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So I have read this over the last couple of days and wanted to maybe get a discussion going if you think this would make the broadcast more interesting?

I have watched the german Bundesliga over the weekend without fans and it just seems weird... no fans, no crowd noises.
Takes away the atmosphere and makes the game almost seem a bit dull.

Of course the noise would only be in the broadcast and not in an empty stadium.

I quote:


So this is pretty much a done deal.

What do you think?
Yay or Nay?

Source: https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/nfl-fox-crowd-noise-covid-19-coronavirus

I'm not sure how much this kind of virtual stuff can reflect the truth.
Instead of sound shows, there are hologram applications that are tried and successful in some stadiums. Can the ones that are in the fan image be designed? Or I'm not sure if it can be presented as a continuous show throughout the match.

For example;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOPyalS1Hsw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5hQpRbHERg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQKl4LMu99c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGU51hQSJP8

It is not that weird to play in an empty stadium but if you add noise with the use of speakers then it will be pretty weird. I hate to say this, but i never expected we would see fake reactions but now the broadcasters wanted to add the crowd noise to add the flavor.  I would like to hear the real conversation of the players rather than some fake reactions and with an empty stadium you could clearly hear what the players talk and a good commentary will sort the problem.

Completely agree with you,,,As a soccer fan its really boring to watch matches without crowd and noises. Honestly i always prefer to watch my favorite team matches on TV with all my family members and sometimes in stadium with my colleagues. In current pandemic situation most peoples are spending their time on home and sports is the best option of recreation. I don't think any football fan ever think that they will have to watch matches with zero audience in the gallery but reality proves everything wrong due to covid - 19.  

At least better than nothing. Though its artificial but will definitely give the taste of crowd and fans noises slightly.

Of course, the sounds would not be heard in the stadium but would only be played during the TV broadcast ;) You can roughly compare this to the clapping and laughing you hear on shows like BigBangTheory.

I must honestly admit that I missed a lot of atmosphere at the games on the weekend, watching the games is not really that exciting when there's no atmosphere in the stadium. So I don't think the step of the artificially created atmosphere is good, if one prefers a silent stadium you could switch off  the volume anyways.

This strategy is much more viable than transmitting the virus through large crowds. For now, they need to implement strict procedures in order to not worsen the infected by limiting the people going to sports event for both players and spectators safety.

Hah!  Just posted about something like this at the EPL thread.  Can the virtual people be controlled via app by people who bought 'virtual tickets'..?  I think it's something they should be looking into.

Now thats one interesting concept right there!
That would make people be partf of the game in some way.
Nice idea!

We have been feeded with fake reactions crowd voice for a long time on popular tv shows. The only problem is that those shows were not broadcasted live, therefore the sound editing team were able to perfect it without any issues. On a live match it might get little harder for them. I am sure they might have been working on it to perfect it. There might be few hickups in the beginning but gradually they will improve.

I think that's a yay than having nothing on a dish.

I think that needs a lot of preparation for the management, imagine every virtual people means one resource they should prepare and look how many fans are willing for that virtual tickets unless they require a quota to be sold so they can prepare as early as possible. Hoping not just the people but as well as the sound.

Players are used to hear crowd noise all the time in the middle of matches. I don't think they pay attention too much to it, but it's something they'll certainly feel is missing once they play alone, with nobody on the stadium besides the teams.

Think of how it'd be to go and see a FIFA match live and you'd be the only fan there, all the other seats being silent and empty. Would feel very weird, wouldn't it? That noise is specific to these matches :D

Why not though? There has been a lot of adjustments with this covid-19 that really messed up everything, including sports fans. But this is better than nothing, and we all know that this is fake, it will be very odd and different at the beginning, but I'm sure everyone will adjust and it can improved overtime.


This could be one good idea if implemented properly. So let's see how it goes, we are shock by the virus itself, but people are so resilient that this whole virtual fans and crowd noise will be the "new norm" while we are still in the pandemic.

I think in this pandemic, we should be familiar with the event that might re-schedule. The event will not have an audience, fans, and there will be no noise as we have seen before. I think that is the way that they should do to prevent the spreading of the virus if the situations are not back to normal again. As long as people can be safe from the virus, I think the event can go on without any noise. At least we can watch the event from our home with our family.

I think that it is temporary to play without spectators. Even if the disease is not vaccinated, treatment methods will be revealed soon. When normalization begins, normalization will begin in sports competitions as in everything. At this point we have reached today, the first steps have already been taken in the name of normalization. We had nice matches in Bundesliga last weekend. I hope we will have a chance to watch more games with June.

This is definitely a very interesting proposal, over the several decades that I have watched sports I have seen many matches without public in attendance and without a doubt the atmosphere is lost, but this is a very rare occurrence and doesn't last long, however we are facing the very real possibility that when we finally get sports back in action most of them are going to be without any public so I find this measure very interesting and I think it is a step in the right direction.



That will be awesome but honestly it will be very difficult to pull off successfully.

@xxjumperxx I’ll second that as for the entire duration of the match it felt to me like my television was on mute mode, and furthermore it definitely felt weird to watch the match without the fans noise. Also I have one question what happens if the person controlling it is a fan of one team, and hates the other team won’t this mess up the experience of the fans who’re watching it from home?.

I'm pretty sure there exists a technology wherein they can make it look like the stadium is fully-packed and emulate the noises done by those same fans. Just to make the game a little bit homey and not deserted and desolated as it would turn out if they'd just show the players playing it out. Sure, it will not be the same as the original NFL games but at the least it gets the gears going by providing an atmosphere that fans at home are familiar with.

It's better than giving out tickets to fans and letting them contract the virus and possibly cause a chain reaction of disease transmission.

The technology certainly exists, yes. The comparison is a bit misleading, but if you look at how well the fans are animated at current FIFA games and how good the atmosphere is, I assume that this is also possible for TV broadcasts.

