The Nebraska football sellout streak will survive at least one more week, the school confirmed today. Many around college football want to put a big asterisk on the situation, though.
The Huskers fell on their face in their Week Zero game, which effectively opened the entire college football season. The team fell to Illinois, a Big Ten bottom feeder, 30-22, and as Scott Frost admitted, it looked like the same struggling program of the last few years.
Combine years of subpar play with concerns about COVID-19, and other factors, and a sellout for Saturday’s home opener against Fordham was far from a guarantee. Rather than let the streak die at 375 games, a group of donors reportedly stepped up and are buying up the remaining tickets for underprivileged youth.
That is obviously a nice gesture. With how competitive Huskers tickets are, there are plenty of young fans who will get their first chance to see the team in person, which is a thrill. However, it is a bit of a gimmick when it comes to keeping the streak alive.
Two donors stepped up and bought up all the remaining tickets to save Nebraska’s sellout streak. School giving them out for free to underserved youth. https://t.co/c3uGrr1TDk
— Max Olson (@max_olson) August 31, 2021
Plenty around the college football world believe that a stunt like this, however well-intentioned, is not really in the spirit of the streak itself.
“We did it Nebraska, We Saved the Sellout Streak!” pic.twitter.com/PNVLYpQpyO
— Jacob Bigelow (@The_Bigelow) August 31, 2021
Nebraska had to have two rich boosters buy the rest of the tickets to keep the sellout streak going lmfaoooo https://t.co/x67D4AtQdl
— matt 💃 (@U_not_Ew) August 31, 2021
Obviously it’s a nice move, very happy for the kids. Just embarrassing that the only thing nebraska football has to root for right now is “sellout streaks” after losing a season opening to the fighting illini
— Rob Ford (@RobWhatitdobaby) August 31, 2021
At the same time, drawing new fans to the sport is important. It wouldn’t shock anyone if some young Nebraskans became lifelong Huskers fans after the experience on Saturday.
I spoke to people of all ages that day, but it was especially cool watching the kids whose eyes were as wide as could be walking into the stadium that day. It was even more fun watching the reactions of those that brought them that day too.
— Erin Sorensen (@erinsorensen) August 31, 2021
This game is going to mean a lot to those kids, no matter what Nebraska’s record is at the end of the year. And how the Red Carpet Experience (which will provide complimentary tickets to underserved youth across the state of Nebraska) came to be is worth reading: pic.twitter.com/RqsaRuw2SL
— Erin Sorensen (@erinsorensen) August 31, 2021
After the Sept. 4 game against Fordham, Nebraska football will host Buffalo on Sept. 11, before traveling to Oklahoma, a former Big 12 rival and the team with the second-longest streak in the country.
Nebraska’s home slate continues with Northwestern (Oct. 2), Michigan (Oct. 9), Purdue (Oct. 30), Ohio State (Nov. 6), and Iowa (Nov. 26). We’ll see if Scott Frost’s team can give fans something to cheer, and show up, for.
The post College Football World Reacts To Nebraska Sellout News appeared first on The Spun.
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