Would No Fans In Stadiums Give Bucs An Edge?
April 15th, 2020
The Bucs haven’t had a winning record at home in a season since Chucky patrolled the sidelines in 2008.
That’s a home field disadvantage of epic proportions.
The Bucs offense even had to go to a silent count in multiple games — because the Den of Depression crowd had too many screaming fans of opposing teams.
Sad!
Powerful national figures have been talking this week about professional sports returning to play games without fans because of the freakin’ plague that has kicked the United States in the groin with a steel tip boot.
Joe suspects this is the way the NFL might operate in 2020, though it’s hard to believe suite-holders who collectively pay many millions for their luxury boxes would be told to stay home and enjoy their gigantic refunds.
Regardless, the whole potential no-fans-in-the-stands thing has Joe wondering whether this would actually help the Bucs on the field.
For example, the Bucs host the Packers this season. Maybe it improves the Bucs’ chances of winning without 25,000 Packers fans making Tom Brady wonder what city he’s in?
Or maybe the electricity of packed night-game crowds is something that would be too much for the many Bucs players unaccustomed to that kind of pressure? (Yes, it’s a safe bet the Bucs host at least two night games this season.)
As for Tampa Bay road games, well, Joe likes the Bucs-friendly concept of playing in New Orleans, Denver, Atlanta, New Jersey and Vegas in silence. That should be a bonus.
Joe certainly hopes fans get to attend live football in four short months, when the start of the preseason kicks off. But hell, if no fans in the stands helps the Bucs get back to the Super Bowl, then so be it.
April 15th, 2020 at 11:35 am
Better having the NFL at least on TV with no live fans than no NFL…..
Maybe a slight advantage for Bucs…..but not much.
April 15th, 2020 at 11:39 am
if empty stadiums are going to be a reality, i think the NFL should allow one fan from each time on either side of the stadium. They could bring in their own food and brew from Big Storm and cheer like hell. That would be great for TV and the luck fans that get the opportunity.
April 15th, 2020 at 11:40 am
each *team
April 15th, 2020 at 11:43 am
Momentum is real crowd brings it.
April 15th, 2020 at 11:47 am
Empty stadium games (TV) is better than no games.
April 15th, 2020 at 11:48 am
But if we can’t attend the games then the Den of Depression moniker should remain in tact IMO no matter what the record is.
What’s the point of not losing if there’s nobody walking out in shame suffering depression.
That moniker should live on til the day we can actually see them at the stadium and not expect to be depressed.
April 15th, 2020 at 11:50 am
If we can’t go to the games the League should just go sitcom style…….You can paint in fake crowds for the background and filter in crowd noise audio. And we won’t even be able to tell the difference.
April 15th, 2020 at 11:59 am
“The Bucs offense even had to go to a silent count in multiple games — because the Den of Depression crowd had too many screaming fans of opposing teams”
I believe it….cause I’ve been there and heard it.
Disgusting!
April 15th, 2020 at 12:12 pm
Not me! I got 50yd line season tickets for Christmas!. They will have to take me out of the stadium kicking and screaming ! LOL… please make this stop! We need football 😉
April 15th, 2020 at 12:16 pm
As a former season ticket holder, there is no feeling quite like going to a packed stadium cheering for your team. It’s been too long for Tampa.
April 15th, 2020 at 12:42 pm
Owners should consider a “lottery” for tickets to each game. Some quick mental math calculations show a 25-33% stadium capacity could be achieved with “social distancing”, and that would be enough to create *some* crowd noise.
That would be every third seat staggered in every row.
That would also generate more $$$ for the team than purely empty stadiums.
April 15th, 2020 at 12:42 pm
Imagine a quiet Seattle stadium…
April 15th, 2020 at 12:49 pm
Jimmy Jack, why are even offering an opinion to this? What is this “we” you speak of? You yourself aren’t a season ticket holder, state you rarely go to games because even the cheap seats are out of your league, and you boldly brag that you pay for cheap seats in rare games you can go to, and steal the better seats that others have to pay for. You are bamboozling the team you claim to support and are setting a poor example for your family and others.
Enjoy!
April 15th, 2020 at 12:52 pm
This article was heartbreaking.
April 15th, 2020 at 12:52 pm
We have the cannons……..advantage over other teams without……FIRE THE CANNONS!!!
April 15th, 2020 at 12:52 pm
M ugh the weird for Brady, the rest of the team would thrive
April 15th, 2020 at 12:54 pm
Why is it EVERYTIME I hear the Bucs have an edge on ANYTHING, they let me down.
April 15th, 2020 at 1:40 pm
@Adam
That is both an awesome and hilarious idea 🙂
April 15th, 2020 at 1:43 pm
Nothing would put a sweeter cherry on top of our Super Bowl victory than ending the den of depression curse with a years supply of an empty stadium
April 15th, 2020 at 2:42 pm
This is Definitely a good thing for the Den Of Depression. I HATE seeing opposing fans being louder than our own!
