With Covid-19 taking over our lives, we have had to make major adjustments in the way we live and interact with others, as well as how we spectate sporting events. Viewership of sports has changed for better or for worse. Like marriage, there have been ups and downs, positives and negatives. A few areas in which the viewing of sports and sports broadcasts have been morning talk shows being produced with multiple people all in separate locations, UFC fights with no fans, and professional golf without fans.
When viewing the morning sports talk shows like ESPN’s “GetUp!” or FS1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” the anchor’s are either by themselves in a studio, or live on camera from their homes. In Colin Cowherd’s case, he record his show with just himself and a camera from a radio station. On GetUp!, Mike Greenberg filmed from his ESPN studio, while his co-anchors were on screen from their individual remote locations, most at the their homes. Greenberg believed that the show must go on. He wanted to give Americans an escape, even if it was only for 10 minutes. He also wanted to use his platform to promote the front-liners and everyday heroes during this uncertain time. So what have been the positives and negatives of this monumental format change.
Negatives first. The interruptions and lag times between comments of multiple individuals has been awkward. No one can figure out the timing of it all. This should pass with some practice. Maybe. Another negative factor seems to be less spontaneous debating over topics presented in the show. From my perspective, when a co-anchor is presented with a question from Greeny on GetUp! they simply give their response, and Greeny either asks another co-anchor their opinion or they just move on to the next topic. The show still works, but it lacks some of the excitement it once had. I believe the positives outweigh the negatives in this instance. For one, remote production of these sports programs have shown viewers that life will go on. Like Greenberg set out to do, these shows have given up hope, entertained us, and given us a chance to breathe, for a couple of minutes at least. These television productions have proven to the American people that we will not be held down, and we will push onward. Another advantage to these remote productions is the ability to include more and more personalities on the show. ESPN has been able to utilize all football experts when discussing football issues, and the same goes for all other sports discussed on GetUp!. This has improved the overall content provided to us, and has also made the content more credible. The show must go on!
Now for live sports. There have been a few professional sports leagues who have returned to live competition. The Korean Baseball League, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and the Professional Golf Association (PGA) have provided sports fans with some regular entertainment as of late. No live fans have been allowed at any of these live competitions. From a spectators viewpoint, I believe there has been a balance of contrary forces.
Again negatives first. You can definitely notice a lack of energy surrounding the events. It seems like the athletes are involved in a televised practice. Watching a fighter get knocked out, or a golfer hitting the perfect shot to change the outcome of a tournament is what fans crave with these particular live sports. And sometimes the fans reactions can drive the athletes to perform at a level they have never previously reached. Energy is palpable at live sporting events. It impacts the sport on a very significant level. With the lack of fan energy, I think we will find out which of our favorite professional athletes actually love what they are doing and which ones are collecting a paycheck. Just so you know, I don’t care why the athletes are playing the came. I’m just glad I get to watch it. The other obvious negatives revolve around money. Loss of ticket sales, concession sales, and other game day money makers may have a serious negative affect on the professional organizations. With less revenue available are players contracts eventually going to decrease? Or our we going to get bask to regular action before those drastic measures have to take place? I don’t know, but I hope we get back to the action by the 2020 NFL season. These next couple of Summer months are going to dictate the not-so-distant future.
I have got to say that no “cheeks in the seats” has been a positive for the sports that are currently competing live. Especially for the UFC. Dana White, President of the UFC, stated that even without fans in attendance they were able to put on a great show, but that it was definitely different. If you haven’t watched a live fight night lately you are missing out! You can hear every kick and punch land, and the force behind the strikes are picked up by every microphone. For the first time fans can really get an understanding of just how debilitating the strikes are. With fans in the stands it’s much more difficult to comprehend the impact of each connection. The fans and fighters also get to hear exactly what the coaches are saying to their fighters. Obviously, this is beneficial for the fighters to better communicate with their corners, but it also gives the fans a “behind the scenes” that would have never been available to us without the pandemic. For the professional golfers, they have been able to play distraction free rounds. Their caddies can focus on the round as well, rather than having to deal with obnoxious fans.
Professional live sports have changed, at least for the time being. We need to embrace the change and appreciate the opportunity to watch them live again. For the time being I am all in on “sans cheeks in the seats.”
Food for Further Thought:
- What are some other negatives that you see with remote broadcasting of sports television shows?
- Are there any professional sports that you believe shouldn’t have live fans ever again?
- What is your opinion of how live sports has evolved to today’s regulations? More positives, or more negatives?
-Josh Mach
Mach's Mind 
One of the negatives I see is they don’t know what kind of fans are going to show up during their live broadcasts. Just like ESPN does college game day, they don’t know what kind of signs the fans are going to be holding during the broadcast. Its mostly the unpredictability of live vs. studio. I believe all sports should have their fans back when they think its safe to do so. I tried watching the WWE the other night and without fans its just not the same. I feel it will be like this for most sports or competitions. I can’t really answer the last question because I would like to see what MLB, the NBA, and the NFL, actually do when they actually come back.
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Henry,
I’m with you my man. I want fans too. I can believe WWE was less entertaining. Back when I used to watch it, it seemed like the wrestlers interacted with the fans all the time. When the wrestlers talk into the microphone they are talking to the fans too. It will be interesting to see what all the professional leagues deem as safe to return to their sport. Do you think there is a possibility of any of these professional leagues going out of business?
