Mic ‘Em Up

6.2.20

Deshaun Jackson, @0ne0fone

While sports may be making a comeback in the near future, it will still be some until fans can physically enter the arenas to watch games live. So, what will sports be like without the fans? Prior to COVID-19, many NBA players said they would not play without fans. Now, it seems that compromise is desired, we just want sports back.

There have been discussions about the possibility of have fake cheering noises in the background, so the fans do not watch at home in silence. Personally, I think this part is more about the players than anything. I have been watching the UFC fights for the past few weeks, and sure, it is weird listening the epic announcers and then it being completely silent. However, fake cheers might even make that worse in my opinion. Firstly, what is this, a 90s sitcom? Additionally, where fans cannot come to the stadiums and spend money, the leagues are loosing money. This is not something that we should spend money on to implement. It is not completely necessary, it will not be wanted by all fans, and it does not really help the players. In my eyes, the players want their fans there to pump them up and have a good time. If they can trust we’re going crazy for them at home, we do not need fake fan noise. We got it on our own.

However, this next idea to cover up the silence I think is brilliant. Desean Jackson, wide receiver of the Philadelphia Eagles shared his thoughts, that every player should be miked up during no fans games. Many players believe playing without fans will be a huge adjustment, for the fans listening in silence, and for the players playing in silence. How can we make this a bit more interesting and exciting for viewers at home? Well, you give them the inside scoop that we normally would never receive. Find out what happens in-between plays, on the field, before and after every hit, after every touchdown, interception, during 80-yard drives, etc.

I personally love when one player gets miked up and we hear the funny conversations going on for a minute or so. If we constantly got to listen in, I think this would be so much fun. We’d get to hear so much more of what goes on, learn more about the game, and the players themselves. I love the idea. Alex Mack, center from the Atlanta Falcons, says he is nervous about people hearing, then stealing plays. Though, if there is a workaround, finds that this is a fantastic idea to add an additional layer of sports viewing and entertainment from home.

Another idea was to have a curated playlist for each team. When your team is on offense, the stadium plays your playlist on the loud speakers. I do not mind this idea either, but it is interesting to think about. The football players always have dance parties during practice while the stadium plays their favorite hits. Similarly, basketball and hockey stadiums play music during warmups and in-between plays and timeouts, batters walk up to the plate to their favorite song in baseball, but no one ever plays with music on. I do not really think it would be a distraction to the players. It may actually get them even more in the zone. However, it would probably be a distraction to the announcers trying to call a play by play.

Currently, the NFL is planning to have a normal season, with its fans. Roger Goodell shares that he is aware this will need to be monitored closely, and there will need to be a plan in place if games need to be held without a packed stadium. Certain teams have decided to only sell tickets at a fifty percent capacity for their stadiums. We will have to stay tuned to see where the NFL lands on season with or without fans, and how they will make adjustments to the game, if we may not attend in person.