NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – It’s football time for Metro Nashville Public Schools. After a delayed start because of COVID-19, the football season will officially kick off Friday. However, there won’t be any fans in the stands unless a petition can change that.
The petition on Change.org calling for fans in the stands has received support from all over the country and it was started by a mom of a senior cheerleader at Hillwood High School.
“I have shirts that says living that cheer mom life,” Felicia Lively laughed.
Cheering on the Hillwood Hilltoppers is a tradition for the Lively family.
“We go to every game far and away. We will drive where ever. It’s like a second family not only to her, but to us because you grow close with those parents.”
When the Lively’s found out that no fans could be in the stands, this cheer mom started booing.
“We may not ever get to see our children participate again,” she explained.
After seeing fans in the stands at a football game in another county, Lively was inspired to start the petition.
“I just said okay Lord what do I need to do and God laid it upon my heart to start the petition. I had never started a petition in my life,” she said.
Now the petition has more than 1,000 signatures. Bruce Gennari’s is one of them.
“I want us to be smart, but I also think we need to start opening up and start allowing these kids to be kids,” said Gennari.
“I just said okay Lord what do I need to do and God laid it upon my heart to start the petition. I had never started a petition in my life.”
Felicia Lively
“I don’t want to watch it on TV. I don’t watch football any other time on TV and I definitely don’t want to watch it for Hillwood and see my daughter cheer,” said Lively.
Both parents say they think reopening sports to fans with some modifications would be the best option for now.
“I feel like they should allow at least the senior parents two tickets. I’ve been closely monitoring a lot of the schools in Tennessee they are doing 2 tickets per household,” Lively expalined.
She added that they should be required to wear masks, social distance and have tempertaures checked.
She pointed to other counties in Tennessee where fans can attend games and even those at the Titans stadium.
“It would be different if none of Tennessee’s high schools were playing, but when you can like you said cross those lines it just seems like Metro is stuck in the bubble.”
The clock is ticking with only six games on the calendar, but Lively is going to keep chanting.
“We are going to keep going and we may not get the answer we want, but we will know we did all and have it our fight.”
For more information on the petition, click here.
