MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Wouldn't it be great to sit next to Jennifer Garner, Steve Harvey or Brad Paisley at a West Virginia University men's or women's basketball game at the WVU Coliseum?
Well now you can!
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced athletic departments across the country to severely limit or shut down fan attendance at college basketball games, many schools are turning to using fan cutouts as a way to help fill up their arenas this year.
And that includes West Virginia University.
According to
Nathaniel Zinn, WVU's assistant athletics director for sports marketing, more than 700 fan cutouts have been ordered so far
through a special, secure website.
He said the orders have already run the gamut.
"It's been a wide range," Zinn said. "A lot of people are doing themselves or their kids. Some have done tributes for parents or grandparents who have passed away and were longtime fans.
"There are people wearing their Pride of West Virginia uniforms holding their instruments. We've had a lot of pets, including our first cat come through here in the last couple of days, and some have submitted celebrities, too," he said.
The Mountaineer Maniacs were responsible for country music superstar Brad Paisley, born in Glen Dale, West Virginia, as well as state natives Steve Harvey and Jennifer Garner.
Former Mountaineer placekicker Pat McAfee, a rising star in the sports broadcasting profession, has a cutout as does Morgantown's own Don Knotts, whose portrayal of Barney Fife earned him national acclaim.
There is a cutout of popular ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla, a Coliseum regular, as well as many legendary former Mountaineer players such as Jerry West, Jevon Carter and Da'Sean Butler.
Bob Huggins' daughter Jenna purchased a cutout of her dog to sit right behind the coach during games.
"Jenna's dog kind of likes me and is one of the few things I can count on," Huggins joked. "Having four Jay (Jacobs) back there is way too much. I was hoping to get Don Knotts near me, but he's way down on the other end."
One slightly off-centered fan even bought a cutout of Kiss bass-guitarist and lead singer Gene Simmons, in protest of his mother not letting him join the Kiss Army when he was a sixth grader at New Martinsville Middle School.
But we won't mention the name of that nutty, longtime WVUsports.com writer!
"Our fans have really done a great job of having some fun with this," Zinn said. "It started off strong and as we've had some games on TV, it's becoming even more popular."
Zinn said there is a proofing process in place so if someone would submit something offensive it would get flagged and rejected.
"We would ask them to resubmit another photo or we would refund their money if they chose something offensive," he said. "Obviously, we have final say in what we want to display in the arena."
Cutouts are priced at $40 and $60 depending upon where they are located in the Coliseum, and for an extra $5 fans can pick up their cutouts at the end of the season. Add-ons such as a signature of popular WVU play-by-play man
Tony Caridi are also available.
There was a floor seating option as well, but that has already sold out, according to Zinn.
Zinn said the cutouts typically take about two weeks to process, so an order today will likely have your cutout in place by the early January schedule of Big 12 games.
He said if fans are permitted to return to the Coliseum in a reduced capacity, the cutouts will remain as a way to help promote appropriate social distancing.
"It's been pretty cool to see the response so far," he said. "If they can't be here in person right now at least they can put their likeness in here to watch the games and support the Mountaineers.
"Cutouts will be in place through the end of basketball season and then we will arrange for pickup dates for those who selected that option later this spring or in the summertime," Zinn added.
Zinn indicated his initial goal was to sell 750 cutouts and they are already close to hitting that. They will continue to accept orders until the beginning of February.
"It has already surpassed our expectations," he said.
The athletics department is also considering doing something similar for home baseball games played this year if the cutouts can fit in the chairback seating at Monongalia County Ballpark.
Stay tuned.
