Major League Baseball games will have a much different look this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The most notable change is that fans won’t initially be permitted to attend.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are among a handful of teams attempting to fill the void by placing cutout boards of fans in seats. All 30 clubs will additionally integrate piped-in crowd noise to give games a more realistic feel.
The Dodgers have experimented with this in recent weeks to mixed results. While fans can’t physically be at the ballpark this season, the opportunity still exists to let their voices be heard at games.
According to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times, fans can dictate how loud the crowd noise is by using the new “Cheer at the Ballpark” MLB app:
That brings us to another new MLB app called “Cheer at the Ballpark,” where fans can watch the game and react as they would if they were there. The collected emotions can be sent to the sound operators in each ballpark, who can respond with appropriate crowd noise.
However, the league made clear it is not about to use its technology to abet fans that might register hearty boos when their team is playing the Houston Astros. The sound operators can just say no. “They don’t have to ratchet the booing up to an unprecedented level,” Marinak said.
The unique app will allow fans to still feel involved while watching games at home. But each team’s respective sound operator will ultimately have the final say as to what is blared over the speakers.
Dodgers players on board with artificial noise
Justin Turner was among the more vocal proponents of having piped-in sound after watching the KBO experiment with it and even more so after hearing how it would sound at Dodger Stadium, even if it doesn’t offset not having fans present.
“I’ll start off by saying nothing is going to replace our fans. We have the best fans in baseball. You can’t emulate 56,000 people here jazzed up for Dodger baseball,” he said.
“But speaking to the crowd noise, it’s way better than having nothing in the stadium and just silence. I enjoyed it. It gave me a little bit of adrenaline just having that noise and random cheers.”
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