Scorching in the Stands – an Assessment of Extreme Heat Impacts on Spectator Health, Feelings and Behaviors during Sporting Events at an SEC University

One key attraction of the University is the prevalence of major collegiate sports teams, which draw in fans from around the state of Alabama. Having such a influx of spectators during game days is, alone, a major concern for Campus Safety & Security. This concern is exacerbated by high daily temperatures and the recent approval of alcohol sales. For the first half of the 2024 football season, there were 805 total medical calls, with heat and cardiac assistance being the most reported. This study aims to understand the spatial distribution of heat within the stadiums on the university's campus, to improve fan safety and protocols during gamedays. To do this, Ibutton hygrochron devices were evenly dispersed around the stadium’s, fifteen (football) and twenty (baseball), recording data at 10-minute intervals. It has been found that the football stadium’s temperature threshold is >60-125 °F and the baseball stadium temperature threshold is >60 - 110 °F. Moreover, it seeks to understand how heat impacts spectators’ health, behaviors and perceptions throughout the sports season. A 10-question survey was administered, to ticketed individuals, in order to gain an understanding of the human impacts of heat. Temperature and behavioral data will then be compared to see if there are differences in attitudes or behaviors amongst groups, such as shaded seats (lower heat index) vs. unshaded (higher heat index). This project aims at coordinating and co-producing knowledge among organizations on campus. Through communicating these findings to our stakeholders; we hope to improve the Universities gameday ‘Heat Plan’ to protect fan health. Moreover, we seek to use findings to provide recommendations for future stadium and University improvements; and City of Auburn recommendations for improving urban services to benefit spectators.