Oklahoma Natives Eldred and Webster Happy to See Chesapeake Energy Arena Welcome Fans Back
By: Justin Felisko
OKLAHOMA CITY – Brennon Eldred still remembers making the less-than-100-mile drive from Sulphur, Oklahoma, to Will Rogers World Airport last year and how weird things felt.
Eldred would head inside to security, where it would be a breeze to check his bags and get to his gate.
“It was like a ghost town,” Eldred recalled. “It was a weird, weird feeling. It was quick and easy getting to the airport, but it was something we were not used to.”
It was in Oklahoma City that the sports world began to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
The Thunder were set to host the Utah Jazz for an NBA game at Chesapeake Energy Arena on March 11, 2020. The Oklahoma City faithful were ready to cheer on their favorite basketball team, and it was going to be like any other night of entertainment. That was, however, until Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus, and the game was postponed at 7:37 p.m. It would be the first of hundreds of sporting and live events that would be postponed or canceled throughout 2020 as the virus spread throughout the world.
No one in Oklahoma City could have predicted as they were filing out of Chesapeake Energy Arena on that historic Wednesday night that no fans would return to the building for another 13 months.
That finally changed, though, on Saturday night as Chesapeake Energy Arena welcomed an approximately 45% capacity crowd for this weekend’s PBR Express Ranches Invitational – the 21st premier series event in PBR history to be held in OKC.
The fans responded loudly and proudly – erupting throughout the two-night event as Kaique Pacheco won the 15/15 Bucking Battle with a 94-point ride on Chiseled and Joao Ricardo Vieira took home the overall event title with 91 points on Homegrown.
Some of the safety protocols implemented at Chesapeake Energy Arena included masks, pod seating with groups of up to eight, mobile food/beverage ordering, and electronic ticket scanners and X-ray machines to scan bags at entrances to keep people safe and spaced.
Eldred and bullfighter Cody Webster, who calls Wayne, Oklahoma, home, were happy to see Chesapeake Energy Arena finally open its doors for not only PBR fans but also the staff and employees of the arena as well.
This weekend was as much for them as it was the passionate PBR fans who gave a warm welcome to the toughest bull riders in the world.
“It is huge,” Eldred said. “I wish we were at 100% because I know they would sell every one they could. Unfortunately, with the circumstances, we can’t just yet, but this is still better than none. It has been a challenge for sure, but I feel like we are getting over the hill and starting to get past it.
“It is huge for workers, too. There have been people struggling. Us bull riders have been able to work, but many people haven’t. People have been struggling. We have had a chance to make money in the past year. It has been a lot tougher on people than us. We are pretty fortunate we were able to keep our jobs.”
Webster added, “It is long overdue. Being in Guthrie (Oklahoma) for all the events (last April) and not having fans, and the lower capacities, all we have been dealing with – the energy in this building was loud and crazy, and this is a really nice arena to be at. There is something about being in the home state and having all of my family and friends here. It is just good to have fans in the building.
“Going to Sioux Falls and then coming here, it feels like we are breaking the ice and getting things moving in the right direction.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
© 2021 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.