Josh Mach
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I could see some of the semi pro leagues failing first like the XFL did. I think the bigger leagues can handle a season or two, but if it goes longer then that they will really be feeling the loss of money from the fans. Sports are all ways better with fans. Fans bring the energy to the stadium or arena, that is lost when they are left out. I usually only watch a few minutes of the WWE when i’m changing channels, but since their isn’t much else for sports going on I thought I’d watch it and without fans, they might be in trouble if it goes on long.
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Josh,
I also grew up occasionally watching WWE on friday nights. The way the wrestlers worked the crowd was always so fun to see. I have seen some short clips of the current events that the WWe has been putting out and it is almost comical. I personally don’t believe that any leagues will go out of business, I am more worried about he venues that host the leagues and rely on ticket and concession sales.
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Josh,
Like you had mentioned in your post, a lot of energy comes from a live audience, and I think that athletes pick up on that energy. Some athletes may like the quiet stadium and perform better, while others enjoy putting on a show for fans and play better when fans are making noise. As humans, we all want attention to some degree. After a golfer makes an incredible putt, or a batter hits a home run, fans cheer and give encouragement to the athlete. We all need varying levels of encouragement and support in our lives, depends on our personality type, but I think all humans need some! As far as certain sports returning without fans for good, I can’t think of a sport that shouldn’t have fans. Sport creates community, and fan bases are large communities that come together for one reason. With all of the divide in our nation right now, sport is something that brings people together. If we can’t gather at our sporting event of choice, the unique communities that form because of the sport fall apart. When it is safe for fans to return to events, I think that all sports should have fans in the stands.
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Hey Jaclyn,
I agree with you that the energy the fans bring to the stadiums is a huge part of the atmosphere! As a high school and college athlete I thought the fans had a important impact on the games. I think it will be interesting to see how these professionals compete without that energy in the building. I’m guessing we will find out who is just playing for the paycheck. I also think that all sports need fans in the stand. I don’t think professional sports can survive without the money that fans provide for the organizations. Do you think any professional leagues will go out of business due to the pandemic?
Josh Mach
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That is a great question Josh. I highly doubt one of the five major leagues will go out of business, but I think the pandemic may cause some professional women’s sports leagues to end or pause for awhile. I don’t think professional women’s sports can survive if they play without fans and without the revenue from ticket sales. It will be difficult for any league to function at the same level without ticket sales.
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Jaclyn,
I totally understand and probably agree with the women’s sports struggling to stay afloat due to loss of ticket revenue. I hope that because we have been deprived of live sports, that fans will watch more women’s sports on tv. It would really disappoint me if we lost some major professional women sports. I’ll be honest, before my two daughters were born I didn’t pay much attention, but there are so many great women role models in sports today that I want my girls to learn from. I believe that the women athletes are actually better for girls than the males are for boys. These women are showing young females that hard work can take you as far as you want to go. I love that! Let’s hope these women sports stick around!
Josh Mach
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At first, I thought it would be weird not having fans in the stands. After watching that video it was cool to see the sound effects of each punch/kick the fighters landed. If fans would have been there, I feel like you wouldn’t hear them as clearly, it goes to show how hard they are actually hitting each other. It is sad at the end of the fight when someone gets knocked out, and there is no fan reaction. To me that is the coolest part, fans going crazy after a knockout. I do believe there are pros and cons, but I think back to one moment in NFL history I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if fans weren’t there. When Stefon Diggs caught that pass against the New Orleans Saints to bring them to the NFC Championship game. That was one of the craziest things I’ve ever witnessed. And what made it so cool was how loud that stadium got when he was running down the sideline. I can’t imagine how weird it would be if we didn’t have fans at that game. I get both sides of the spectrum, and I think it’s different with each sport, but football and basketball mainly, I think fans are essential.
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Austin,
I agree with you 100%. I think fans are essential for professional sports. I’m curious to see how these NBA games go without fans. I hope they don’t turn into pickup games, or how the NBA All-Star game is played. I’m sure it won’t, but I guess we’ll see. I am hoping we get to have a NFL season. Do you think the level of play will suffer in professional sports due to a lack of effort because there won’t be any fans?
Josh Mach
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I really hope not, honestly I hope the NFL season happens because that what I look forward too all year. I think if they play with fans or without them, they still will play as hard as they can, it’ll just be a little weird. I always think how the momentum of the game is highly influenced by the fans, especially in an NBA game, like when a team needs a stop and all the fans get up and cheer really loud, I think that a big part of the game that possibly affects the outcome. I could say the same thing in the NFL, when your the home team you have a huge advantage, the crowd gets loud when the home team is on defense, and quiet when they are on offense. I think that takes away some aspect of home field advantage, if fans are not allowed at the games.
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I’m with ya Austin! The NFL season is the season I most look forward to as well. I usually get more interested in the NFL because of fantasy football. I’m curious to see how that will go this year. Like you said, I think the NFL players will play hard as well. A lot of their contract bonuses rely on performance so you would like to believe it will be good competition. Let’s just hope we get to see some live football!
Josh Mach
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Yes! I love fantasy football! I’m in 4 different leagues, and in three of them it’s $100 buy in every year. So I guess you could say i’m really hoping to watch some football this fall.
