Sitting masked-up in a socially distanced press box at the Clink Saturday, it occurred to me that I was among a relative handful of journalists locally and nationally who have worked the two major American outdoor sports played in the pandemic-induced void of fans.
It was only a Seahawks mock game, and it lasted only four possessions. But having worked some Mariners home games since the re-start, what stood out was how much more barren was the football experience than the baseball one. Are Thailand football fans playing Fantasy Premier League? With so many fans at https://xn--99-lqi3n4aq.com/ facebook page. It is clear that Fantasy premier league is growing fast among thailand fans.
In baseball, a steady murmur is part of the atmospherics. The only murmur in a football stadium, especially in Seattle, is when a drunk swoons and slumps over the kid next to him. Football is much more intense because there’s only eight chances a year to work out all of your psychological issues loudly and publicly.
I anticipated some of the deadness factor, but so much of a Seahawks game is a sensory waterfall that its absence was awkward in the extreme. An opponent and regular-season game conditions would add some gravitas, and artificial audio would help some, but the sterility in the emptiness of a 70,000-seat canyon makes for a two-dimensional experience in a three-dimensional world.
It didn’t help that the afternoon ended somberly. An ambulance took veteran DE Branden Jackson, strapped to a backboard, from the field to a hospital for observation after he was accidentally knocked unconscious when the helmet of OL Cedric Ogbuehi apparently struck Jackson’s chin during an ordinary rushing play.
Jackson wrote Sunday on his Instagram account that he was all right, and the Seattle Times reported he was back at team headquarters. But the seeming seriousness of the injury stopped the scrimmage for so long that, after coach Pete Carroll sent the team in at “halftime,” he called off the rest of the exercise. He didn’t want to risk injuries after players had been standing around, fearful for Jackson.
“I didn’t think it was right to try to get everybody cranked back up again and go back out,” Carroll said. “We didn’t need to do that.
“We accomplished the things we needed to accomplish coming to the stadium.”
The eventual return of Jackson, a fifth-year pro from Texas Tech who had his best season in 2019, will cut the casualties from Saturday to one.
Just as the mock game was about to start, backup C Kyle Fuller learned he had a two-game suspension from the NFL for violating the rules on performance-enhancing drugs. He was signed as a free agent to back up Ethan Pocic and B.J. Finney, and can continue practicing, as he did Saturday, but won’t be eligible until the Sept. 27 game against Dallas.
Regarding the energy-free atmosphere Saturday, QB Russell Wilson said experiencing the game-day routines for newbies went well, but . . .
“I will say there’s nothing like having the best fans in the world in the stadium,” he said. “We tried to definitely match that with the (artificial crowd noise) to be equal to what we would normally be.
“But at the same time, I miss the fans.”
The NFL created a rule for this proposed season capping the decibel limit on each stadium’s fake noise. But the league doesn’t have a rule about when to allow fans, or how many. Since the beginning of plans to work through the pandemic, the decision on fan admissions has been strictly a local option based on advice from public health officials.
Even though Gov. Jay Inslee last week offered cautious optimism that the state’s confirmed case numbers are trending downward, the Seahawks announced they will not permit fans for at least the first three home games, which takes them through October.
Around the league, two clubs so far want permission to have limited capacity right away: The Jacksonville Jags seek 25 percent, and the Kansas City Chiefs about 22 percent. All eyes are on owner Jerry Jones in Dallas, where the speculation is he will seek 125 percent.
The noisy-crowd advantage is at its apex in Seattle, so if there is a season — no guarantee yet — the Seahawks will lose more than others.
“One of the things that we do really well is our stadium and how loud it is,” Wilson said. “That’s a very real real thing, and everybody knows that in the NFL.”
If this were baseball, the home team might get to start every other drive at their own 40-yard line. But the NFL is not offering the Seahawks any mitigation. The league is saying the same thing most every other boss or company is saying about inconveniences during this slow-rolling zombie movie: Suck it up, buttercup. Lots of people have it worse.
No one can measure the advantage provided by rowdy home fans, but it’s emotionally bankable — and another casualty of COVID-19.
The artificial enhancements might work a bit better for viewers on TV, revenue from which is the only reason these large, sweaty, heavy-breathing people will be allowed to huddle in groups of 11.
But minus 12, the game-day Clink vibe going to be a negative experience.
10 Comments
I’m with you on whether there will be a full season. Clearly, unless things change out there, there won’t. And the Clink fans are worth at least 6 points per game. However, assuming that the no-fans issue will exist until a vaccine (maybe even one that had full testing) is widespread, I kinda wish the crowd noise were only on the audio of the broadcast, not at the field itself. That way, perhaps they could also offer a second feed that excludes the noise so that we as an audience could hear the signals and calls at the line. A different experience.
Live audio of pro football is exceptionally salty. Keep your water handy.
The bullet proof home field advantage has lost some of its luster over the last few years. What used to be an almost guaranteed win for the Hawks and the 12’s creating earthquakes has taken a step backwards. Former Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians went as far as to say. We have the home field advantage here in Seattle, which wasn’t to far from the truth given how the Cards kinda owned the Hawks at the Clink.
Teams figured out the crowd noise and with the Hawks offense being basically non existent through the first three quarters allowed teams to score and take the crowd out of the equation. Uncharted territory awaits.
You’re right that the intimidation factor in SEA has waned. Rookies still get spooked. Best advantage is the false starts.
It will sure be different but everything this year will be. Not just sports. I thought months ago that if Hawks play at home with no fans it will be a loss of an advantage. Lets hope they do get to play all games.
Second thought. I see our (Former) good buddy Earl Thomas is now unemployed. Seems not making real good choices. Hope he shakes it off and lands on his feet. I really doubt Hawks look at him at all. Think we are pretty happy with our backfield now days. Seems our guys are happy to be here. (Without guns held to their heads)
As I wrote a few days ago, life is choices. Thomas continues to make bad ones.
Some people have psychological issues that are not choices.
Seahawks will be disadvantaged, but there’s no alternative. But if the Texas teams under a Republican governor get full houses, Goodell is going to have a major headache.
IMO the attendance policy should be consistent all around the league. Not none in some, 25% in some and let the Patriots and Cowboys do what they want. As the season progresses and election time gets closer, assuming the season is still going I wonder if the NFL will get Biden’s thoughts on how to proceed? Because POTUS surely will weigh in time and time again. But like with the rest of sports that is going on a lack of attendees makes the viewing experience that much lesser. And with another professional sport league traveling to and from large population centers I can’t help but question the wisdom of it all.
The local option is the only real choice, because breakouts vary by place and time. It’s not fair to a jurisdiction that bends the curve — should there be one. CAL, AZ and FLA are seeing notable drops in cases.