But the art is to create the right fan scenery at the right time (goal celebration, indignation with red cards, ...). This is relatively easy with computer games, but I imagine it to be much more difficult with TV broadcasts. So I don't assume - especially because of the short preparation time - that we will see something similar here, but "only" cheers etc.

I doubt they're going to add virtual fans for players to also see on the stadium so it's probably a quite easy job to do this using CGI. Place a little QR code or something (just an example - things may be even easier than that) on each seat and make them all turn into virtual fans when recorded live.

Fans watching those events don't spend that much of their time looking at spectators only. As soon as there is at least a partial feeling that the stadium is filled up, it's fine. But empty seats would make it odd and look like a rehearsal ;D

When i used to watch WWE they usually used to add fake reactions inside the stadium and they usually edit the audience from other shows if they had empty space in the arena. It would be weird if they add audience from the past matches and edit as well as old chanting  :D. Thinking about the situation is really odd, let me watch the match and then make a decision. In UFC it was a different experience without audience as you could hear every punch thrown.

It would be great to hear the commentary but hopefully not the fake chanting :D.


Definitely the players will miss the crowd, think about all the over the top reactions and celebrations after scoring a goal and if there are no audience then it will look odd  :D.  I prefer sporting events without an audience than not having anything at all.

The ambiance would really be entirely different when in talks of crowd noise and into these kind of events, players are get used to this kind of noise and when they do play on an empty stadium
then they would really tell the difference.This do adds up some sort of motivation into their plays since they do know that lots of people watching them and to this new normal where
everything would be done remotely then they will surely miss it up and would really need adjustment due to this current situation.

Maybe. I really hope that the normalization will begin in many countries so we will see everything will start to be fine. But I think that everything will have a different look than before because of this pandemic. And we will adapt to the current situations so we can still survive in any conditions. I heard that many things would happen in June, and maybe the normalization will start in June too.

We can just only see how interesting it is after we can watch some of the games that will be applied by these effects and gestures for the first time.

But for me, I will not have a negative reaction no matter how good or worst the effort They just want to add some things to somehow feel the previous normal.

This is good actually that we can now see some plans for a comeback. Slowly getting into business to save the sports economy.

It's yay man. As a fan but as long as you've get to watch the game, that's the most important thing that's taking in action. Crowds and fans, although the tension and cheers that we've got to hear while being there gets intense things have changed because we're in the pandemic.

That's the solution for sporting events and at least we've got to hear those virtual noises made probably from earlier matches recorded. It looks odd and you may not like it but you don't have to like it, just cheer at your homes, think that you are in the crowd while relaxing as you watch.

Wait? Is it there actual fans and crowd noise on NFL games? :D I don't follow American football, but at least in NBA there is almost no atmosphere - people just watch games or eat instead of cheering for their team.
I watched some South Korean football league games where they play recorded sounds from fans. It doesn't sounds as bad as I expected, but I don't think it's really needed. Yes, it's weird and difficult to watch football in empty stadiums, when you can hear players and managers talking. But it's current reality and we have to accept that.

The plan is honestly good and actually no harm at all if it will be implemented. Well, really expect that kind of new changes at some sports leagues as we are now entering a new normal until the virus is here and freely roaming around the globe. If they can do it, then good.

“It would be different for sure if we had to play the game with no fans,” Cox said. “I think at the same time, we have to understand that health is a priority. And we have to look at our health. If we have to have to play games without fans, it’ll be something to get used to.”

The statement actually makes sense.

This idea of virtual fans could be so that the broadcasts could be animated. Because we already know that fans add joy and excitement to sporting events. They are experimenting to see how things turn out is what I believe.

I looked at the article "2020 NFL Draft: Virtual fan engagement", which is all about how "virtual fans" can be integrated in the draftings. There are some actions taken which I would love to see during the games, too:

• "watch-a-long" transmissions of the games in large zoom rooms, so that the emotions of other fans can be heard and seen. We had such a meeting with a lot of fans at the bitcoin halving, was fun to watch.
• Live feeds via virtual rooms of NFL personalities or even celebrity fans, who additionally comment on the events on the field:
  
  
  Quote
  The NFL recognized the opportunity to drive virtual fan engagement by supplementing its coverage with live analysis and reaction from celebrity fans and NFL personalities.
  
  The league is hosting a live draft-a-thon every day for the duration of the draft. The draft-a-thon is broadcast to YouTube and the NFL website in conjunction with the draft, aiming to drive donations for COVID-19 relief efforts in the US.
  

I am curious whether there will be similar approaches during the live broadcasts of the games. The concept could easily be adopted for other sports (from Formula 1 to football) and improve the experience of the spectators during the games. I have to admit, watching ghost games on TV is much more unexciting than I thought, one is distracted much faster and loses interest much faster, even when the favourite club is playing.

The quote in your post sounds abit like the poster wants "artificial reality" for fans(without their consent?). I wonder who the poster wants that to be made for: the players, viewers or both? In my opinion, it'd better to let the viewers (and even players) know that what they are "getting stimulated with" are not real or something, so they don't feel decieved if they find out. Or just get the real things come and safely watch matches, why not?

Of course Live fans cannot be covered ,though this is a big help for the online watcher since the game is really boring without cheering from the fans.
because they have no choice but to add noise or else there will be viewers coming,and besides with our generation now there are no impossible to be done so lets see how it works and will this be entertained people.

Noise during a match it's like a "must" to have in tv show/live show.
If some of you have already see a live match in a stadium, there is not only the match to see but also listening the chorus, people that scream, players etc etc etc. So it could be and idea add this during broadcast hopefully this will not be the same as Vuvuzela  ;D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnkKISn-DvQ sound  ::)
[During 2010 Fifa World Cup there was this annoying sound in any match and there was a discussion about how to cover this during live show...]

thats good that you confirm if the sound is done on an actual ring or not .  it would be weird if we see an empty stadium but with people shouting  .

i can imagine if what it will be sound or look like because i already saw/hear one like this on some videos.   we all know that they done this for a reason and that is because there are still a covid pandemic going on .  so people will just understand this

It depends on the stadium, there are some NFL stadiums that are nothing more but tourist traps that are very profitable but that do not really have any kind of atmosphere, but there are other stadiums like the CenturyLink field of the Seattle Seahawks and the Arrowhead stadium of the Kansas City Chiefs which are not only really loud but at some point they have held the Guinness World Record for the loudest stadium and as far as I know that record is still in possession of the Arrowhead stadium.

