To say the United States is sailing through uncharted waters would be the understatement of the year. With the coronavirus pandemic still in force, daily life in America is still upended, especially when it comes to sports.
As the country begins the long process of reopening and resuming some semblance of normalcy, there are plenty of discussions on how to do so in regards to sports, and specifically the NFL. In the age of social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, many discussions are being held about the upcoming 2020 NFL season.
One safety measure being considered is the possibility of playing the season without any fans at the live games. This, of course, is a drastic change and would have a direct impact on the Seahawks, who enjoy one of the league’s most dominant home-field advantages.
When asked about the possibility of no fans at CenturyLink Field, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll gave his thoughts on the matter during his pre-draft press conference.
“I would say that back to my UOP (University of the Pacific) days when we used to play in front of nobody, the game can still be played,” Carroll said. “You know, whatever has to happen; everybody needs to be wide open and ready to adapt and all of that and all aspects of our lives right now and certainly as we approach the season, we are going to have to be prepared. There’s still a great opportunity to show the game to our fans through the media resources, but if that’s the way it is, it will be a different experience, but it can happen.”
Carroll did go on to promise he would do everything in his power to pipe in artificial sound to the stadium to help CenturyLink live up to its status as the loudest stadium in the league.
Of course, Carroll did offer up another suggestion if it comes down to no fans in the stadium. “Well, maybe everybody just watch the game and yell out the window,” he quipped. “We’ll still be relatively really good.”
Given the fact the 12th Man once set a Guinness World Record for being the loudest outdoor crowd in the world, it’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility.
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