Thousands of Alabama fans shun COVID-19 rules while celebrating national championship
Remember COVID-19?
Remember when we were all supposed to wear masks and stay six feet apart from people not in our households?
Remember when hospitals were at maximum capacity as people were becoming infected and dying at increasingly alarming rates?
So glad all that is behind us, as evidenced by the thousands of often-maskless Alabama fans who packed bars in Tuscaloosa on Monday night to watch the College Football Playoff national championship game, then spilled out onto The Strip on University Boulevard to celebrate the Crimson Tide’s 52-24 victory over Ohio State.
Alabama has won six national titles in the last 12 years under coach Nick Saban, and the Associated Press reports that this postgame celebration near campus was bigger than those from any of the Tide’s other championship years.
And why not? It’s not like Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox specifically asked fans not to celebrate in such a manner. Oh, wait. He did.
Cases are surging in Alabama, with more than 2,000 people testing positive and a reported 13 dying from COVID-19 on the day of the big game. Tuscaloosa County is a coronavirus hotbed, with more than 14,000 positive tests since the crisis began.
Alabama coach Nick Saban tests positive for the coronavirus and will not be on the sideline for Saturday’s game against rival Auburn.
Apparently, it’s perfectly fine in January 2021 to be pressed tight against a multitude of strangers without a pesky mask getting in the way of all the yelling and screaming that could help spread a virus that has killed nearly 2 million people worldwide.
Yessir! Nothing like a college football championship to make all the world’s problems go away.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
