With all hope riding on the coronavirus dying out this summer, fans of football want action in any possible way.
Conversations have been had about sports being played without fans at the games, and the National Football League has even embraced an interesting idea. According to John Ourand, media reporter for the Sports Business Journal, Joe Buck of Fox Sports told Andy Cohen of SirusXM that the network will pump in crowd noise and put virtual fans in the stands for NFL games in empty stadiums. The idea is to create the full football in-game experience, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Buck said ‘it’s pretty much a done deal.’
Joe Buck to SiriusXM’s “Andy Cohen Live”: Fox Sports will pump in crowd noise and put virtual fans in the stands for NFL games in empty stadiums. SBJ Media is live: ?https://t.co/11fxKTc6bv? pic.twitter.com/baK9S1LAsq
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) May 13, 2020
The point is that Fox is looking at ways to make empty stadiums sound and look better to at-home viewers. Any virtual crowd has to look right, not cheesy, and that’s what all the networks are trying to figure out.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) May 14, 2020
As proactive as the NFL is with this, the question is will Alabama and college football follow suit? The pageantry that surrounds the sport will make it hard, due to fans love packing out venues and supporting their favorite teams.
In college football, it is deeper than a game.
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People use this opportunity for tailgating, reconnecting with old friends/colleagues and sharing moments with family members who have probably never attended a game. However, safety is important and like fans, those in leadership positions for various collegiate programs want football as well. No one has been first to say it will play a game with artificial noise and virtual fans, but it can happen in college football.
Everyone wants the season to start on time and the situation will be monitored properly, but football is preparing for all scenarios.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