Thanks for explanation. I know about atmosphere in NBA or NHL arenas or MLS stadiums, but I was completely unfamiliar with things on NFL. In NBA it's so bad that I can't even describe it, but in some MLS stadiums atmosphere is actually better than in some stadiums in Europe. Good to hear that there is some loud stadiums in NFL. You know, there is lot of stereotypes about American people who came to sports event to eat and spend their time well instead of supporting their team.

I never go to the stadium, but I heard that the experience is exciting, and makes people forget about everything and only focus on watching the match. But in this pandemic, maybe we will miss that "sound" surrounding the stadium because I think the event will use social distancing to prevent the virus spreads. But I think that event without the audience will be temporary, and after the pandemic is gone, everything will be normal again. Maybe we will see a new normalisation that will happen in all countries.

This is the only way to add income to sustain the operation of each sports that will be conducted this pandemic,adding Virtual
 fans will attract online viewers to enjoy their watching because it is kinda bored when they are just watching the action but
 there are no response from the fans(though this is artificial only)

actually Stadium where the NFL happens are more noisier than NBA games though it is not that noticed because mostly Open
 place so the crowds cheering is less sounds compared to basketball that has closed arena so the sound
 is compact and noticeable .

i have not been in any NFL games because i'm from asia but watching this over and over as GreenBay Packers and Miami
 Dolphins Fan i believe that i understand the game and also needs a artificial sound effect if ever they resume playing this Season.

Live audience is something that motivates many players and their best comes out more when players see them cheering the team and players. We are going through some tough time and the decision of having the virtual fans and crowd noise is really good idea and for the time being it is going to work and also will boost players to some extent rather than having nothing.

With the audience, the players will give their best performance to them as the players don't want to disappoint them. But I think with the virtual fans, that will provide something different to them, and maybe with the virtual fans, the players will still give the best performance as they know that their supporters will still support them. But still, the feels will be different if the supporters don't watch their performance in the stadium.

It happens really! Not in FOX Channel but this time has been done by Italian television (public service) Rai1 !
https://i.ibb.co/rmG2Hf4/Schermata-2020-06-19-alle-10-08-49.png (https://ibb.co/47ZRpgP)
However it seems that this is not the best solution for a live streaming match, at least according the opinion of Aldo Grasso, a famous Italian journalist specialized in tv shows.

Translated:
https://www.corriere.it/spettacoli/20_giugno_18/napoli-juve-stadio-vuoto-triste-ma-se-pubblico-virtuale-diventa-parodia-e83464cc-b132-11ea-842e-6a88f68d3e0a.shtml

It shouldn't be happening without the consent of the viewers, like I stated before. It's based on deception if don't quickly remind them you are doing that for their own good or something. Hope the viewers were told and reminded though

Such an approach will increase the entertainment degree from watching games, but it will all be a fiction.
Today we will watch football with virtual fans, and tomorrow the players themselves may become virtual.

I don’t know whether this is good or bad, but I prefer to see things as they are.
If the world has changed, then we need to learn to live in it and adapt, and not try to cling to the old foundations.

this doesnt increase the entertainment degree because all we can hear is fake sounds and not the sound from a real person but people are already contented about it than nothing at all , atleast games are being resumed .

  its possible that they can also replace the player from real to virtual , like what we saw on online gambling but nothing beats the real life  gambling/sports.

In fact it increases the entertainment degree noticeably. Countless studies have been carried out, especially regarding the artificial laughter in various sitcoms (the so-called laugh tracks). These studies conclude that the viewer is much better entertained when an artificial atmosphere is created in which he or she feels comfortable:

I haven't seen the game with the artificial fan chants, but I can well imagine that it has the same effect there as well. You can see that already when you play FIFA on the XBox. The games are only half as thrilling when you turn off the sound, the fan chants contribute a lot to the fact that you have more fun.

They could probably sell some devices to the real fans and let them chant live from their homes while playing those sound on the stadium. Or say make the reception on both sides while the viewers enjoy the footage and sound with close angle camera from their TV, the players would enjoy the chants are cries of real fans according to their moves.

In my opinion, that can make the players feel confused and can not focus on the games.
Instead of using virtual fans in the stands, the sports events promoter needs to think about how the game can run without any problem, and they should think about taking care of the player, the staff, and themselves.
So that will be not for this time, but maybe in the future, if the situations are not like this, the sports event can invite the audience with a limited number.
I think that will better in these situations so that the player can stay focus on the game without worry with the audience.

There is really nothing old fashion about going outside once in awhile with your community and family members to socialize, compete or exercise together in the right/proper way... It's actually a good thing. It's also a good thing to gather safely and be entertained by competiting people or teams in good/safe games or sports.
Hopefully this and other similar stuff don't lead to people getting forced to live fake reality disguised as the Real Things in the name of safety/peace even when there are good/safe alternatives that don't rely on the restriction of people in extreme manner.

As a temporary replacement it might work for a while, but in the long process promoters and organizations who are handling each events should think for much better ideas, they can't risk the lives of people but with better and responsible protocols they can allow half of the fans to attend implementing all the safety measures that the government are requiring them.
It's still best if you are hearing real people cheering the teams and not just devices that produce fake actions,.

I don't think it will work even on the first try. the crowd noise itself is not the one that boosts the player's morale it is the presence of the crowd that supports them through the game.

the problem I see here is not the promoter or organizers preparing enough guidelines or protocols but the audience who will watch the game. we know that there are a lot of entitled people who thinks that rules doesn't apply to them and doesn't care if they endangered someone else's lives. if it was up to me I'd cancel the game until a vaccine is discovered.

