Munich / Philadelphia – When the NFL is currently in its 101st season in mid-September, the season will be a very special one due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to massive loss of revenue that threatens the teams in empty stadiums, the effects for the players are less complicated, but highly emotional – such circumstances are completely new territory.
Ghost games as “culture shock”
“My feeling about playing in an empty stadium – I definitely don’t remember it. I’ve never played in an empty stadium, honestly,” said Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles on the YouTube series “Outside the Lane “by team-mate Lane Johnson.
“Even in Pop Warner (the largest and oldest youth football program in the United States, Anm. d. Red.) I looked at the stands and saw fans. It will be a culture shock, “Jackson fears.
And further: “I think at the end of the day we are all professionals and we will all get used to it. At the beginning it will certainly be strange, but hopefully an alternative can be found.”
Jackson sees the top sporting performances endangered by ghost games: “I think many teams and players draw on energy.”
Declining level due to the absence of the 12th man? A fact that you want to counteract as much as possible.
Is NFL planning measures for artificial mood?
“CBS” recently reported speculation that the franchises would consider creating an artificial stadium atmosphere in the coming season.
Jackson goes one step further and suggests an alternative to keep the viewers entertained even more in front of the screens at home.
The 33-year-old made the suggestion to equip every player on the field with a microphone: “It will go crazy (without fans, Anm. d. Red.). I think they should do it (equip the players with microphones, Anm. d. Red.). You should give fans a deeper insight so they can see what’s really going on between the white lines. It will go crazy. “
The viewer would get a deep look behind the scenes: “I can testify that the trenches are going crazy and I know that it is the same with the conversations that go back and forth outside the square.”
Unlikely to expand Mic’d Up
Despite the merits of the fans, it is doubtful that the NFL will expand its “Mic’d Up” program. According to the report, the franchises would hardly agree to nationwide cabling of their players, which significantly increases the risk of announcing franchise internals .
In addition, some players would probably prefer their battle cries, which are not always adult, not to land one on one on TV.
Even if the fans would surely lick their fingers afterwards.
Daniel Kugler
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