WACO, Texas — The last time the rabid Texas sports scene in Texas was normal was March 11.
That day, Conference USA and the Southland Conference played the first rounds of their conference basketball tournaments in Frisco and Katy, respectively. The next day the NCAA canceled the remainder of the collegiate sports year and four days after that, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame closed its doors.
Friday, May16, though, the nation's oldest state sports hall of fame opened its doors two months, almost to the day, after closing.
"We'd had several folks asking, 'Are people upset? Are people unhappy that you're opening back up?'" Texas Sports Hall of Fame president and CEO Cooper Jones said. "And really, what got back to us is people have taken a deep breath and said, 'OK, maybe things are starting to return to normal.'"
It's the first sense of normalcy in a robust Texas sports scene since the COVID-19 pandemic suspended sports.
But, the hall is taking a list of precautions to keep its visitors safe.
One of the more noticeable ones is gathering spaces like McCombs Hall and the famous Tom Landry theater have their seats placed at proper social distancing spots, reducing the seating capacity in each room by as much as 75 percent.
Interactive exhibits like the Broadcasters of the Southwest Conference, Dave Campbell Library and Texas Universities Fight Songs have been closed, too, making the hall a little quieter than normal.
"All day, you hear "Fight, Texas," Jones said. "So that's one thing we've laughed about is that it's going to be quieter for the next couple of weeks, for sure."
Even the gift shop is different. In an effort to make it "hands-free," all of the merchandise has been roped off with retail workers now assisting customers who want to look at or purchase an item to minimize contact.
Jones said there's no way to know how long all of these changes will be in place, but they're hoping to get more guidance from the governor's office in the coming weeks as the world continues to wait for sports to return.
"There may be some loosening on restrictions," Jones said. "But, just like every other part of this museum, every 60 minutes we are gong through with basically hospital-level disinfectant and wiping down all those high-touch-point areas."
The Texas Sports Hall of Fame is located near the Baylor University campus on University Parks Drive in Waco, just east of I-35. It's open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
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