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Josh,
I can relate to this post because I love watching sports talk TV and live sports. I cannot wait for things to get back to normal so I have something to watch on TV. The one negative that I can see from having remote live sports is there is a little less chemistry between coworkers. I think the shows are doing a great job of finding content and making adjustments with technology. The only live sport I could see not having fans is Golf. I have never really thought that they did anything, and sometimes get in the way. With that being said, having people at the tournaments makes them money. Live sports without fans seems all negative to me. Professional athletes thrive when having an audience. It provides energy, home field advantages, and just seems more fun. Do you think any sports will have live sports with fans in the stands in 2020?
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Jacob,
I agree with everything you said. I cannot fault anyone with the way they are providing their shows right now. I like golf without fans as well, but don’t foresee the sport staying that way. Like you said, fans provide too much money! I also agree that athletes need the fans in the stands. They provide that atmosphere that helps players reach new performance levels. Like you said, fans provide too much money! I do not think there will be fans in the stands for sports through the rest of 2020. Possibly even 2021. We need a vaccine or something before that happens in my opinion. I haven’t been following Covid too closely lately, but it still seems like we are a ways out from getting it under control. I saw recently that the World Health Organization say that the worst is yet to come. I hope like weathermen they are wrong, but I’m skeptical. What are your thoughts on fans in the stands?
Josh Mach
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Josh,
My thoughts on fans in the stands are very biased. I really want fans in the stands because I am a fan and already have plans on attending a couple of games. I am a big Texas Longhorn fan and already have tickets to the Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma. There are many people out there that have different opinions on how to handle COVID-19. Some people believe we need to get back to normal, while others believe that social distancing and quarantining is the way to go. I can see the pros and cons for both, and hope that everything works itself out.
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Josh,
One negative I see with remote broadcasting is, you lose that connection with the broadcaster. With them simply sitting in their office at home, I just lose that connection with the event and the broadcaster. I believe that fans truly make sports, so personally I do not think there is a sport that should continue with the no fan after the COVID19 Pandemic is over. I feel todays sports have done what is necessary to continue to succeed they are taking a negative situation and trying to make it a positive. So overall I would say definitely a positive.
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Jared,
Agreed. We need fans back. I think the athletes need the energy the fans provide. The atmosphere just isn’t the same without them. When the broadcasters are in separate spaces I am sure they lose the ability to feed off of each other they way they would at a live broadcast. With all the lagging from our current technology it can get awkward at times, and lack the flow to the conversation that we are used to. What sports are you looking forward to coming back?
Josh Mach
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Josh,
Ive always been a baseball fan, so baseball would be what im anticipating most. But we will have to wait and see how things go with the newest plan to play 60 games. with the season starting today. Im also looking forward to football, but again will wait and see how things unfold with trying to maintain social distancing and keeping the athletes safe.
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Hey Josh!
I agree, for better or worse, I am still a sports fan. I will not let Covid 19 divorce me from following sports, and like you am glad the many networks and leagues are finding ways to still bring us sports. Thanks for sharing that video! Wow! What a vicious knockout!
As for negatives, there is a clunkiness to the remote broadcasts. Sometimes there are awkward delays when a host asks a questions. I am actually a bit surprised that remote broadcasts have not improved much yet. I thought modern technology was better than this. It could be that they find the awkwardness of remote broadcasting is appealing to fans. It is nice to know we are all in this together. If the ESPN remote broadcast is as clunky as my Zoom meetings, then it makes me feel better and closer to the broadcaster. So they are making it awkward on purpose, I think. I like it.
I don’t think professional bowling should ever have spectators again. I remember seeing professional bowling on television several years ago. It isn’t very exciting anyway when the pros get a strike nearly every time. I heard cheering in the background, so I am assuming there were spectators there. They can just pipe in the crowd cheers on the broadcast if bowling is ever broadcast again. I hear that is what professional baseball will do.
Major League Baseball has some interesting new regulations. A player or coach who argues a call will be ejected if they get closer than 6 feet from the umpire. I suppose that is a positive that they can continue after Covid 19. Although, it may require further review to determine if in fact they actually got closer than 6 feet. Also, due to Covid 19, players are not allowed to chew and spit tobacco or sunflower seeds. Bubble gum is allowed. That is a positive new regulation. Who wants to sweep up all those sunflower seed shells. Although, that may be better than scrapping gum from underneath the bench. Players who are not in the lineup must sit in the spectator seating 6 feet apart from other players and team personnel. Ha ha. Can you imagine. “Sorry, you aren’t in the lineup. Go sit in the stands.” It is weird, but it is better than no baseball
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Hey Mark!
I’m with you! I can’t believe technology hasn’t improved enough to make it seem like the group of sportscasters are all in the same room having a conversation. I’m a teacher, and if I remember correctly you are too. The Zoom meetings began to turn into nightmares as the school year wore on due Covid-19. I hope there is a more reliable platform by the time the school year starts! Sounds like we better buy some stock in chewing tobacco pouches if they aren’t going to allow the other chew. It also sounds like there are going to be more ejections this year in the MLB. I’m glad you shared that information with me. I’m not the biggest baseball fan, but I think I will watch more of it this year because of the fact that we are getting sports back How are they starting the baseball season? Are they playing all of the games in the same area like the NBA? I need to do a better job keeping up.
Josh Mach
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Josh,
Yes, I am a teacher. I agree that ZOOM was really messing this year and am still hoping we don’t have a need to use it as a teacher again. I am also the wrestling coach and am having a hard time. I don’t have anything to tell kids about whether we will have a season or not. I really want to get back to normal and sports is a big part of our normals. I watch a lot of Mariner games during their seasons. I often fall asleep in the recliner while I watch though. Something about the sounds of baseball. It is relaxing and easy for me to drift off. Ha ha! MLB is going to play 60 games starting July 23. They will play in empty stadiums and play most the games in their own division to limit travel. Looking forward to the games and getting some good naps.
