Change My Mind: Recorded Crowd Noise At Football Games Is Awful
I tried. Oh Lord, how I have tried. I have tried to watch multiple games this year, and have to admit that pro sports have just been an awkward downer this year.
I know I should be celebrating. As a Saints fan, I should be screaming "Who Dat" from the rooftops. We're having a great season despite all of the locker room and mask drama, and the fact that Brees has been sidelined.
I was so happy to learn that I could watch football as a part of my Amazon Prime membership. I even watched Dallas recently, and they even had the lead for a little bit.
Yet still, this year has felt awkward and it's been a downer. The reason? I'll just point to the stands.
The stands are empty, or mostly empty. Crowd noise is played like canned laughter in a poorly written sitcom. Instead of being a distraction, every time the camera pans out to reveal the stands I'm reminded of the times we live in.
Recently, I tried kicking up a football inspired argument with a good friend of mine and found myself lacking any passion at all. It feels odd arguing over which team is the best when it's a roll of the dice whether or not your favorite team has had to deal with players getting Covid-19.
I have high hopes for next year. With the news of a vaccine, and news that concert promoters are eyeing next summer as the return of concerts, hopefully this means we can get back to football being what we remember it as.
Rooting for my favorite team has felt like a labor of love this year, and it has nothing to do with how they played.