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The NFL is moving along as if the 2020 schedule will go on as planned, which I hope happens because we all need sports in our lives and hopefully by next fall there is more normality in our lives.
But here’s where things might not be normal at all when and if the NFL returns – chances are there will be no fans allowed at the games as we continue to social distance and fight off the coronavirus.
Empty stadiums are going to be weird, as the crowd adds so much to the game for both the teams on the field and the fans watching at home.
Well, it appears Fox Sports and other networks have a plan to deal with that – piped in crowd noise and virtual fans in the stands.
For real.
Joe Buck, who I think is the GOAT, told Andy Cohen of E! and SiriusXM Radio on Wednesday that piping in crowd noise is a “done deal” if stadiums are empty:
“In fact I know they will do it,” Buck said of the fake crowd noise. “It’s pretty much a done deal. I think whoever is gonna be at that control of that will have to be really good at their job and be realistic with how the crowd would react depending on what just happened on the field so it’s really important.”
There are no easy answers for anything going on in the world today but I gotta think it’s gonna be really awkward and awful to hear fake crowd noise at big moments of a football game. In this day and age anything fake is easy to spot and takes away from enjoyment of the event – do you remember how Martin Scorsese tried to make Robert De Niro and Al Pacino look young in “The Irishman”? It was rough as a viewer.
I gotta think football fans are not going to like hearing fake cheers at big moments, too. If you’ve ever heard a laugh track in a sitcom then you know how much fake enthusiasm stinks – a few minutes of “The Big Bang Theory” is enough to destroy any good feelings in your soul.
I also know the idea of empty football stadiums with no atmospheres is really rough, too. So it’s a tough spot, for sure.
The UFC has held two events since last Saturday that have been held in an empty arena in Florida and it hasn’t been too distracting, though focusing on two fighters fighting in an Octagon is a lot easier than focusing on a football game that’s being played in a huge stadium with nobody in it. The strangest parts of the UFC events have been when Bruce Buffer is done announcing the fighter introductions – usually the arena explodes in anticipation but now it just goes right to complete silence, which has been jarring.
Buck also said networks would likely put in virtual fans in the stands so when they do a wide shot of the stadium it will look like there are people there. That will make it feel like we’re watching a video game, which is becoming more popular these days but is is going to be a tough adjustment for most football fans, I think.
Listen, this is all difficult stuff to figure out and people are trying their best to bring our sports back safely, while also making sure we’re entertained the way we’re used to by watching sports, which is great.
But we may have to get used to our sports looking and sounding a lot different. Which stinks.
Wednesday’s biggest winner: NFL fans who roasted the Rams.
The Rams have had a tough offseason as their new logo has been getting roasted ever since it leaked on the internet back in March. On Wednesday they revealed their new uniforms and a lot of NFL fans made jokes about the Rams looking like the now work at Best Buy. Now that is pretty funny.
Quick hits: McGregor’s classy gesture… LeSean McCoy’s biggest mistake… Cuban thinks Shaq is wrong… And more!
– Conor McGregor shared a classy message to Khabib Nurmagomedov, whose dad is reportedly in a coma.
– LeSean McCoy admitted that tweeting an Avengers spoiler was “the worst decision of my life.” Don’t tweet spoilers, people.
– Mark Cuban thinks Shaquille O’Neal is wrong about scrapping the NBA season.
– Hemal Jhaveri writes on how an NHL player’s comments on Pride Tape exposed the deep-rooted problems with the sport.
– This knockout from Wednesday night’s UFC event was really sweet.
– A bettor won a cool $25K on a wild table tennis parlay.