Mark
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Hey Mark,
I coach at the high school level as well, and I think the only way to have our seasons is to just go on like we used to. Now I do not think that would work, but if we treated this virus like the flu then we could get our old ways back. I’m in South Dakota, and I am anticipating that we don’t have any sports seasons, but that means someone will have to have the courage to call it off. Like you said, not being able to give your athletes any guidance on the situation is tough and defeating. It’s a nice opportunity to demonstrate perseverance to our athletes. Have a great 4th!
Josh Mach
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Mark,
I just had to laugh as I read your thoughts about bowling. I laugh because it is true. I’ve never watched more than 2 minutes of a bowling program, but I agree that it isn’t very exciting when everyone gets strikes all the time. I wonder how much motivation or inspiration a professional bowler gets from a crowd anyway? I guess I could ask the same question about every other type of athlete as well. Each athlete is different and who am I to judge how they are motivated. But I like the new rules about baseball. I had not heard about them yet. Though they may be a bit “out there” I think they are positive changes as well. Coaches should always have a six-foot rule when speaking with an umpire. It may defuse the situation a bit. It is hard to imagine baseball without sunflower seeds but I understand the reasoning for the new rule. I have a hard time seeing that rule stick around after Covid has died down (if it does), but it is worth the change now.
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Hi Jaclyn.
I am not sure how much inspiration a professional bowler needs from a crowd. I can’t see them needing to get fired up to bowl, but maybe. The fans and the crowd is just part of sports though. Home Field advantage is a powerful thing. Athletes draw inspiration and security from competing in front of the home crowd. The only time that I can remember not competing in front of fans is playing croquet. Those were intense and exciting games though, so maybe not playing in front of fans is not that big of a deal.
Mark
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Mark,
I am a legion baseball coach and we had a situation like you explained in your post. One of the places we played had our players that weren’t playing sit in the stands outside of the dugout. I understand they are trying to be careful with COVID, but it didn’t really make sense considering that our team sees each other everyday, and we all drove to the game in a bus together. I think that if you are going to play sports, it is going to be very hard to have teammates separated 6 feet apart.
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Like you said lagging and awkward pauses waiting for responses between commentators have been negatives for remote broadcasting. Another one would be that the sound quality hasn’t been as good for some people depending on if they had a mike or not. I don’t see any sports not returning to live spectators, I think having fans there brings in so much money that it is worth bringing them back even if they can’t go back to 100% of their normal ticket sales. Peersonally I am happy there are some sports going on, I wish there were different sports on but it s better than nothing. I think that there are a lot of negatives to sports with no fans, first for some sports the athletes build off of the crowd, it is a big motivator. For other sports such as WWE, it just seems awkward and more cheesy than ever.
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I think you are right! I think all sports will have fans back, because of the money. I am actually surprised at how cautious the sports leagues have been. I thought they might take more risks since there is so much money at stake. Since it has taken so long for professional organizations to get back up and running, I have thought that it will be impossible for high school sports to be played this year. Even college athletics might be a stretch for me. My thinking is that if it has taken the professionals this long and they have the very best resources, how are state high school activities associations going to get it figured out with limited resources. What are your thoughts on all levels of sports starting back up?
Josh Mach
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I think organizations have decided the money that they could bring in is not worth the potential of being the cause of another outbreak, so they all have stayed closed. I think all levels of sport can start up as long as they are smart about it and follow CDC guidelines and enforce extra rules in the stadiums or locations of games. Here in Iowa we are playing summer high school sports and it seems to be going well enough. It is weird without concessions and the bleachers are empty but there are a lot of people that are going and sitting around the out field.
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I think that all sports will have fans return, they help to bring in lots of revenue. As long as enough people are willing to pay for tickets and come to the event, they will make it available once things start to normalize. However, I am curious to see what type of restrictions are set in place one spectators are allowed back into sporting events. I also think that it has been very interesting to watch some sports without spectators. Like you said there are lots of positive and negatives. One of my favorite aspects has been hearing the hits in UFC fights like you stated. I am very curious to see how things will change in the near and distant future.
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That is a good thought on what some of the restrictions will be put in place upon the return of fans in the stadiums. It will take some creative thinking to maximize the revenue from the fans. I’ve got to imagine the teams won’t be able to sell every seat for awhile. Maybe have the fans spread out into every third seat, or every other seat. Hopefully the professional teams come up with a more efficient way to provide concessions. Beer tap in the back of seats? Could be fun! What changes do you think will be made to allow fans to attend games?
Josh Mach
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I agree, things will definitely take awhile before they can start to normalize. I definitely think that there will be restrictions as to how many fans will be allowed to view an event. Like you stated, they will most likely bring down attendance levels by at least half. I also think that many other measures will be taken to try to keep fans apart from each other. For example, I’m sure that there will be face shields put up.
