an Indiana athletic department official, and no decision has been made on Saturday's practice. Indiana has had seven of its allowed 15 spring practices thus far.

There is a lot going on this spring, and the changes will be welcomed by many. For instance:

• BASEBALL: Indiana, which is in first place in the Big Ten with a 9-2 record, still has 13 home games remaining at Bart Kaufman Field, starting with a three-game series with Illinois on Friday, April 9. The regular season runs through May 24. 
• SOCCER: Indiana, currently ranked No. 7 in the country and in first place with a 6-1 record, has just one regular-season game remaining, the season finale on Sunday, April 4. But it's very likely that Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament games will be played in Bloomington as well.
• FOOTBALL: Indiana's spring football practices are closed, and there are no set plans for a spring game as of yet that would be open to the public. April 10, a Saturday, is a proposed dated for the spring game and/or the end of spring workouts.
• TRACK & FIELD: There are several events planned for Bloomington, starting this weekend through May 8. 
• TENNIS: There are two home matches  remaining, on April 10 (Penn State) and April 11 (Ohio State).
• GOLF: The Hoosier Invitational is April 3-4 at the new Pfau Course at Indiana University. 
• SOFTBALL: The women's softball team has 16 home games remaining at Andy Mohr Field, starting on Friday and running through May 9. 
• VOLLEYBALL: There are two home matches remaining, April 2-3 against Ohio State.
• WOMEN'S GOLF: The women's Indiana Invitational is April 17-18 and the Pfau Course.
• WOMEN'S SOCCER: The Hoosiers have one home game remaining, on March 31 against Michigan State.
• WOMEN'S TENNIS: There are four home matches remaining, between Saturday and April 18. 

The decision to follow local health guidelines and restrictions was made jointly by the Big Ten Conference Directors of Athletics and the Council of Presidents and Chancellors in consultation with university medical experts and the conference office, according to a release from the conference office.

Purdue, for instance, is allowed fans at baseball games, up to 50 percent capacity. Other schools are doing the same thing, but not Indiana.

This policy update is effective immediately and includes spring football events. This decision follows the announcements by the conference on March 4 to allow a limited number of fans to attend the men's and women's basketball tournaments, and on March 9 to follow local health guidelines and restrictions for all remaining 2020-21 Big Ten Conference championships and tournaments. 

The goal is to transition from a conference-wide approach to local decision-making in consultation with public health departments and university medical experts.

Procedures for all remaining 2020-21 Big Ten championships, tournaments and regular season competitions will be designed to meet local and CDC guidelines to help limit the spread of COVID-19 as the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, officials, fans and campus communities remain our highest priority, the release said.

Indiana's baseball and soccer teams are popular draws with fans, especially by Big Ten standards, and both Mercer and Hoosiers soccer coach Todd Yeagley would love to have fans in the stands before season ends.

"I think we had all fall where we were scrimmaging a lot with no one here,  so we got used to it and talked about it,'' Indiana men's soccer coach Todd Yeagley said Tuesday night after the Hoosiers' played at Bill Armstrong Stadium with just a couple dozen family members in the stands. "We've seen it with no fans at football and basketball games, so we're not the first ones to go through it and deal with a lack of atmosphere.

"It's definitely different playing with fans, but we're making the best of it. We're making the best of it. In the moment, you're not thinking all about 'OK, there's not a lot of people here.' It's just when you are in it (with fans at home games), you feel that extra energy in the space and it adds to everyone's play. Hopefully soon we'll have that back.''