I agree!

Seems that new reality has come and I don't like it.
This might be temporary solution, yes, but sport events and matches without fans and audience make no sense. I don't think that sport players are happy with virtual fans.
I know that some safety measures must be implemented because of pandemic but still we need to continue living somehow and if everything becomes virtual and on the screen only that isn't a good direction.

It's not a bad idea since fans were all used with loud cheering and crowds during games. They can maximize the use of technology with these virtual fans. Also, it's understandable that fans will have a hard time adjusting to watching games without the crowd noise so it may be a good idea as an alternative. It would be better if those cheering will fit on what's happening in the game. I mean if it's a live game, it will be hard to adjust the noise. Fans can decide if it's good or not maybe after trying including the virtual crowd.

It's really one of the downsides of this pandemic that we really have to deal with and adjust almost on everything. I wonder how long should we live like this?

It ain't about personal feelings or what, they may not like it but I think it is necessary to make the game somehow alive. It is kind of dead to watch games without crowd though, might be no sense but it is far away better than having nothing. Besides it is the only compelling solution for such problem so far  ;D.

Won't be that long if vaccines have been introduced to the market now  ;).
Problem is it takes a lot of time to create one :(.

That's the best that they can think for now until the covid19 is gone forever. They could still earn from the broadcast and gain more advertisers and sponsors through it. Settling the tickets and forgetting it as an additional revenue per event.
They could earn more and adjust the rates for their advertisers without compromising the safety of their players. I don't see any problem making  an appearance of their fans in the form of virtual.

Who knows, maybe it's the new normal now?  :(

But honestly, watching sports in empty stadiums without any crowds cheering seems a bit sad for me. In comedy movies it's normal to add laughters, why not for sports? It definitely increases the excitments.

It's same with so many people watching reactions online. They don't only want to watch the content but also some background noises of normal people.

I think it's a good idea. Atleast until the stadiums are sold out again and real fans are back.

So far this is the best alternative they can use to minimize the risk of getting infected by the CoVid-19 virus. We just need to think about it as a lip-sync performance by a popular singer because of certain circumstances that he can no longer sing but still can move his lips. anyway, this is better than nothing because playing without some fans to cheer you on has some negative impact on both teams. because they have been playing with lots of people all around them cheering for them and suddenly there's no one to see. that's some new atmosphere that will likely affect their performance in the game.

It's not that bad idea, it actually helps to make the game more realistic and enjoyable rather than playing only with the coaches or the announcers. Besides, this is just a temporary solution that they can think of since the vaccine is not out yet. Players may not expecting this new normal but what could they do? They would either stay at home and let their hard work training gone to waste or play the game and enjoy the new normal.

I know right! It's like the official tournament games are just practice games, hell, even practice games are a lot better since players could play around so that they can enjoy playing. Here, the competition could be said to be intense and serious, and really, this drains the concentration of the players more than we could ever understand. The cheers of the crowds is one of the boost factors and really, it isn't easy for a player to adjust their mindset with the current disappearance of the cheering of the viewers. Sure, Virtual Noise may add immersion to the experience of other people watching the scene, but what about the players? It's like they're turning this into a commercial aspect to sell, and not to showcase the game.

This is now the age of a new normal for every player, and this needs adjustments at first. If we hear it virtual crowd, that's not for physical but works through technology. For those players who played the sports game, they should maintain a good focus in order to create sustainable mindset to do their task successfully for the game.

Even if how much we disagreed on this or we hated yet this is the only option every game operator must have to at least the online viewer will enjoy because it is more boring if there are no cheering(even if its fake.)

exactly this is temporary.and when the pandemic ends?this will be gone.

Nothing is more happier seeing your friends,family members int he crowd shouting for you while in a match .
This what we can do to help the players and the game as well to continue their legacy.

Even the cheering for people is not too many, but it can satisfying the players and the teams because they see a real sound from the people.
Maybe the replacement is just for testing before they invite the real people to come to the stadium, and they will want to see how good the result.
If they think that all of the protocol procedures is work fine, they will try to invite a limited number of people, and they use social distancing protocols in every chair.

I am afraid that Covid-19 will be with us for a while until the scientist can discover the vaccine.
The important thing here is how the player can give the best performance during the pandemic, and how the sports promoters can get the revenue again after they stop the event.
It is no problem to make an appearance from the virtual audience, but that will need time to set it up while the event will start soon, so hopefully, the setting will be finished at the right time.

Fake laughs have been used at standup comedy shows for a long time. In fact, Britain Got Talent or any other "Got Talent" shows use them too. The reason is that the audience doesn't actually laugh or cheer as much as they appear to be on TV. See Disney Channel or the Saturday Night quarantine episodes where there has been no audience really in the show.

They're probably going to use similar sounds FIFA uses in their games though, because they're very realistic and quite hard to distinguish from the real thing. It's kinda weird to have a completely fake one, but rather than having complete silence it's much better. It might help a lot if the camera will be kept as off-spectators as possible until they get to "pack" the stadiums with audience though.

You think it's a good idea to have the stadiums empty until a cure or vaccine is discovered?

Well, I think the focus should be how to get people to visit such places without violating a well researched and effective safety guideline. The policy makers should be working within the guidelines and not taking unnecessary extreme measures. If a good guideline is strictly followed, people will still be able to gather safely.

By the way, the good thing about many stadiums is that they are not totally enclosed. That will allow for fresh air and help limit the spread of the disease.

It's already there so you shouldn't think of it as if it's a new case that we have to face. Let us strengthen ourselves against the fight with covid19. As long as it hasn't been terminated, we need to think courageous and positive. No issues with the virtual audiences and for sure that the players are also longing to play again because it's their passion and livelihood at the same time.