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Josh, I used to watch sports talk shows often. Recently, I have found myself not watching because: 1) the topics are repetitive and it seems like nothing is new and 2) I hate awkward silences! You mentioned that as one of your negatives and I have to agree with you. It makes it not enjoyable for me to sit and listen to so I have found myself watching something else when I have time.I think all sports deserve to have their fans. People are passionate about their teams and sports and everyone deserves an opportunity to watch their favorite sport or team live.A negative I see with sports broadcasting shows is the unpredictability of a live broadcast. Someone who doesn’t know the video is live could randomly show up on the video screen or say something they shouldn’t during a live broadcast. I have watched some live golf recently and honestly, I cannot tell the difference with or without fans. I am sure on the course it is different without fans but on TV, I think it works. The NBA scares me. I think it could turn into summer league/pick-up ball. With a spike in cases in Florida, do you think the NBA season will actually happen?
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Hey Chase,
Wouldn’t that be the worst, to be caught on live television saying something inappropriate when you thought the camera was off of you. Those sportscasters have to say stuff like that all the time when they go to break. All of the ESPN sexual harassment scandals that have gone on in the past makes me believe it’s the wild west over there. My gut feeling is that the NBA won’t make it to the end of the season. I believe it will start back up, but the cases will rise like they have in Florida and players will opt out of playing. Just like the handful of golfers and caddies that have had to withdraw lately. I don’t believe we will have sports until there is a widely available treatment for the virus. Which if I am right is unfortunate. What are your thoughts on the return of sports in the immediate future?
Josh Mach
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I was feeling a lot better about sports returning a few weeks ago. UFC fighting, golf, and the NBA restart announcement gave me hope but the spike in cases has me worried. If big name NBA players like Giannis, LeBron, Harden, Paul George, Kawhi all back out, the NBA could be in trouble. A lot depends on when the players enter the bubble and how many of them test positive. The league might just pull the plug if too many players test positive. Fall sports like football might have to get pushed back as well and I really hope that is not the case!
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Chase,
I hope the NBA can pave the way for the rest of the leagues. Adam Silver seems like the most intelligent commissioner out there, at least in my opinion. I have confidence in him finding solutions to tough situations. However, if he can’t figure things out we might be in trouble! I think we might just have to start taking a few risks if we want to get back up and running. We will still need to follow the CDC guidelines, but at some point we just need to move forward and deal with the virus the best we can. Have a great 4th!
Josh Mach
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Josh,
I can’t say I’ve noticed much of the changes in sports radio and talk shows because I don’t know the last time I’ve watched one of them, so it’s interesting to hear your thoughts on the changes. I’d believe the awkwardness and sometimes poor quality of these virtual talkshows, simply based on my experiences with Zoom meetings for work, which have experienced similar issues. There are obvious issues with sound, video, and even content quality with remote broadcasting of sport TV shows, but another possible negative is employment. This is strictly based off assumption, so someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but I would imagine that the decrease in studio involvement would also mean a decrease in crew numbers. As such, I would think some members of crews are let go if the studios are now just computer webcams in the home of the host or guest. The flip side of that is a possible savings for the producing organization.
I have been able to watch a few live sport events or at least have seen clips; even though the no-fan policy certainly takes some energy away from the action, you have to admit that the Korean baseball league’s use of stuffed animals for fans has been pretty comical. I never thought I’d see Spongebob sitting front row behind home plate. I have enjoyed watching some of the UFC fights, but Joe Rogan screaming after a guy gets knocked out isn’t as entertaining without the crowds either. Like others have mentioned, the positive to that is hearing the impact of the punches or kicks that we normally haven’t had as much of in the past with a live audience. Like you and others have mentioned, the energy that a live audience brings can be helpful to the player and to the other viewers of the sport. As such, I don’t see why any sports wouldn’t want live fans at their events (not to mention the revenue that comes with that). I am really curious to see when unrestricted attendance is allowed again after the pandemic.
Thanks for your thoughts,
Jordan
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Hey Jordan,
That is a great point on crew members losing their jobs for the time being. I hadn’t thought about it, but bet you are right. Especially since a lot of the anchors are working from home. Hopefully those workers are able to come back if we are ever able to return to the way shows were ran before the pandemic. I also agree that all sports should and will have fans back. Ticket sales are the largest revenue source, so without fans I believe leagues would go out of business. I think when fans are allowed to come back to games it is going to be a rowdy atmosphere. Would you be willing to attend one of the first games back?
Josh Mach
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Agreed, hopefully any of those who lost jobs due to the switch in production methods can rejoin when it’s safe. I have heard of other companies that have realized with the remote working conditions that they can cut an extreme amount of cost and still operate efficiently; as such, some are opting to not go back to “normal” since it’s more cost-effective. I would assume, however, that this would be different since there is a notable decrease in quality without crews and doing the shows on set. I don’t think I’d have the urge to buy a ticket as soon as fans are allowed, but that of course depends on the environment when that happens. I think context at that time would dictate my decision, but I’ll put the wagon in front of the horse here and guess no. What about yourself?
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Hey Jordan,
I might let others experience live in-person games and see how it goes before I buy a ticket. I wonder if ticket prices are going to be more expensive, assuming that their will be less seats available. I guess I am not too concerned with contracting the virus, but I obviously would rather not get it. I’d like to see what some of the fan experiences are like before I go back to a stadium. Especially since the TV coverage is so great these days. Have a great weekend!
Josh Mach
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Joshua,
I think that some negatives for remote broadcasting would be that the athletes will not be able to feed off the energy from the crowd, especially when there is a home game, or as you mentioned, if the connection is not too good and commentators are not in sink with their questions and responses. As for that sports that I believe should not have live fans again, I am not sure. I would say that soccer fans could get a little crazy. There is always chaos in Romania every time there is a live soccer game because it always ends up with the crowd starting fights, so that is not too fun to be around.
