The Point After: Sports Needs Fans In Attendance as Soon and Safely As Possible

Why sports need fans back as soon as possible.

Transcript

00:00It may not be as heavily as words like pandemic and devastation and unprecedented,

00:06but here's a term that's been in heavy rotation lately, soundstage.

00:11As in, going forward, will sports be played on a soundstage?

00:16In this time of social distancing, what could be less appealing than the prospect of tens

00:21of thousands of fans gathering together in one venue?

00:24So it is that we're thinking about playing games on the equivalent of, well, soundstages.

00:30We film Hollywood movies or make Netflix shows

00:32in private before they're seen by millions.

00:35Why not do the same for the Cowboys or the Lakers?

00:39Already, we've been headed this way.

00:40For years, as media rights have escalated, it's been clear that the fans at home

00:46or on their devices are more important than the ones in the stands.

00:50All those flex times and starting times, TBD and World Series games ending past midnight,

00:56it's all done to appease the TV gods at the expense

00:59of the mortals who actually buy the tickets.

01:02One cliffhanger in these uncertain times, how far does this go?

01:07LeBron James said he wasn't interested in soundstages,

01:10so-called closed-door games, because he plays for the fans.

01:15But the phase-out has begun already.

01:17Did WrestleMania suffer for the lack of fans?

01:20Would we still not watch the Masters with no galleries?

01:24As for LeBron's league, the NBA is looking at holding the postseason in warehouses

01:28and even, it was suggested, on a cruise ship.

01:32This entire crisis has forced us to reconsider so much.

01:37What about the role of the folks who bear witness to games and watch in person?

01:42The fans in the seats give games so much flavor and so much energy and so much texture.

01:47And in a time when we hunger for community, tailgates and those mass cheers of defense

01:53and even the stupid wave have never seemed more vital.

01:57As long as large gatherings are potentially deadly,

02:00go ahead and play games on soundstages.

02:03It beats the alternative.

02:05But as soon as possible, here's a plea to bring the live studio audiences back

02:10and then respect them more.