Thoughts on an NFL season without fans

[ReedInTheWind]

With the likelihood of NFL games not including fans (or incredibly limited seating), there's a few things I was considering as options to improve game and fan experiences during the oddness.

Crowd noise: Obviously a huge factor that impacts games. In a way, it evens the playing field for home/away games. However, this is also a huge part of what makes NFL games exciting to watch, and build tension. Initially, I would have thought it'd be great to pipe crowd noise into stadiums at a level set by the NFL, but with all the cheating that would inevitably come along with it, I see how it's a bad idea. I would however be fine with piping crowd noise into the broadcast feed artificially, to make everything seem more normal. This is definitely doable, albeit weird, and I'm sure would result in some trial and error by the broadcast teams. I still think it's a better option than watching silent games.

Utilizing the tailgate lots: If fans can't get into the game due to either none being allowed, or incredibly limited seating, tailgate lots should feature outdoor jumbotron broadcasts. This obviously has it's challenges, but designating parking spaces at specific intervals to allow for fans to gather outside in a safer manner seems reasonable to me. It could allow for more (masked and gloved) ushers to work delivering food and drink outside to individuals who want to watch the game.

Lottery system seating: Say they do allow some fans in and only fill 25% capacity, with a mandate that it is only a maximum of 3 people per group, and must have 4 empty seats or something on either side of each group (and probably have to sign a waiver). I know the NFL is a money hungry league, so I doubt they have this kind of level of care, but instead of charging crazy premiums for in game seating, why not keep prices the same and have a lottery system for tickets? It's not hard to do, sign up for a seat at a set price, and a few days before games, a computer generated lottery system picks the groups that get to come in. That'd be the most fair way to handle it in my opinion.

Offer VR: I know a lot of people don't have this, but have ya tried it? It's crazy and works fairly well for sports. 360 degree VR cameras are setup at different points within the stadium, you pay for whatever level of seating you'd rather have, and the live game is streamed to you in virtual reality, where it's almost like you're sitting there. There have been big advances in this, where you and friends can actually join the same area and talk to each other while watching the game as if you were there. Google Cardboard uses your phone for this and only costs 20 bucks. I think this could actually be a cool option if teams decided to embrace it and did it right.

[owknows]

I figure they're gonna take what they get with TV revenue, and use Pixar to digitally paint in crowds and noise for the broadcast.

[Captain Silver]

I figure they're gonna take what they get with TV revenue, and use Pixar to digitally paint in crowds and noise for the broadcast.

I hope it looks like this!

[owknows]

I hope it looks like this!

That's what every game looks like in Philly.

[BcRaven]

I hope it looks like this!

That's what every game looks like in Philly.

Actually, that's what about every party looks like in my house after a fer cold brews... Bc

[Ortizer]

With the likelihood of NFL games not including fans (or incredibly limited seating), there's a few things I was considering as options to improve game and fan experiences during the oddness.

Crowd noise: Obviously a huge factor that impacts games. In a way, it evens the playing field for home/away games. However, this is also a huge part of what makes NFL games exciting to watch, and build tension. Initially, I would have thought it'd be great to pipe crowd noise into stadiums at a level set by the NFL, but with all the cheating that would inevitably come along with it, I see how it's a bad idea. I would however be fine with piping crowd noise into the broadcast feed artificially, to make everything seem more normal. This is definitely doable, albeit weird, and I'm sure would result in some trial and error by the broadcast teams. I still think it's a better option than watching silent games.

Utilizing the tailgate lots: If fans can't get into the game due to either none being allowed, or incredibly limited seating, tailgate lots should feature outdoor jumbotron broadcasts. This obviously has it's challenges, but designating parking spaces at specific intervals to allow for fans to gather outside in a safer manner seems reasonable to me. It could allow for more (masked and gloved) ushers to work delivering food and drink outside to individuals who want to watch the game.

Lottery system seating: Say they do allow some fans in and only fill 25% capacity, with a mandate that it is only a maximum of 3 people per group, and must have 4 empty seats or something on either side of each group (and probably have to sign a waiver). I know the NFL is a money hungry league, so I doubt they have this kind of level of care, but instead of charging crazy premiums for in game seating, why not keep prices the same and have a lottery system for tickets? It's not hard to do, sign up for a seat at a set price, and a few days before games, a computer generated lottery system picks the groups that get to come in. That'd be the most fair way to handle it in my opinion.

Offer VR: I know a lot of people don't have this, but have ya tried it? It's crazy and works fairly well for sports. 360 degree VR cameras are setup at different points within the stadium, you pay for whatever level of seating you'd rather have, and the live game is streamed to you in virtual reality, where it's almost like you're sitting there. There have been big advances in this, where you and friends can actually join the same area and talk to each other while watching the game as if you were there. Google Cardboard uses your phone for this and only costs 20 bucks. I think this could actually be a cool option if teams decided to embrace it and did it right.

Vr is an awesome idea for this.

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

[Mista T]

Crowd noise: Obviously a huge factor that impacts games. In a way, it evens the playing field for home/away games. However, this is also a huge part of what makes NFL games exciting to watch, and build tension. Initially, I would have thought it'd be great to pipe crowd noise into stadiums at a level set by the NFL, but with all the cheating that would inevitably come along with it, I see how it's a bad idea. I would however be fine with piping crowd noise into the broadcast feed artificially, to make everything seem more normal. This is definitely doable, albeit weird, and I'm sure would result in some trial and error by the broadcast teams. I still think it's a better option than watching silent games.

Fake crowd noise would be as much a turn-off as the canned laughter which TV comedy producers use to macs the poor scripts. No thanks!

[owknows]

Fake crowd noise would be as much a turn-off as the canned laughter which TV comedy producers use to macs the poor scripts. No thanks!

A laugh track might still be OK for Cleveland games.

[jaydee414]

What T said.
I cannot/will not watch ANY show with a laughtrack. Personally, with on screen graphics, I need neither crowd noise nor prattling announcers/analysts. I kinda liked the game a few years ago that was broadcast without them.

[ReedInTheWind]

I’m not sure a laughtrack is comparable to what I’m envisioning. The actual crowd noise is already piped in and amped up in the television broadcast to give the viewer the sense of the environment inside the stadium. Doing it entirely artificially I doubt would be that corny

[stevez51]

They will need fake crowd noise to cover over the language on the field.

[Ravenswintitle]

Stephen Ross just said there will definitely be an NFL season this year. I'll keep expectations low but would love to start seeing some signs of camp opening...