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Luana,
I went to a professional soccer game in Berlin one time and could not have been more uncomfortable. There was a fight right next to me in the stands, and I can’t understand and German so I had no idea what was going on. Then the same thing happened in the train after the game. I thought I was going to end up in a German prison, because I was going to have to get involved in the fight. It was crazy. I think the energy the fans bring is important for the athletes. I’m curious to see when we are allowed back into the stadiums. What do you think the time frame is for fans are allowed back to live action?
Josh Mach
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I agree with you that the energy fans bring is very important for the athletes. And I am not sure I understand your question. If you don’t mind explaining what you mean by that?
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Luana,
What is going to happen to hole field advantage? Could we see a big difference in home field vs away records? and with how many sports are shortening the season, could this play a big role in who wins the next championships? I personally hope for the players that there is some implementation of crown noise of music because I just could not imagine playing in silence and being able to access that extra drive that a crowd would normally give me.
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Ever since sports began, there has always been fans and spectators, and watching sports without fans there has been strange. An interesting test will be with the NBA coming back and having no fans in the stand. Fans have a huge impact on teams, especially teams that have that big 3rd quarter push and feed off the crowds energy to keep them going, so fans are essential in a sport like this. I think one positive that can come out of this time is all of the new technology that can be tested and implemented moving forward in the sport industry. I wonder if we will begin to see more virtual reality broadcasts where we can catch the game from home but still feel as if we are front row at a game.
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Hey Hunter,
That’s a good point! Having the time to improve technology will probably benefit us fans in the long run. I agree that sports need fans, and right now fans need sports. It will be great when both of those things can happen at the same time! I’ve never done any virtual reality stuff, but that would be great if it could get more incorporated in professional sports. I wonder how that would affect ticket sales? Watching games from home is so enjoyable already. Do you think they would have to sell virtual reality experiences like pay-per-view packages?
Josh Mach
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I know that the NBA already has games that are available to watch using virtual reality and that it is offered through the League Pass, but I am not very familiar with the League Pass but I know that fans can either pay a monthly or yearly subscription and then games are all live and available for streaming. I think they could potentially switch to a pay-per-view type subscription where you buy a “virtual ticket” in order to make up for all the lost revenue in actual ticket sales, but if more and more fans buy the League Pass packages, than they potentially don’t have to worry about having pay-per-view. I am also unaware of the costs of streaming games in virtual reality and how much the league is able to produce a virtual reality stream for versus how much they can charge spectators for it.
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Josh,
This may be way too vague or obvious for many people to recognize, but I see the biggest problem with this “new normal” in sports being that most of the heart of the entertainment side of sports has been taken away. The live entertainment of sport is what separates it from so many other industries. We have been taught throughout our whole program that the reason the sport product is so different is because of the “once in a lifetime” element. Each and every competition is different. Fans only experience each specific competition once–no other competition will have the exact same energy or the exact same fouls or the exact same intensity. I am very interested to see how the rest of the pandemic pans out, how long we have left, and what sport organizations are going to do to make up for the live element of their sport!
Hailey
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Hailey,
You definitely have a great point about every event being different and that’s what makes it so special. I played college basketball and still have so many memories from different games and that is invaluable to me. I am interested to see how things play out. I would like to see some more events played without fans and be able to hear what they players are saying, which could be a cool aspect.
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Hailey and Joey,
Those are good points! Having that once in a lifetime experience is what makes sports so special. People take pride in saying they were at a game when so and so went off, and had a huge performance. I do like being able to here some of the trash talk that goes along with professional sports. And in the case of basketball, it would be cool to hear the players communicating on the floor with their teammates. I think it would be great to learn more about the professional game in that aspect. Do you guys think we will have a normal sports year starting with the NFL season?
Josh Mach
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I’m not too sure if I believe that things will be “normal” enough to have a regular NFL season this year. It feels like all the states that are opening up and also re-shutting down. However, I think that sport spectators are getting so antsy about sports making a return that they would rather watch them remotely NOW than have to wait to watch in person later.
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Josh,
I think some negatives to having remote broadcasting will be internet connection and if networks lose their guest they are trying to have on because of poor connection. I also think it takes away the emotion in talk shows when there is supposed to be banter back and forth. When host have to wait for someone to finish their point because they can’t try to talk over them, it takes away the emotion and intensity of the debate. I don’t think golf needs to have fans at them anymore. They aren’t allowed to speak or cheer a whole lot as it is so I don’t think they would be missed very much. Like you mentioned, watching sports without fans in the stands adds a more intimate feel to the event because you’re able to hear the athletes. I think this will be a positive to come out of this. Would be cool to hear golfers mic’d up during their rounds.
Joey
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Joey,
I think the banter that you talked about with sports talk shows is what makes them great. Poor internet connection or lagging video messes that up, and takes away energy from the show. I would like the golfers to be mic’d up too. I’m always curious as to how much the two golfers in a pairing talk to each other throughout the round. And it would be cool to hear banter back and forth between the golfer and caddie.
Josh Mach
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Hello Josh, In regards to your question, “What is your opinion of how live sports has evolved to today’s regulations? More positives, or more negatives?” I think that sports leagues are trying their best to come back in a safe and healthy manner. With the NBA, I think their idea of having the players works for them because they can host all their games in one facility, block off hotels/living arrangements for all the players, and have even provided some ways for players to be entertained during their time in the bubble. With the MLB, they’ll have more difficulties because there are more players and more areas that games are taking place in. That would be tougher to regulate players’ movements and such since there is a higher volume of players in the MLB.
