It is almost inevitable that some — or all — NFL teams are going to be playing games with no fans in 2020. In an attempt to maintain as much normalcy as possible, the league is in talks to have virtual fans in the stands during games.

After months of negotiating terms, the MLB is expected to make its return on Thursday. While there won't be fans in the stand in any of the league's games, FOX Sports is going to be displaying a virtual crowd to keep the experience as authentic as possible.

Of course, the NFL also has games broadcasted on FOX and so naturally the league is weighing their options. Brad Zager, the executive vice president at FOX Sports, told Andrew Marchand of the New York Post that they are speaking to the NFL about the possibility of deploying those same virtual fans in 2020.

“We will learn a lot,” Zager said. “The NFL has been partnering with us and knows where we are in this process, and we will continue to work with them as we get closer to NFL season in rolling it out there, if we do.”

Besides the MLB, the NBA is making a valiant return after being delayed for months due to COVID-19. On Wednesday, the NBA began holding scrimmages between the teams inside the league's bubble. During the scrimmages, crowd noise and virtual fans were included to create a similar experience as a regular contest.

The Buffalo Bills, among other teams, have already been notified that fans won't be allowed to attend games or even tailgate before games in 2020. It's not going to be the last report of that nature, that's for sure. Nevertheless, the league hopes to have an alternative route that helps create the atmosphere of a normal game.