As the Los Angeles Dodgers are going through workouts at Dodger Stadium during Spring Training 2.0, one reality they continuously will be reminded of is having to playing games without fans in attendance this season — at least initially.
Such is necessary as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues impacting the United States. However, MLB is deferring to local governments to make the decision on when fans can safely attend games again.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has already expressed an interest in allowing his state’s teams to fill stadiums at a 50% capacity. As for California teams, that possibility appears more unlikely now.
Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten conceded that he isn’t confident fans will be able to take in games at Dodger Stadium this season after recent conversations with L.A. County officials.
During an appearance on the “Holding Kourt” podcast, Justin Turner explained why it will be difficult to play in empty ballparks, specifically for home games:
“It’s going to not be enjoyable at all. We want to play in front of fans, especially as Dodgers. We have the best fans in all of baseball. Not only do we have 4 million fans come a year into Dodger Stadium, but you can ask anyone around the league, and we travel as good as anyone. … It’s something we feed off: the energy, the adrenaline, the music, the cheering. Even the booing and fans that talk smack.
“It’s kind of like the inner Michael Jordan in us. You talk a little smack and it gives us the chip on our shoulder. It’s going to be hard to get motivated every day when you know you’re not showing up to put on a show for people in person. Now, we do know a lot of people are going to be watching on TV, so we’re still putting on a show and we still want to go out and perform. It’s just going to be a different feeling not having people in there and not being able to throw balls into the stands to little kids.”
The Dodgers routinely lead the Majors in attendance and even receive strong support on the road. While it will be a difficult adjustment for players, the Dodgers are among the teams considering using artificial crowd noise this season.
During a recent workout at Dodger Stadium, Turner tested the concept by taking batting practice while realistic crowd noise piped in.
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