We all already know that the novice Covid-19 Virus has made the world weird. It closed our jobs, our schools, and our businesses. It cancelled entertainment for a good 5 month. Now we are back in the swing of having entertainment such as live sports in our lives once again, and people are thrilled. Although they can watch their sports at home, people are itching to fill the stadiums once again. What if there was a way to get the fans back in, at least a little at a time.

Most, if not all venues have suites in them where fans could enjoy the event from the comfort of a sectioned off space in the stadium. This type of seating is usually a luxury, but what if it was opened up for groups for sporting events and concerts. If each suite can usually hold 40 people, we would cut that number in half to obey social distancing guidelines. All fans must wear masks when in the suite and on the stadium property.  These suites would be the only open places in the stadium and would not allow any reentering after exiting them. They would serve bottled and canned beverages as well as prepackaged snacks.

The rules for purchasing and attending a suite are very important to obey. They would first require the names of the guest 1 day prior to the event. This guest would have to submit a NEGATIVE Covid test before arriving at the event. They would then have a scheduled time to enter depending on their suite number. The idea is to limit the entering to one suite at a time to minimize exposure. When they are walking in with their tickets, there will also be temperature checks to ensure that no fan entering the building is running a fever or has any other noticeable symptoms. All the tickets will be mobile so there is no physical touching when you enter. If you are looking to transfer your ticket to someone else, it must be done 24 hours in advance so the venue knows every person that is in attendance in the case of an outbreak. There will be sanitizing stations conveniently placed throughout the stadium and in the suites to ensure that everyone is being as safe as possible. Lastly, just as each suite entered in a time slot, they would exit the same way. There would be an announcement for the suites to exist one at a time. In the event of an emergency, fans can leave at any time but would follow a specific path set up just for their suite. They would tell a security guard of their early exit and alert the rest of the guards. This way we can track where each fan is and ensure no other fans are near them.

Fans are desperate to enjoy the luxury of live sports once again. They will do almost anything to get in and opening the suites may be the first step. Keeping them socially distanced and following the guidelines is the best and safest way for the fans to enjoy their favorite events. We are hoping to be able to open up events fully to the public soon, but until then, this idea may work in the meantime.

Swifties all over the world geared up for midnight on July 24th like it was New Years as they anxiously awaited the release of Taylor Swift’s 8th studio album. This album, however, was unlike any other release she had done because she only announced the albums creation and release date the day before. The secret record came as both a shock and present to us all and I, personally, cannot wait to dive in.

Taylor Swift is arguably the biggest singer in music today. Her following ranges from country to pop and to people of all ages. For her most recent album releases, she had filled her social media with “easter eggs” for her fans to overanalyze. She usually would release a few album tracks and music videos to those songs and litter them with clues. This time however, the album announcement came just hours before the release, sending Taylor Swift fans over the edge with excitement. The album is called Folklore and she announced it to have 15 songs with 1 bonus track. Along with the post about Folklore’s release was some black and white album art of Taylor in a forest. She also announced that a song would feature Bon Iver, an indie folk band, leading people to imagine the dreamy style of the album. Unlike any of Swift’s previous seven records, this one is categorized as alternative. This is the third major genre she has released an album in, the other two being pop and country, which she had tremendous success in. This album was written during quarantine from the coronavirus. It released the same day that she was supposed to set out to LA for her first of 4 stadium shows for her album “Lover.” There is speculation that this release was to make up for the missed tour and to bring some light into the fairly dim reality we are living in. She sure knows how to give her fans what they need.

Taylor Swift is an artist who keeps her fans on their toes. From hidden clues in singles to secret album releases, Swifties never know what to expect next from their icon, and wouldn’t want it any other way. Folkfore was an amazing surprise and an album overflowing with talent. Taylor is shining bright and we all are so happy to watch her succeed!