For some stadium, yes. but for majority of these places on where big events being held then that would surely talk about enclosed one which is really prone to high chances of infecting lots even a single person who do have the virus will able to get in specially to those people who dont show any symptoms which do really make this situation even more worst. Having virtual fans or crowd isnt really
a bad idea at all rather than having no any background noise or some sort because we know that one of factors that do stimulate players/teams performance do really comes to the crowd itself.
They might be aware on the new normal now and have to deal with it but they would really able to feel that odd thing.

I hope people can unite against the virus, and they can use preventive ways from the virus together, so there are not many new cases of COVID-19.
We need to be more careful in the new normal because we never know what will happen in this next phase, and if we don't take care of our health, we can be a new suspect of COVID-19.
We don't want to get infect, and we need to follow every step suggested by the government, so we don't have to worry about the virus.
I am sure the player will do the same thing to carrying their health, and they don't want to be next infected people.

Players are not participating in any game out of concern for their health Everything has been put on hold No one wants to be infected with the virus The government has taken many good steps for them. However, many countries have been able to prevent the virus, the decision to open everything soon There is no doubt in anyone's mind about COVID-19 Now everyone is taking precautions and taking various steps to prevent it.

It's true that a soccer match without live audiences and crowded noises feels weird. If there is a live audience it is usually  the atmosphere
of the match getting more tense, that's what makes the match even more interesting. Since the match was reopen again  without a live
audience, many soccer fans have become a little disappointed. Luckily now FOX has an idea by making virtual fans to  NFL broadcasts,
if successful it might also be applied on football broadcast. I can't wait for the results, although it sure feels weird. At least not bad than
no crowded noises at all.

What about NBA playing without audience in Live?and also American Football playing powerfully without anyone cheering?

Yeah soccer game will never be the same without real fans on the game but almost all Games outdoor have the same situation right?

all they need to do is bare with the situation or never play still until the virus completely cured.

It is the players discretion also mate if how they will managed to enjoy each game because the audience are watching Online so they must do their best to make them feel at home still even if that is not in actual game.

You would really able to tell the difference yet we arent really get used to it. Crowd is one of the best things on where it do make games even more interesting and thrilling.

Its good to see that they are trying out their best to find up solutions on at least considering to have those virtual fans and crowd noise. This isnt only helping out the players itself

but also it would also give out temporary feels just like when we are still on a normal state of living.Im also eyeing on how this thing works.

It will give some confidence to the players but not the same level as it was when the stadium is filled with the audience.And it needs lot of work and money to bring the same feel as people present in the stadium and all these things have to be done for no profits,then I doubt this kind of module will be implemented on every sport to tackle covid 19.

I haven't watched any live sports games until now.
Baseball, soccer, NFL, or NBA.

Is it really happening already? Virtual crowd, sounds, and cheers?
I just can't imagine it yet. Like the sounds while playing NBA2k and Madden?

It won't as there's no assurance that people who will watch each games from different games / sports will simply noticed that there are no real audiences.

Like what I've said, temporarily might but long term it won't, fans still love to hear and see real actions, also with the players they all wanted real cheering from the fans who are supporting them while playing the game.

it's a bit like that, yes. they are already doing the fake crowd noise thing in bundesliga matches. it's not too bad IMO although slightly awkward with the empty stands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrgO0ITWF5Q

here is a CGI crowd reel---this is what virtual fans will look like: https://www.themill.com/stories/our-cg-crowds-reel-is-here/

when the news about this first came out, i thought it would be extremely cheesy, but this actually looks better than i expected.

I don't know exactly where and how this started, but recently it has become very popular. In almost all sports fields, we can now see that clubs and teams provide morale for both the athletes and their athletes with this method, and besides that, they gain income with this method, although not as much as the fan income. Although it is a very nice method and this method is motivating for both teams and fans, I hope that we will return to the old system as soon as possible. Regardless of the type of sport, it would not be a lie if I said I watched the competition as a fan.

Though it is frustrating because i love watching game live here in my country yet People must be thankful to FOX because they are giving much effort just to give viewers and fans satisfaction even in this social distancing time.

Imagine how hard to watch Games without even hearing anything.now at least we will enjoy watching our favorite team (with fake cheering) .

Thanks for FOX team for organizing such thing for us.

I can understand if they’ll introduce it into broadcast matches from TV screens to increase the interest of the audience, but I don’t understand what is the point of introducing this directly into the matches themselves. After all, someone will have to sit and press buttons for various gaming moments, thereby creating artificial noise. Obviously, the AI will not cope with this, which means that the role of the "crowd" will be played by one or a group of people. This is comparable to the artificial applause played from a tape recorder.

@figmentofmyass initially I was reluctant to turn on the volume because I wasn’t sure if I would like the artificial fans noise or no, but in the end I decided to give it a try, and honestly I fell in love with it as it made me feel that spectators were there in the stands.

However it seems that not all have warmed up to the Artificial fans noise idea, as Watford boss and commentator Derek Rae are against this idea.

It’s also pertinent to note that player’s in the stadium cannot hear this noise as of now, but for next season I feel they’ll be able to hear it.

Source:

https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/premier-league-crowd-noise-why-how-to-turn-it-on-off-can-players-/1fn9xscokj38t10ssltv3ve7tg

I watched the german Bundesliga this way and I must say it was kind of interesting to watch it that way.
It was nice to hear team communication, shouting and yelling if things went as planned or not as planned.
I wouldn't want it to be like that forver (obv.) but it sure got me in the game more hearing the players plan and shout as they were playing.

I think the sound will be like at the game Soccer, which we can hear the sound of the virtual audience if we can make a goal. That person will have a job to push the buttons for any bad or good moments, but the commentator will still be used to the match. I think the AI is not too necessary because they can record the sound from the game or the other sources. But it will not be as good as the real audience who come and watch the match.

