It played out like one of those disaster movies in which the threat is first noticed on a TV news report in the background. The main characters mostly ignore the danger and continue on with their lives as normal. Then, suddenly, the menace is thrust into the foreground, all heck breaks loose and nothing is normal.
The novel coronavirus was a terrible thing happening Over There when I was at Braves spring training in Florida last year. Less than four days later, COVID-19 was a terrible thing happening here, there and everywhere. The virus was spreading exponentially. Tens of thousands of people were dying.
Soon our sports leagues reluctantly accepted that the games could not go on under those conditions.
The World Health Organization designated the novel coronavirus a pandemic March 11, 2020. The NBA would shut down later that night (from the perspective of our time zone). The NCAA, MLS, NHL and MLB followed suit the next day.
All those leagues would eventually play games during the pandemic. The games weren’t the same, though. They still aren’t. They won’t be until the pandemic is over.
That’s obvious to anyone who’s watched games on TV with empty arenas and manufactured atmospheres. It should be clear to people who’ve since gone to stadiums that allow spectators with severely limited capacities. Those were the proper responses to protect public health — in too many cases the restrictions didn’t go far enough — but it turns out fans in the stands are an essential element to making the games enjoyable.
Now they feel perfunctory and gloomy. That’s especially true because the lack of spectators is compounded by other visible signs of the pandemic. Participants wearing masks. Rosters missing some of the best players for days or weeks.
There’s also the constant possibility of postponed and canceled games. It’s harder to build anticipation and excitement for games when you can’t be sure when (or even if) they’ll be played.
A live audience isn’t necessary to enjoy playing sports. It’s an important part of watching them. Even if I’m not there, I need others to be there. If they aren’t, the experience as a TV viewer can be a bummer.
I was surprised to learn this about myself. I’ve long been able to enjoy the elements of games that have nothing to do with spectators. I love the strategy. I appreciate the extraordinary athletic feats. Shoot, I write a weekly football column in which I (mostly) joylessly focus on the numbers in an effort to pick winners against the point spread.
But it turns out that even the part of my brain that views games with detachment needs the part that feels things about sports. I need to hear how people react to the strategy playing out. I need to see spectators get excited by witnessing those extraordinary athletic feats. Otherwise, what’s the point of all?
Honestly, I should have known all this. That idea that fans are necessary for sports to be fun is a big part of our culture.
Think about sports scenes in popular entertainment. Few fans and little energy in stadiums, arenas and ballparks is shorthand for a sad, downtrodden team. It’s a sign that people don’t care. The few people in the stands are viewed as desperate sad sacks. Some wear sacks over their heads to signal their misery.
That scene plays out in real life for bad teams (sometimes with the sacks) or those playing at the lowest levels. During the pandemic it’s been the scene for all teams. It’s become normalized, but experiencing games that way in person or watching it on TV will never feel normal.
No wonder TV ratings are down sharply for nearly all sports during the pandemic. That’s not about politics, as some culture warriors would have you believe. People just haven’t been as interested in watching sports with COVID-19 dominating real life. If they want entertainment, there are plenty of options that allow an escape from reality and don’t depend so much on the communal experience.
