The game has no soul without the fans. Just reading this might not mean much until you attend a match in a fully packed stadium.
It's no secret that the coronavirus has deprived sports spectators of joyous moments. As a result, fans have been kept away from the stadiums for more than a year.
Moreover, suppose we juxtapose Kenya with Europe's sports tigers regarding fans' readmission in stadiums. In that case, I wonder why fans' attendance hasn't been reviewed yet in Kenya.
Contrary, political gatherings are attracting mammoth crowds. This is somehow a mockery of covid-19 mitigation measures.
Arguably, the majority of other economic sectors will operate at total capacity after the curfew is vacated. Why sideline sports? I'm starkly aware that the government has put exemplary efforts into ensuring our national teams participate in international competitions. But that's not enough.
But why should we have fans back in stadiums?
To begin with, it has been a bumpy ride for some sports teams to thrive under the prevailing covid conditions. It is because most of the teams rely on the small gate revenues they collect.
Allowing supporters to return to stadiums and race tracks will prove crucial for our sports. But, that notwithstanding, the SMEs that rely on spectators have at best been rendered redundant.
Conversely, most sports are between a rock and a hard place—a rock since there's reduced corporate sponsorship. A hard place since gate revenue collection is almost non-existent.
In a true sense, the intensity and zeal of sporting events have been lower than usual. This is because there are no fans -who are necessary surrogates in the field. My theory, though, Harambee stars poor show at home matches might be due to fan-less stands.
Spectators sometimes fortify that they can directly influence the match's outcome owing to their loyalty and breathtaking presence. The atmosphere that fans bring is matchless.
With no fans in stadiums, sports are not financially viable. The losses are going to swell, and it would be devastating. Without live fans in stadia, sports are at risk of being reduced mathematically without trading cards.
Frankly, apart from the mashemeji derby, seldom do we have stadiums in total capacity. On the contrary, the stadiums are mostly half-full-covid, no covid.
Please take it to the bank; sports fans are intelligent and comply with the mitigation measures.
Enough of the yada yada. It's ripe time to permit sports spectators' attendance to quench their thirst for live sporting action.
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