‘Getting back to normal’: Fans excited Big 12 Tournament’s back at full capacity in KC
Two years ago, Iowa State fan Tyler Coder was leaving his financial management job in Des Moines to make the three hour drive to Kansas City to cheer on his team at the Big 12 Tournament.
But a novel coronavirus had other plans for him — and the tournament. The games were called off March 12, 2020, one of the first major signs in the Kansas City area that the virus would upend life as we knew it.
At the time, four cases had been reported in Johnson County and one case had been recorded in Wyandotte County. No cases were confirmed on the Missouri side of the metro.
Fast forward two years: there have now been more than 355,000 cases in the Kansas City area.
But as the latest surge from the omicron variant subsides, events like the Big 12 Tournament are back on, without capacity limits or mask requirements at the T-Mobile Center.
And even a winter storm that caused school cancellations and slick roads Thursday couldn’t stop people including Coder from attending this year’s tournament.
Coder and his younger brother Johnny, who lives in Kansas City, have been attending the basketball tournament for a decade. Last year, as vaccines were being rolled out, attendance was capped at 20%.
“It wasn’t as loud, it was not as fun, it wasn’t a big crowd,” said Coder, who had tickets to Thursday afternoon’s games. “But it’s exciting. Usually we just come to Power & Light.”
Several dozen fans gathered Thursday in the Power & Light District, huddling around outdoor heaters at the KC Live! space. Eddie Colbert, a University of Kansas supporter from Kansas City, watched the Texas vs. TCU game.
“It means society is getting back to normal,” said Colbert, 42. “Just to have everybody back together — it’s outstanding.”
Andy Crist flew Tuesday from Birmingham, Ala. As a West Virginia alumni, he was heading to watch the match up against Kansas Thursday afternoon.
“It’s so much fun to be around fans of other teams,” said Crist, 62.
Like Coder, he’d planned on going to the tournament in 2020 and was already in Kansas City when the games were canceled. He recalled instead spending his time at the World War I Museum, the Plaza and other local attractions that year.
Some local fans decided to head to the tournament last minute. Nathan Lata, of Prairie Village, decided to bring his son Oliver when his 7-year-old’s school was canceled because of the inclement weather. It was Oliver’s first Big 12 Tournament and Lata snapped a picture of him standing in front of a giant projection screen streaming the games.
As a doctor at Children’s Mercy, Lata, 35, said he hadn’t felt safe attending the tournament last year. But this time he felt OK.
As a University of Kansas graduate, he’s hoping the Jayhawks, who are the No. 1 seed, win it all.
“With everything that’s been going on,” he said, “it means a lot to be able to support.”
The semifinals are scheduled for Friday and the Big 12 championship is set for 5 p.m. Saturday.