I think that sports coming back is a good sign. I think there are a lot of positives in the approaches sports are taking, but hopefully, there will be a day when fans are allowed to come to the games. I think that there will be health precautions that come from this that should have been implemented before. Just keeping stadiums cleaner, more disinfecting items, and more people becoming self-aware of just how easily germs and sickness can spread.
Thanks for your post!
-Jacoby O
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Jacoby,
I agree that with the NBA, it works well being in one facility. The problem for them is being stuck without having family with them or being able to spend time withe them. It is going to be interesting with the MLB as they just have over 30 players test positive.I personally think that when we have a vaccine, then there should be no problem with having full stadiums and arenas. What is your thoughts on that?
Thanks,
Jordan
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Jacoby,
I agree that sports coming back is a good sign. I am glad Adam Silver had the courage to take the first steps to providing us with the entertainment we have been missing. I hope everything runs smoothly. Do you think that when fans are let back into the stadiums that organizations will check temperatures and everything, or do you think that Covid-19 will become an inherent risk when at the stadium?
Josh Mach
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Josh,
I think that temperature checks may be required at the beginning of letting fans into games, but ultimately, COVID-19 will probably become an inherent risk when going to events. It’s tough to avoid a virus, similar to the flu, but hopefully, there’s a vaccine soon. I hope the new normal allows the world to be able to go to sporting events because I miss sports.
Thanks,
Jacoby
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Josh,
To answer the question, “What is your opinion of how live sports has evolved to today’s regulations? More positives, or more negatives.” I think that there is more of a positive to this situation. By bringing back sports, it is showing that we are making progress to get back to a normal life. It seems that the leagues and sports that are returning are consulting with medical experts and are abiding by the rules. They are doing whatever they can to bring fans entertainment as well as keeping their athletes safe. With the return of the NBA, I believe it is a huge step forward and with a successful attempt it gives hope to all Fall sports. Hopefully everything goes according to plan and it seems they are doing everything possible to keep it safe!
-Zach
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Hey Zach,
I hope everything goes according to plan as well. Of all the commissioners in major professional sports, I still think Adam Silver is the guy to figure these difficult situations out. I imagine there will be setbacks, but I think we still have to try and move forward. Hopefully the “bubbles” work! I think we need the rest of the NBA season to be successful to be able to have an NFL season. Do you think the NFL will have to play their games in a few defined locations like somewhat like the NBA is doing to have a season?
Josh Mach
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Good question. In my opinion, the NFL is in a much more difficult situation with still having to begin their season and the nature of the sport. I think with a successful NBA return, it gives the NFL hope. I could see them try and limit travel, but that would change everyones schedule. At the end of the day, this might be something we just have to live with and learn how to fight off. Because right now it seems we might be in a “pandemic” for awhile.
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Zach, I viewed sports coming back as a sign of “normal” life as well. It gave me a little hope that things were improving and we could get back a sense of normalcy. It gives me optimism for fall sports and for school to return in the fall!
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Same here! Hoping everything goes smooth and they can control any potential spread of the virus. With a successful return it really gives everyone hope for the near future. Also, the ratings and views should be at an all time high with fans desperate for a return of a major sport!
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In recent news, do you think sports will actually come back? I find it hard to believe and with the ever growing news I just cant see it happening. I think that sports need to prepare for the long haul and the sport that can create the best fan experience through a virtual relationship will be the sport that come out on top. I keep making the reference to E-Sports and what do you think about the current situation and the emergency of E-sports?
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Josh,
For the sake of expanding the conversation, I think the biggest negative for the athlete during this situation is playing in an empty stadium. There is no feeling more exhilarating than playing in from of 100k plus screaming fans. A lot of student and professional athlete will be robber of that experience in their senior season and who knows, maybe the freshman have lost it for the rest of their career. Hopefully not!!!
I don’t know if any sport should never have live fans again, but I feel like the sport that would miss it the least has to be golf. Not much cheering at a golf match to begin with.
I think the biggest change that will happen in live sports is the way we watch them. I most times would just sit at home and watch games but for people who enjoy going to live games will need to find their fix a different way. You could definitely see a large spike in people who attend bars to watch games, barring the bars are open for business.
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Devon,
It will be interesting to see how this affects college athletes having spectators at their games throughout their career. I also think that all sports need fans at their competitions. Besides the fact of the major revenue involved, fans are what inspire the athletes to go for more. Their energy allows the athletes to reach performance levels they haven’t in the past, in my opinion. What kind of viewership changes do you think will be made for those of us who don’t attend live games?
Josh Mach
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I think there will be a large effort to increase the interactives of at home viewers. Now that there will be no crowd noise, could there be more of a music environment at the games or will athletes just play in silent? I do think there will be a lot better camera angles at these games due to the cleared stands and the need for cooler shots to make up for the lack of fans. Also, I think athlete celebrations will be much more acceptable in order to bring more fun to the games with no loud crowds celebrating scores.
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It will be interesting to see NFL games without fans and even possibly college football too. Think about NFL games up in Seattle, Kansas City and Philadelphia, the fans there are what makes it difficult for the opposing teams to play in. Or look at the college world, Texas A&M with the 12th man. There will no longer be the tradition of the 12th man this year. The fans bring the home field advantage for all the home games and without the fans it seems like any game will be open for anybody to win.