This would be the perfect time to test the latest developments in the old tech of holograms. Like what you saw in old movies back when you can watch TV via holograms or you can talk to somebody else using hologram technology. This will be a good time to test those and see if that can supplement the lack of a physical audience. I think the hologram is the least developed of all visual technologies possibly because there is no use in today's society. But I think this will and should now be valued in an era where social distance will regularly be observed.

I think that holograms are tested from quite some time now.I remembering when they used in the USA many years ago a 2Pac hologram in his honor and people were shocked to see it.I think it is time to put this thing in work in a stadium and I think it can offer some sort of simulation of a real crowd.They just need to add some sounds from Tv channels who are broadcasting the game and that should do it.

Yes I remember seeing that and it was in 2012... so yes there are probably more advanced technologies out now that would make it look even better...

This is the need of the hour and since maintaining social distance is a must in this times, so we cannot allow the live crowd firstly in full capacity and if board decides to avoid the live audience then this idea of having the virtual fans and crowd noise is really worthwhile. because there are some games which requires the audience cheering up as it encourages the players and team. Also, this could be replicate in many other games for now.

It would be nice to somehow implement the idea when the voice of a person sitting at home was transmitted through a microphone to the stadium, but I'm afraid it is technically too difficult to implement.
I think the biggest work is now assigned to the commentator, because it will be he who will crush the intensity of emotions during the match, which means that the noise of the stands will be adjusted for him.

Virtual audience, virtual judges, and with virtual players we would cover everything! This is crazy in my opinion, the need for fake audiences, and purpose is what? Fake public for fake feelings, where are we going with this? I would say better to play on empty stadiums and when this virus passes people will come to stadiums again, there's no need for fake things that will give you fake feelings. But it's me, if I wish virtual public and players I will play PES on Sony.

How about this? They let people back into the stadiums by opening day, Thursday, Sept. 10th? That way they can have real crowd noises and don't have to do that artificial B.S. It's still well over 2 months away! Seriously don't understand how much longer this virus has to disrupt everything. Maybe just make the attendees sign waivers that they won't sue if they contract the virus at the stadium.

I would also encourage people to wear face masks and give them away for free with each ticket collected at the entrance, but not make it mandatory. You can't very well eat a hot dog and drink a beer while wearing a mask. Trust me I already tried.

If worse comes to worse, I have no doubt the NFL will do an excellent job of producing fake crowds and noise. Their production values are top notch. It may be a bit wonky during the first few games as they get the system hammered out, but I could live with it.

Still seems like its taking away from the overall experience of the sport, even as a TV viewer or radio listener :/

Just happy they're not delaying/canceling the season altogether.

Curse this idiotic virus.

It can be done, but the event staff needs to check every people who want to watch the match. They need to make sure that people are healthy, and not as a carrier or asymptomatic because that can make other people infected. Maybe they need to discuss with the other staff to invite people but in the limited number of people.


It is a must in these situations, but I am afraid they will not obey that. I think people who don't use a mask will not allow watching in the stadium, which is the consequence for them.

great idea ,i never thought of this instead what mostly tackle here is about the fake sounds and not adding images like this Hologram.

With the technology we have now?we are from advanced than 2012 when they use this in memory of 2pac.

That makes sense and also we can see how far this technology goes. Holograms, I only see them in some sci-fi movies. now if given more days to live, I can finally witness how it will look like if used in the public. If this is the case, then the match will no longer far from being real. The best thing about this pandemic is we can try something that we aren't supposed to do and that's cool.

no we shouldnt give credits to covid because this idea is not new and already been used before   .

covid here is still our enemy  and people's creativity are still being released without covid   . match is already real but only the fans were not because they are restricted but this hologram idea can be our best option just to continue the game  online  or on national t.v compare to a standard visualization that may look ugly yet  .

I see the point in creating artificial noise in the broadcasts, because this will increase the enthusiasm of the viewer.

However, what is the point of creating in the field where the players play?
After all, fans have always been considered an additional player for the team.

In the current conditions, it will be necessary to distribute the noise evenly on both teams so that there would not be an advantage in either direction.
But then it’s easier not to make any noise whatsoever for the teams to play on equal terms.
And let the audience have fun as they please.

I don't think it will be easy to use a microphone at home to be transmitted in the stadium because that needs more work to see. Besides that, I can not imagine how it will be if many microphones transmitted at the same time in the stadium. It is better to use the commentator in the stadium, which explains what is happening in the field while we can watch the match at our home.

That's a good idea, as long as the players can feel the presence of crowds even if they are virtual, that will motivate them to play harder, there is a difference if there are crowds and there are none, it will just like a practice and exhibition if no crowds are around, even those watching at home will see the intensity if there are crowds are around even if they are virtual only.

This Nypost article mentioned what NBA broadcasts will be like to make the games more fun and entertaining for players and viewers. Organizers are thinking of getting fans to participate through an app. They will send out the noise and excitement they feel at home while watching their favorite game. There is also talk of doing a competition among fans. Taking advantage of their live emotions.
Maybe this strategy is implemented for other sporting events like the NFL.

https://nypost.com/2020/06/20/mavericks-mark-cuban-sounds-off-on-nba-restart-black-lives-matter/ (https://nypost.com/2020/06/20/mavericks-mark-cuban-sounds-off-on-nba-restart-black-lives-matter/)

Personally I've seen those holograms do their work and it's not for everyone. Fake noise maybe it's not so bad because it's about bringing back familiarity that people already have unless they have empty stadiums or quiet ones like ManCity;)

But for me to hear about motivation, if players need holograms to play better, they're probably not the players you want on your team!

It should be hologram of real live sounds and spectactors then... so sports don't slowly degenerate from the real to the fake, and people in the distant future won't even remember what actual sport was like in the past.
Hopefully people don't gradually lose meaning of real things with the way things are moving to the virtual computer world

The other day I watched footbal match and at first I thought how come that there are people at the stadium. Then I saw that the audience is made of paper and there is recorded sound of the crowd cheering and making noise that was present all the time. I have to.admit that looked weird and funny to me and I definetely wouldn't like that sport turns into this, what a shame that would be...

