Silver Minings: Should games without fans have fake broadcast sound?

If there are no fans allowed in some NFL stadiums during parts, or all, of the 2020 season, the league will thrive because of its huge television presence.

NFL games dominate television ratings on a weekly basis and that will only increase this fall if fans can’t attend games. Of course, there are a lot of fans who much prefer to watch the NFL from home, anyway. So, this might be the most important NFL season ever when it comes to television broadcasting.

The Athletic has looked into what NFL games in empty stadiums would look and sound like. It reported that former Raiders’ coach and broadcasting icon John Madden has recommended that there shouldn’t be any pumped-in fake fan voice for broadcasts.

I think there will be enough natural noise from the field and the sidelines that it will still work. Coupled with strong play-by-play and analysis from the broadcast team, and it could be a fun, new experience.

Will it be a bit odd? Sure, but this entire damn thing is odd. We’ve all adjusted our lives so much in the past few months. Watching a football game without canned fan noise will be near the bottom of my adjustments during this coronavirus pandemic.

What are your thoughts?

In other Raiders’ links:

• Smart move: Bleacher Report offers its smartest moves of the offseason for all teams.
• More issues in Las Vegas: The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that there continues to be coronavirus positive tests among workers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Still, the stadium is expected to open on time.
• Prince is underrated: Pro Football Focus thinks new Raiders’ cornerback Prince Amukamara is underrated.
• Honoring Class of 2020: The Raiders honored all of our 2020 graduates. I second that. Congrats, gang. Go get what is yours.
• Good news, Bay Area Raiders’ fans: This may allow you to see more Raiders’ games.