College football would be wildly different without fans in the stands but most fans recently surveyed by ESPN suggest they would take that over no football at all.

That may be a reality facing the sport in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic has made it impossible for governing bodies and sports organizations to even allow sports to be reopened even without thousands of fans in attendance.

Thankfully, we still have plenty of time before decisions have to be made but ESPN recently shared the results of a fan survey conducted by the network that favors the return of sports even if that means no fans in the stands.

The ESPN Coronavirus Lockdown Fan Study surveyed 1,004 sports fans aged 18 or older, and 65% were in favor of sports returning even if fans can’t be in the stands. That approval number grew to 76% when participants were asked if they support the return of sports without fans in the stands if players were kept in hotels and their contact with others was closely monitored.

While local sports revenue would take a hit in that scenario, there’s clearly motivation from a network’s perspective to return the games as soon as possible.

Simply put, fans are dying for some form of entertainment during this unprecedented time in our history.

Whenever sports do return, 88% of study participants who consider themselves avid sports fans said they plan to watch as much sports as they can.

Would you support the return of college football as scheduled, even if that meant no fans in the stands to start the season?