As Alabama won the national title, a large gathering of fans celebrated amid COVID-19
While Alabama’s players and coaching staff were celebrating their national championship at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, a large gathering of the Crimson Tide’s fans were celebrating roughly 773 miles away in the streets of Tuscaloosa.
And that gathering drew criticism on social media in the age of COVID-19.
Alabama routed Ohio State 52-24 behind the electric first-half performance from Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, who tallied 215 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the first half.
Due to COVID protocols, only about 14,900 fans were in attendance in South Florida. An area called The Strip in Tuscaloosa, according to reports, saw fans flooding streets in close quarters with each other celebrating the program’s 18th national title.
That led to various reactions, with those denouncing it as a potential super spreader event and others defending the celebration, on social media:
According to the New York Times, there are 404,000 total cases and 5,347 deaths recorded in Alabama since the start of the pandemic.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban tested positive in November and recovered, according to the Tuscaloosa News.
