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I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and Thanksgiving morning seems like the time to bring it up (if you’ll permit me a brief sappy moment):
I’ve attended all 10 Vikings games this year — eight without fans — and each one of them has felt exceedingly strange. (1/)
I’ve attended all 10 Vikings games this year — eight without fans — and each one of them has felt exceedingly strange. (1/)
We’ve gotten used to watching sports on TV without fans, and we can almost convince ourselves it’s normal, with piped-in crowd noise and production elements to make the games feel big. But seeing games in person, especially NFL games, isn’t the same without the soundtrack (2/)
In the times I’ve heard players and coaches talk about it on Zoom calls, they’re saying the same things: They feed off the energy fans provide. Without it in the stadium, Mike Zimmer has said, the Vikings had to figure out how to create their own energy (3/)
Stats show home-field advantage has disappeared this year; it had dwindled for a while, but it’s gone now. Teams that thrive on noise and energy (the Seahawks, Vikings, Chiefs, Packers, etc.) don’t have it. Is that the only reason road teams win more? No, but it’s a big one (4/)
So while we watch these games for the players, they’re ultimately about all of you. These teams value your devotion way beyond the balance sheet, and what you bring to the experience can’t be replaced (5/)
I think that’s a testament to the power sports have to connect us, and I can’t wait to cover games with all of you screaming your lungs out again (Hopefully that also means the stupid TD cannon at U.S. Bank Stadium won’t be as loud when it’s not banging off empty seats). (6/)
So, to wrap this up: Stay safe today, look out for one another and remember the reason we follow this stuff is because it connects us to something that’s bigger than any one person. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