Exactly. I think the scenario is not ruled out in which during the next pandemic we will watch games with virtual players controlled by artificial intelligence.
Each player will own his own AI, learn and adapt. Bets will be made on this, and at some point, it is possible that this could become a trend.
It sounds terrible, but it is precisely such thoughts that arise when I hear news about a fake audience.

the MLB is set to start its shortened season in a few weeks and isn't ruling out allowing fans in stadiums. it sounds like it will depend on local authorities. in turn, i guess that depends on where and whether coronavirus cases keep surging. we might see limited capacity in some stadiums and no fans in others. https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2020-06-27/major-league-baseball-is-not-totally-ruling-out-fans-for-2020


i imagine it will be. it's something but certainly no replacement for live sports venues.

This must be such a surreal experience for Americans.

In Europe it's often that teams can get penalized by their league because of their fans or player misconduct, and they can end up playing with no fans. It's a disincentive to acting out because it's also hurting teams financially. But also a season's ticket for games in Europe costs as much as a couple or so of seats in a game in the US so it's hard to compare the two. It's a completely different type of experience.

In Europe oftentimes fans are working-class while in the US it's more of a luxury to visit a stadium. The spirit is also different in the crowds. I don't think it'll be much of an impact to play without fans for a game of American football. It's better to have the game run than not anyway. But to have mock fans is just adding insult to injury.

People are not that dumb. Obviously, they know it's virtual. Do you really think it will lead to "fake feelings" as you mentioned lol?

It's just that they want to add some spice in the new normal scene.

I don't see anything wrong with that. Let them just do what they want to add entertainment to household viewers.

I think it's not for a player's motivation as they are always motivated and giving their best to the game.

FOX just thinks of a way to still carry the presence of being in the usual event even in reality there is no live audience.

They say "broadcast" so it meant to the television viewers.

When they win, they will be always motivated to win more. But I don't think that will happen with the teams who lose because their spirit will go down because of the high tension and they will feel it is not easy to get motivated. The audience's presence can bring their motivation back to the stadium, so they will rise and try to survive and even try to win. But it is a beginning from FOX, and I am sure that if everything is under control, FOX will think the other way to bring the audience to the stadium.

Professional players are already playing against the pressure to win for "many many many years"!

How come they will struggle to be motivated just because of no audience? They already know that as part of the new normal so adjustment is already made which is easy and not that difficult to overcome.

If these players can't play well because of no audience then the team's management is just totally wasting money on their salary.

   Chaser15 you have a point here, if they can't be motivated to win for higher salaries, for winning championship than
the team management is wasting money.
   Call me old, but I don't like virtual fans idea. Younger generations are attracted by virtual things, and they will like this, for us
who are +40 virtual is not so interesting.

This cannot be a part of motivating for the players because it has nothing to do with them,they can't even notice the presence of fake audience because this is only in Video and sound effect.
Actually their main concern is the Viewers online because those are also the prospected bettors online.

They will also consider using fake images to look realistic even in TV.

In my opinion as long as for something positive there is no harm in trying the idea of adding virtual fans and crowd noises.
I also have never felt watch sports games with fake noises. At least it will be a little entertaining in my opinion and make
broadcasts more interesting.This virtual audience is specifically for entertaining television viewers, so the stadium remains
empty and there are no crowd noises.

Yes, the professional players have those experiences, but if they feel that the no audience in these situations, maybe they will not feel right. Maybe some of the professional players will feel there is an empty side in the stadium which they usually heard, and that can give an effect on some players. They already know, but still, it feels different and they need to familiarize themselves for a while or some rounds. Well, let us see what will happen in the stadium without any audience.

It is no harm and it's for the good of the event and also for the fans and supporters. They have found a solution to continue the broadcast, the matches and as well as the viewing of the audiences.
We can't ask for more but to adopt this temporarily and when things back to the way it used to be, then fans can rush to buy their own tickets when there's no more a virus threat.

We dont really have any options but to deal up with this new normal even though you dont like to have these virtual fans then
you would need to deal with it since the management do integrate such thing to the game.

Yeah this is for the good of the event where people can still feel of the sound of the crowd even though this is on virtual side
but its better rather than having nothing at all.

We should still appreciate such move.

I totally agree with you. Over the last week I watched several football matches and I can notice that without the noise of the stadium, the game looks very pale (even when top clubs play). Even playing on the console looks more exciting and atmospheric than matches with empty stands, so I support these measures.

Whatever strategy they can add to make the game more alive and exciting is always welcome. The atmosphere is really dull without the audience but it is the new normal among sports events. Better be safe than sorry. At least we can watch some sports live and not a replay one.

I really can't imagine sports events without the fans, the cheering, and the energy they bring to the field. So for me, it's ok for them to add those noises though what I want is not the artificial noises you hear in youtube videos but rather all the combines noises of virtual people or people watching from their computers on the internet. It's good for the players to hear that they are hearing real voices from real people and not just pre-recorded ones.

It's the same feeling when you're playing NBA 2k on PlayStation.

But if the SFX of virtual fans and crowd noise is just repetitive, it will become boring. I hope there are different kinds of SFX and it'll adjust depends on the game's situation especially when the scores don't have huge gap in last quarter. Athletes really need motivation on playing and the fans are one of it so it'll be a great help not only to watchers in TV and online but to players also.

 ;D I just imagined this picture: a fan in front of his TV at home screaming into a microphone. And this sound (like many others) is transmitted to the speakers in the stadium. This is some kind of anti-utopian cyberpunk  ;D

Well, it may be weird at all and strange to be done because it is not really usual at all.
However, it is better than never, better than no sport again during this pandemic. The Fox may have thought about the negative sides of this way, holding the sports by still following the health protocol during this pandemic. There is no audience directly, but only broadcasting the sport live.
It is no matter for the shake of good things for all sides, for the industry, players, parties, and also for the audiences. It is better than forcing there are audiences and will make the spreading of the virus worse, isn't it?

