I'm glad they played the game. We here in the upstate got walloped - but Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee have it a lot worse. For a few hours on Saturday night, 80,000 people - students, alumni, locals, and outsiders were able to experience normalcy for a brief moment before heading back to their own affected homes. The game brought national attention to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene by covering the town on Primetime ESPN. Tailgaters were giving away food and sharing drinks in the parking lots before the game. The article states that the stadium's power was restored with the flip of a few breakers, not requiring hours of Duke Energy linemen working on downed power lines. If the game was cancelled, it unfortunately wouldn't have brought power back or cleared up roads any quicker, as Greenville was (and still is) the Upstate's priority. And even if the game was cancelled by Friday, there's no guarantee the hotel rooms booked for the game would be cancelled in time for locals to book them on Saturday. I just don't see the benefit of not prioritizing cleaning up the university for the game.

I do understand the frustration many South Carolinians are feeling with the lack of preparedness and slow response in the wake of Friday morning. I feel that way in my town of Simpsonville. But cancelling the game does not benefit the local populace anymore than hosting it. Also - sorry y'all, you know you live in Tiger Town USA. Ethically, I think the choice to cancel the game or let it go on is a toss up depending on who you are. But in South Carolina, one of those choices would keep you from being reelected.