While Columbia was in the path of totality during Monday’s eclipse, sports in the capital city didn’t totally stop.
The USC football team gathered on the bleachers of Williams-Brice Stadium to watch the first transcontinental solar eclipse in 99 years before getting ready for open practice later that night. The players listened to the USC gameday tradition “2001,” while exchanging “Game! Cocks!” chants with tailgaters in the adjacent parking lots.
When asked if the team would alter its practice plans for the eclipse at USC’s Media Day in late July, head coach Will Muschamp wasn’t sure what all of the hype was about.
“We’re practicing,” Muschamp said. “Are you kidding? No, what day is the eclipse going to happen? Do we all have to shut our eyes when it happens? I have no idea, I’m not very good with that kind of stuff.”
So, how did other Gamecock student athletes celebrate the solar phenomenon Monday?
The USC men’s and women’s soccer teams teamed up to watch the eclipse at Stone Stadium, while the USC volleyball players grabbed their glasses and watched it together outside the Carolina Volleyball Center. Reigning national champions A’ja Wilson and the USC women’s basketball team came together to watch the eclipse outside the student-athlete residences at 650 Lincoln, while the men’s tennis team enjoyed the event from the outdoor tennis courts in the Athletic Village.
Meanwhile, the Columbia Fireflies set a new single-game attendance record in their day game against former Gamecock Marcus Mooney and the Rome Braves. A record crowd of 9,629 fans gathered at Spirit Communications Park, witnessing two minutes of total darkness during the eclipse and a Fireflies’ walk-off win in the ninth inning.
The previous single-game attendance record was 9,228 fans, set on July 4, 2016. Monday’s crowd also helped the Fireflies surpass 300,000 total fans for the season.
“The Columbia Fireflies’ Total Eclipse of the Park was a day-long celebration at Spirit Communications Park,” Fireflies president John Katz said. “Visitors from 34 states and from points across the globe enjoyed ... two and a half minutes of totality under sunny skies. The players from both Columbia and Rome took in the eclipse from field, joined by the front office and assembled media.”
Two other minor league ballparks in the Palmetto State saw the eclipse, including the Charleston RiverDogs and Greenville Drive of the South Atlantic League. The RiverDogs made their pregame celebrations more science-focused, partnering with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to educate fans and launching a weather balloon into the air.
“The eclipse has been a national spectacle that has shined a light on the Lowcountry and the state of South Carolina as a whole,” said RiverDogs president and general manager Dave Echols.
Echols said he was "thrilled" with the number of local and national fans who came to Joe Riley Park for the "once-in-a-lifetime experience."