April 15th, 2020 at 2:52 pm
No fans in the stands? Works pretty well for The Rays!!
April 15th, 2020 at 3:08 pm
Like al have said here. I want an NFL season. If it means limiting fans then so be it. You could bring in like a 100 fans on both sides, social distance them and lets ball baby! I cannot fathom going without sports much longer.
April 15th, 2020 at 3:11 pm
Can someone explain how the stands would be empty but the rosters, coaching staff, medical team, clubhouse workers are fully staffed? Are they all given a free immunity pass by the Dear Leader? Wake up guys- -the players will be back when the fans are coming back. Other than those that think they are immune because they had it already or are just big, tough Florida Bubbas, nobody is going to show up.
Draft for 2021!
April 15th, 2020 at 4:12 pm
If we play with no fans I wonder if the “TV show” will simply add “cheer tracks” the way Sitcoms do with laugh tracks.
Not really that difficult to pull off and make a good TV show. Don’t wish to hear announcers sound like their calling a golf tournament.
April 15th, 2020 at 4:27 pm
Heh. A headline that says Tamps fans suck. I like it!!!!
April 15th, 2020 at 5:42 pm
This would affect 20 people who attend the bucs home games now and most of those are fans from the other team. Allowing no fans may be an actual home field advantage for the Bucs.
April 15th, 2020 at 6:02 pm
the governors of both major cities…
new york and california…
have announced there will be no professional sports or concerts in their states until 2021…
so the football season is over…
no jets, giants, bills, rams, chargers and 49ers games…
everyone will follow suit unless these 6 teams are just forfeiting their games and the nfl plays with 26 teams…
all concerts and sporting events are finished until 2021 as well
April 15th, 2020 at 7:31 pm
Adam, I thought it was the mayors of NYC and LA who are proposing bans in their cities, that is very different than a complete state wide ban as the NY teams play in the Meadowlands in NJ, the Chargers play in Carson not LA or NYC, and I suspect the Rams could simply go to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Of course I was watching CNN who may have miss stated the facts, it has happened before…..
April 15th, 2020 at 8:06 pm
Oregon
Went to a Doc in Tampa today…a specialist…they didn’t require masks..nobody really in the waiting room…they did the perfunctory questions about fever, symptoms, know anybody with the Covid..and then used the forehead thermometer you seen at the W.H. Took about two extra minutes.
It wouldn’t be that expensive to test players and support folks routinely as in multiple times a week and take their temps EVERY time they enter a facility.
Not fool proof. If a player/support person got it that would certainly create the need for additional precautions.
I’m not saying it WILL happen…I do believe that NOBODY knows yet.
This was just a Democratic hoax for the first three months…we’ve only been serious about it for about ONE month. Four months remain until Sept 1st.
Again NOBODY knows for sure….just sayin’
Perhaps someone can look up the odds in Vegas if the Sports Books are open.
April 15th, 2020 at 8:30 pm
This is from the Governor of California: “So large-scale events that bring in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strangers all together across every conceivable difference, health and otherwise, is not in the cards based upon our current guidelines and current expectations,” Newsom said”.
That means games in California for the Rams, Chargers, Raiders and 49ers will either not be played, or will be played to empty stadiums. Look for other NFL teams to follow.
April 15th, 2020 at 9:55 pm
There is a lot of talk. And it will change. Just like here everyone has something to say now.
April 15th, 2020 at 10:16 pm
St. Pete- That wouldn’t work because Asymptomatic people can transmit the virus just like symptomatic people. Unfortunately we are not doing nearly enough testing. I’m not optimistic about this NFL season or safely opening up the economy anytime soon. As much as they’re trying to make this a partisan thing it isn’t or at least shouldn’t be.
April 15th, 2020 at 10:41 pm
For those interested here is a good news roundup of what is being discussed about the season as of today.
The Post doesn’t have a paywall per se…they do limit you to perhaps just three stories before paying so everybody should be able to read it and I believe it’s legal Joe.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/04/15/nfl-empty-stadiums-sports-return/
NFL has discussed playing in empty or half-full stadiums, as calls grow for sports’ return.
April 15th, 2020 at 11:22 pm
St. Pete….This was just a Democratic hoax for the first three months…we’ve only been serious about it for about ONE month. Four months remain until Sept 1st.”
So this was just liberal B.S. and now it’s real and now we could be out of it in 4 months.
You got one out of three correct.
April 15th, 2020 at 11:40 pm
Stanglass
Great to be able to agree with you totally after our JW skirmishes.
“As much as they’re trying to make this a partisan thing it isn’t or at least shouldn’t be.
Amen brother!