My Nickel’s Worth
As sports have now been back for a few weeks, it is so easy to notice how massive a difference sports are without fans in the stands.
As a sports fan, I think about some of the memorable moments throughout sports history, and how different they would have been and how different they would have felt watching as a fan as well as for the players---both mentally and emotionally. Don’t get me wrong,
I am glad sports are back, but it is impossible for me to not recognize how the lack of fans changes the game. No fans have taken way the home court and home field advantage that teams have always coveted but it is cool to see teams play on an even playing field. I think back to my favorite sports moments—Derek Jeter’s final game, Aaron Boone’s walk off homerun against the Red Sox to go to the World Series, Oklahoma State Football beating Oklahoma to win the Big 12 (You’re welcome Texas fans), and the Cavaliers beating the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to win their first championship for the city of Cleveland in 50 years. Think about how different those games and moments would have been without fans in the stands---it would have completely changed the environment are the games and the moments themselves.
It has been cool to see the virtual fans at basketball games because it makes it feel like there are people right there watching. The same thing can be said for the comical cardboard cutouts of fans that have been put in the stands out baseball games, as well as crowd noise being added to the games so that the viewers at home see it as a similar experience. All of these factors have combined to make the fact that there are no fans a little more bearable, but I miss seeing the roar of the crowd, the tension in the air, and the sights of seeing fans of both teams….seeing your team win and seeing the agony of defeat.
I hope to see fans in the stands before too long…even if it is only 25 or 50 percent capacity. Whatever it take to see fans back in the stands in all sports, I will definitely take whatever I can get!