The latest bright idea from Pitt football and its fanboy stooges is to put tarps over the upper-deck seats at Heinz Field.
Tarping off the upper deck at Heinz Field would create demand by making the capacity smaller, they say. It would improve the atmosphere, they say.
That’s flat-out stupid.
You know what would be underneath those tarps? EMPTY SEATS. The capacity would still be the same. Some seats would just be covered. The tarps would come off when Penn State or Notre Dame comes to Heinz Field, because those seats are still there.
The “capacity” wouldn’t be smaller, because greater demand would always be accommodated.
Tarping off the upper deck at Heinz Field would be like putting a butterfly stitch on a shotgun wound. You’re not correcting. You’re hiding. It’s cosmetic, and nothing else.
Have a better football team that more people will pay to see. That’s the only real answer.
But Pitt football hasn’t been any better than average for too long. Pittsburgh is a pro sports town. Pitt football isn’t good enough to hold the casual fan’s interest, let alone lure the casual fan to Heinz Field for a Thursday night game against 1-8 North Carolina.
Tonight’s attendance is the equivalent of calling the roll for Pitt football’s hardcore fans. Whoever shows up, that’s how many.