Not only do the fans bring the home field advantage to their team but they also bring in millions of dollars in revenue as well. The money from ticket sells goes to help pay salaries, rent for facilities, travel, etc. Now without that money, what will happen with the future of the NFL. And with college sports, Colleges that had bids to the NCAA Basketball tournament lost half of the money they were supposed to get so if there are no fans at college football games (the sport that brings in most of the school money) how much more money can the Colleges afford to lose?
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Hey Ian,
That is an interesting thought dealing with the lost revenue from fans. I wonder if players salaries will decrease because of the lost ticket sales and concessions. I’m interested to see how the organizations finds ways to increase revenue without ticket sales. It is going to take some creative thinking to maintain status quo. I wonder if we are going to start getting charged to watch single games on TV, kind of like pay-per-view. What are your thoughts on that. Would you pay every week to watch your NFL team play?
Josh Mach
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Josh,
I thought I read somewhere that the MLB has proposed the players 2020 salaries to be lowered drastically while the union proposed to only cut half their salaries. Some people already pay money to watch there teams on TV for example NFL Ticket and MLB.com subscription. So I can see more people paying money to watch their teams play. I also think more TV providers and other companies will put together some sort of package that people can buy to watch sports this year and next year.
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Ian,
I suppose it might save a person money to just buy a sporting package, rather than paying for cable every month just to watch your team. Either way I think you are right. There are going to be changes in the way we watch sports, and hopefully it is for the better. I’m just worried we are going to have to start paying similar amounts to what it costs to attend the game live.
Josh Mach
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Josh,
I know you mentioned this in your initial post but the biggest negative is definitely a loss of revenue for the teams and sports organizations. College athletics depends so much on ticket sales so the teams having to decrease the number of tickets they can sell or possibly even going without fans is going to be hard for teams. I am just thinking about how Nebraska has the NCAA record for consecutive sellouts and how that will most likely come to end this upcoming college football season. I am also thinking about how watching sports just isn’t the same anymore. Hearing fans get loud or their reactions to a big play can make it so much more exciting watching the game from your house. It is definitely going to be a huge adjustment this upcoming year but I think teams have people that are creative enough to find ways around this!
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Hunter,
I agree, it will be weird to have major live sports without fans. I just hope we get those sports back sooner than later. The NBA will be a great test. I imagine there will be setbacks, but hopefully the NBA can get through it unscathed so we can have a football season. I would think that for schools like Nebraska their sellout streak won’t end since they aren’t even letting fans in. If the limit the fans to half of the seats I bet they could sell out. What are your thoughts on attending live sports as soon as possible?
Josh Mach
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Josh,
I think that whatever the NBA decides to do a lot of other leagues will follow their footsteps. The NBA usually finds a way to make things work so I am not too worried! I am all for attending live sports as soon as possible. With that being said, I think that the teams and organizations need to have precautions set in place to avoid the spread of COVID. It’s definitely a risk to go to a live sporting event but as long as you are careful along with the team and organizations having precautions set into place I think everything will work out!
– Hunter
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Josh,
One of the negatives that I see with remote broadcasting are very similar to the problems that you bring up. The main issue is the lack of organic conversation, everything is very choppy and awkward. But, like you say in your post, this will hopefully subside over time with some practice. I don’t believe that there is any professional sport that would benefit from the lack of a live audience. The energy that brings spectators to the events is a part of live sports. If any team sport team were to permanently ban live audiences, they would not be able to have the huge facilities that they have developed, and spectator seating revenue would become non-existent. I think that live sports have evolved very well to todays regulations.
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I agree that all the shows seem like they are lacking their normal organic conversation, there is a spark missing I feel like. I even notice it on some of the podcasts I have been listening to, they used to be smooth and there was a nice flow but now there is an awkwardness and a lot of talking over each other then both are trying to say “no you go” and it doesn’t have the right flow like before. But I get they are doing the best they can,
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Right! I would think by now we would have the technology to not have the lagging and it be a smooth conversation. I’m sure it will improve, and I would bet that the shows go back in studio once it is safe to do so. Regardless of what happens I will continue having those shows on in the morning at least for background noise. Like you said, they are doing the best they can, and they will continue to improve using this format as time goes on.
Josh Mach
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I think that if there were no more live sports for a long time, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL would survive but most other sports that don’t have big TV contracts will fall apart. I’m most interested is seeing what happens with E-Sports. E-Sports are the fastest growing activity in sports and with this current situation, it is the best situation for this sport to continue to grow with everything already being done remotely.
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Josh,
I have to say as someone who’s favorite sport is MMA, I love how the UFC is holding events at the APEX Center in Las Vegas. You can absolutely hear every thing that happens, last weekend’s main event between Dan Hooker and Dustin Poirier was amazing and I think that while not having a crowd helped hear the shots landed, that a huge sold out crowd would have made it even more spectacular. Another reason why the fights have been more action packed is the octagon at the APEX Center is only 25 feet across instead of the normal 30, and I know 5 ft doesn’t sound like much difference but many fighters have discussed that it makes them fight and doesn’t give them as much room. I am really excited for the fight island card this upcoming weekend! To answer your second question, I think eventually all sports should be back to full fan capacity, but only after there is a vaccine. Until there is a vaccine, I do not think that there should be fans at any sports because it can only make the spread worse.
Thanks,
Jordan
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