Obviously, everyone is hoping that it does not happen. But as every day goes by, you have to consider the fact that the NFL regular season might be starting without any fans in attendance. This would be a pretty odd site as crowds play such a big factor in sports, especially in something like football, where crowd noise could actually hurt a team like the Detroit Lions.
According to Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire, Lions superstar quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke out about the situation and the possibility of playing without fans.
““I’m the quarterback, quiet’s great. I love that,” Stafford said during his conference call this week. “I can talk, I can hear what they’re saying on defense. I can probably try to use that to my advantage. It’s like playing a home game everywhere you go, I’m fine with that.”
Stafford admitted the energy from the crowd would definitely be missed, however.
“…feeding off that energy. There’s definitely a feel. It would definitely feel different, I would think,” Stafford declared.””
As Stafford points out, quarterbacks are probably going to love it. They get to hear everything the defense is saying, and they will be able to communicate with their offensive line and weapons much better.
However, that could also help the defense. They won't need to worry about not being able to hear the snap count (technically, that's a good thing for the offense too, though).
It's also going to create that low energy. It's the classic joke in wrestling. How do the wrestlers get fired up to come back for the win without the crowd cheering them on?
It's the same thing in football, baseball, basketball or any sport though. No, the team isn't just going to win because the fans willed them to victory, but they do absolutely play off the crowd. The fans can help flip the momentum and create a better atmosphere.
In the end, that might not make the biggest difference in the game. However, at the very least, it's going to create for some very awkward moments and a weird feeling when watching (and for those playing in) the games.
Let's hope things have cleared up by then, and this is never even an issue we have to find out about, though.
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