Living through a global pandemic is something we all thought we would only live through in a movie. However here we all are in the midst of a real-life global pandemic as we fight against Covid-19. Our lives have changed, we have lost loved ones, we have lost jobs, we have had to make sacrifices and we have had to adapt to new ways of working, new ways of living. One thing we had to do without for a number of months was Sport. As countries all over the world went into lockdown in March; The Sporting world also went into lockdown as global leagues totally shutdown with no return date in sight.
For people who know me, you will know that watching sport and playing sport is a massive part of my life. Whether that’s on the TV or live in a stadium; Sport is my release its 80/90 minutes or however long where nothing else matters. All my thoughts, troubles etc take a back seat. So the thought of no sport with no return in sight was daunting; But in the grand scheme of things with everything going on in the world it was nothing. The Bundesliga in Germany was one of the first sports to return in May, albeit without any fans. But it was the return of the Premier League and Premiership Rugby that I was looking out for and really missing.
If you know me, you will know that I regularly attend live football and rugby games. I attend a few Newcastle United games a season and have just started following this season with a mate of mine Horsham Football Club. In Rugby, I have a season ticket at Harlequins with a few friends; And it is the time spent with friends, the drama of live sport, the atmosphere, the expensive beer, the overpriced food, it is all of that that I miss! So when the Premier League returned without fans in June it was very exciting to have Elite level sport back on TV.
That excitement soon went however after watching a few of those games, football was different (for now at least!). Football without fans was soulless, the absent atmosphere also having an effect on most of the games; As they played out like a training match or a pre-season friendly with no pace. It was easy for me to get distracted or doze off while watching; Even with the fake crowd noise and it made me question what is Sport without fans?
“It made me question what is sport without fans?”
Please don’t misunderstand this blog post, I am not at any point saying Sport is rubbish without Fans. And that fans should immediately return to stadiums, golf courses etc. Because the restrictions are there for a reason; To lessen the risk of spreading the Coronavirus and that comes before anything else at this moment in time; Fans should return when it is deemed safe to do so even if that includes social distancing. The government has also pushed the decision about fans returning to the 1st of October at the earliest so we still have a few months of sport without fans to deal with.
While I’ve been watching football, cricket, and golf on TV amongst other sports; It has made me realize that Sport without fans is wrong, it’s not the same and you can’t pretend it is with fake crowd noise, cardboard fan cutouts etc. Players do not have the atmosphere to bounce off, motivate them, and pick them up and help swing the game. Elaborate goal celebrations have become the norm in professional football, celebrating with fellow players and fans but since the restart; Celebrations have been more akin to what you would see down the park on a Saturday afternoon; A quick high give with your teammates and back to the restart.
The return of International Cricket was welcomed as teams, officials and the press created a secure bio-bubble; At venues that have on-site hotels. The contests so far between England and West Indies and England and Pakistan (Series Still ongoing) have produced some wonderful test match cricket. But again without fans, it feels oh so wrong! a sweetly struck 4, or a well-taken wicket greeted with a few claps and cheers from fellow players and colleagues echoing round a deserted stadium. It looks like this will be the sound of the summer; As fans may have to wait till next season to return to grounds.
The Financial Impact of the Virus
The other thing to think about is the financial and economic impact of not having fans at matches/events. If you think about Premier League football teams missing out on millions of pounds of matchday revenue; Back when the Premier League first began in the early 90s; The share of Matchday income out of the total income was around 40% but now it is only around 13%. Mainly because of broadcasting revenue. Many Premier League teams will be able to ride out the impact of the virus but it will have an impact on how clubs will operate in the transfer market. Many players have already negotiated reductions on their wages to help their employers out; Arsenal Football Club made 55 staff redundant last week. That was after signing Willian on a free transfer for wages of £230,000 and players taking a reduction in their wages.
Other Football Clubs from lower divisions and other sports teams who rely so heavily on matchday will not be as lucky. There are a number of clubs already fighting to stay in business as the impact of the virus hits. Rugby teams and Cricket teams are also struggling with a number of redundancies and pay cuts throughout the staff. Sports teams also lost out on money when they had to offer refunds to ticket holders who could no longer attend the games due to cancellations and current restrictions
So what is Sport without Fans? Well sport without fans to me is nothing, sport cannot exist without fans, it loses its appeal, its drama, its atmosphere. While the true financial impact has potentially yet to be realised for many teams, leagues, governing bodies etc; One thing that is clear is that clubs will be able to exist without fan’s attendance. Albeit having a financial impact. But Fans are the heart and soul of any team, any sport. They provide intimidating atmospheres, they add to the drama; They are the reason Sports men and women do what they do!
I hope this is a reminder to some teams who in the past have not treated their fans fairly with high prices, bizarre transfer decisions etc that they need the fans more than the fans need them!
Sport without Fans is nothing…
It may be a while til us Sports fans are allowed anywhere near a stadium, but in the meantime please stay alert and do everything you can to stay safe from the coronavirus!
