KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee announced there will be no university-organized tailgating on campus for football games. This also includes tailgates led by student organizations.
Officials have not specified if fans will be able to set up shop on campus as of Friday.
Usually, during football season, the campus is packed. Circle Park, G10, Fraternity Row and almost any open space hosts tailgaters celebrating Tennessee football.
That may change this season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"If we do play football, we won't have tailgating on campus," said Donde Plowman on Thursday.
Many tailgates are organized by the university or student organizations. Without them, UT economic expert Bill Fox said a lot of things will take a hit.
"This links in if you're in the service sector with restaurants or hotels. I don't think it will be a robust fall season," he said. "You're not going to have the kind of fall you normally had."
The school also released a statement Thursday saying that it is still working to determine if individual fans will be able to tailgate on campus.
Tailgating is a big deal for local party planning businesses that thrive in the fall. All Occasions Party Rentals is known for its brand "Tailgate Tennessee." It sets up tents of all sizes for fans on campus, but they're not the only ones who could be impacted by the lack of tailgates.
Nearby bars, restaurants and hotels could be impacted, too.
"Hopefully a lot of these businesses can survive on the other side, we've had unparalleled federal stimulus trying to help those businesses stay afloat and we hope they can do it," said Fox.
The Cumberland Avenue Strip has already had a rough year with students leaving campus early.
But Fox said students most likely will still be around.
"Many younger people are willing to go out and near the campus, you'll still see a lot of students out despite the university's encouragement to be very careful," he said.
UT said they will continue to follow recommended guidelines as they make that call on whether individuals will be able to host tailgates.