(14 Jul 2020) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus139701
As bull riders attempted to hang on for eight seconds, they were encouraged by something they hadn't heard in months _ the cheers of a crowd.
A little more than a thousand fans were on hand in the 9,000-seat arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Friday to watch one of the first indoor professional sporting events since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The Professional Bull Riders event ends a month-long competition that until Friday has played out before silent stands. It's a cautious step toward giving sports fans who have been cooped up for months a chance to leave their homes and watch a bull attempt to throw a man from its back as the rider tries to hold on.
Other professional sports leagues are watching the bull riding event to observe how fans may be allowed back into stadiums and arenas, competition organizers said. NASCAR will let thousands of spectators into a race in Texas on July 19, but English soccer's Liverpool has played out its march to a first league title in 30 years in front of empty stadiums.
PBR tried to keep both cowboys and fans safe from the spread of coronavirus infections by seating spectators apart from each other in a method they call "pod seating," as well as regularly testing riders and their support staff. The tightly packed lines for the concession stand or bathroom were gone as well, with signs encouraging people to space apart.
As the number of COVID-19 cases topped 3 million in the United States this week, South Dakota has seen a relatively low number of coronavirus cases in addition to a governor eager to push reopening economic activity.
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