Someone who don't like the idea of virtual fans doesn't appreciate the efforts of these people who are working behind to make these events happen. And also, you don't really understand how hard the world is dealing with this covid19 pandemic. People who are pushy and never understand the positive that these changes bring, I don't know what's on your mind guys. Just deal with it and be thankful that there will be broadcast and they are no longer replays.  :)

They are doing a nice initiative since they don't have a crowd to cheer them up and listening to those virtual cheers are also a confident booster for the player, I understand there are people doesn't like it but as of now they don't have a choice and the game will be more boring if there's no something like that putted on the game. And I'm really thankful for that since even if there's pandemic we can still see them resume the games and that is a good sign for the sports industry.

wow This must be cool right?having a hologram audience with sounds is really attracted and no wonder this will lure many viewers and Bettors also if FOX extend their legacy putting Hologram in their effort.

How many of us had watched this videos?and also in Tupac's memory concert as the organizer use the same.

I really look forward to at least some changes! Today I watched the Juventus-Torino football match, Ronaldo scored a magnificent goal from the free kick and if it was a match under normal conditions, we would have seen the stadium’s great emotions and a wonderful celebration of this goal... but in reality, everything went as if it was an ordinary training. Even the emotions of teammates and commentators have not changed anything  :-\

Very well said! Players can actually adapt anything , its just a matter of psychological issue when in talks of no audience kind of games that they would play on which wont really be hard imho for them to do so.
They cant just degrade out their performance just because theres no audience? It wont really be that a valid reason and in talks of about pressure then they are already get use to it same as you said.
Its odd to play on a crowdless gymnasium when you do play but since we are already on a new normal thing then players do need to deal with it and continue the business as usual.

i'll admit, when i first read about this stuff, that's what came to mind---repetitive/boring effects like playstation and dreamcast era madden and nba 2k. but it's not 1999 anymore. CGI and sound effects have come a long way. the scope of spectator activity will be exponentially bigger now.

just watch this reel and tell me you aren't impressed: https://www.themill.com/stories/our-cg-crowds-reel-is-here/

This is really impressive! It looks real, I'm not really against the idea even though I know players can still play without it but there's nothing wrong trying it, they just want to bring back the energy the audience brings with them, watching with the audience feels different right. And yup, is there a way that this CGI audiences will react according to the situation of the game? Its better cause if the audience react opposite to the situation, it can create awkwardness, imagine audience shouting with a player injured, crucial fouls and plays, etc.

Yeah, You're right, the 21st-century version of virtual fans looks fantastic and have almost the same atmosphere with the real fans.  I think this pandemic has brought us something that we don't use to see every day including this one. people always come with some fantastic ideas of alternatives regardless of what we are facing today. this is the good time to try these kind of stuff and I think this would work like some real ones.

https://i.ibb.co/GQn3WYf/Screenshot-2.jpg (https://www.themill.com/stories/our-cg-crowds-reel-is-here/)

Wow, this actually doesnt look that bad! Of course they cant replace real fans, that sometimes do unexpected things when being filmed but I think that would at least make us feel more comfortable watching sports.

Yes, it's a boost for the players and that's also going to be a real-time cheer not just a pre-recorded cheer from their fans. No need to be picky this time and we've got something to take in and we have to fill ourselves with it.
There is no need to whine with the temporary solution of virtual fans. True fans will love the idea and will appreciate all the efforts that they do.

Given the speed with which technology (such as deep fake) is moving, the average spectator of a sporting event on TV will soon not even be able to understand how real a match he is watching. This applies not only to fake fans but also to the players themselves  ;D

Yeah, why such add virtual fans and crowd noise? This feature will let the viewers divided on their point of view. Others may going like it especially if it a real crowd noise and not an artificial. Besides, the commentators job will do already to sustain the excitement during the live watch.

Live match does not really need the crowd noise. It will just be a disturbance and yeah it will just look like unreal. This could also mean a noise crowd fight when the watch shows excitement.

I do not agree with you. Recently I have been watching matches of the Italian football championship (they are held without spectators) and this is a rather difficult sight even despite the excellent quality of the game. Without the fans and emotions of the stadium, it seems that this is a regular training session, in such an atmosphere the importance of the match is not at all felt.

I am among those who totally agree with the idea of adding virtual fans and crowd noise. What FOX will do is very good, because I watch
football without a live audience really boring, reducing the tension of the match. Hopefully it gives a different effect with add virtual fans
and crowd noise. In my opinion this is important to be realized right.

Normally I'd disagree but they cant allow crowds in the normal way in these current circumstances, it will certainly lead to a death and an avoidable one.    Theres even been times in history when crowds were banned for other reasons, some of the extreme riots and poor crowd behaviour in soccer games this has been the case so right now its fair to find a substitute or representative of distant fans.
   One take I saw for online games or esports is to show fans on webcam, its not really the same because they are separate not together mostly but it kinda works.   A crowd has a dynamic of its own so they need to improve connecting the fans so they can hear enough other and chant together and so on, otherwise its just not as good.      Old footage of fans cheering is quite fine, it just takes skill to match it up properly and avoid any false dynamic.
  Sometimes fans would gather on a hill or field to watch a giant screen together, not at the game but watching together.   So if they could connect enough people, at least one hundred to give a large screen of not just the game but each other in a collage of live footage then it could work, hard to sync up though and a challenge but we have the tech nowadays that its a possible thing if they make an effort.

broadcasters have been doing the home camera thing in a limited sense for years. i think we'll see more of that, yes. there are also new apps being developed that will allow fans to "cheer" remotely: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/07/yamaha-idea-let-sports-fans-send-virtual-cheers-into-empty-stadiums.html

we'll probably see a combination of this kinda remote fan participation and virtual/CGI crowds and noise to make the whole experience more realistic and competitive. it won't be quite the same as the old days, but it's better than empty stadiums with echoes and commentators and nothing else.