Super Bowl 2021: Carole Baskin Says It's 'Irresponsible' for Fans to Attend Game

Super Bowl LV is on Sunday, and fans can watch the entire game for free online. But 22,000 fans will be allowed to attend the game, which doesn't sit well with Carole Baskin. The Tiger King star recently shared her thoughts on fans being allowed to attend the big game, which is being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

"I just think it's irresponsible for people to be gathering in large groups, even though I understand they're saying this is a much smaller group than they've ever had," Baskin said, as reported by USA Today. But it doesn't matter that it's a smaller group. It's way more people than should be exposed to each other for the purpose of watching a game. We are right now dealing with life or death on this planet and I think every one of us should be doing our part to stay home."

The Super Bowl is being played 12 miles from Baskin's Big Cat Rescue, which was featured in Tiger King. Back in March, Baskin stopped offering tours at Big Cat Rescue because of COVID-19 concerns. Tiger King premiered on Netflix on March 20, and Baskin became an instant celebrity. What concerns Baskin is the chance of the Super Bowl causing an increase in COVID-19 cases, something that has happened with big events in the last few months.

"What I have seen is every time there's a big event, whether it be a protest or a political rally, after that thing happens there's this huge uptick in the number of local people who (test) positive for COVID-19," Baskin said. "And there's no way if you bring 22,000 people to Tampa, from all over the place, that you're not going to see that same kind of huge uptick in cases here. There's nothing that would justify that sort of risk-taking."

Of the 22,000 fans attending Super Bowl LV, 7,500 will be healthcare workers invited by the NFL. "These dedicated health care workers continue to put their own lives at risk to serve others, and we owe them our ongoing gratitude," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a press release. "We hope in a small way that this initiative will inspire our country and recognize these true American heroes. This is also an opportunity to promote the importance of vaccination and appropriate health practices, including wearing masks in public settings."