How to Become a Virtual Fan of MLB and NBA Games This Summer
Some people really enjoy professional sports. And with most of them canceled in the past few months due to the coronavirus outbreak, fans are (understandably) nervous. The good news is that some professional sports such as baseball, basketball, and hockey are gaining ground again. The bad news is that, like everything else in our life, fans will not be able to personally attend games.
Even if you’re not the type to go to live sporting events, watching your favorite teams play without the support of spectators makes the experience completely different. For the players, too, it is probably strange – to go about their business in front of empty stands. Fortunately, MLB and the NBA have programs that allow people to visit games like virtual fans , Fortune reports. Here’s what you need to know.
MLB
As such, baseball did not fare well during the pandemic, with many players testing positive for COVID-19, leading to the cancellation of many games . The stands are currently empty, but there are some innovative ways to make fans feel like a part of this season. For example, some teams give people the opportunity to buy cardboard cutouts of their faces , which are then placed in the stands during the game. And then there is Fox, which made the interesting decision to broadcast games with computer viewers filling the stadiums. At least then you pay more attention to the creepy fake people with fake attendance than the fact that the stadium is empty.
Nba
Unlike MLB, which travels and plays in stadiums across the country as if we weren’t in a pandemic, the NBA is safely locked in a bubble at Walt Disney’s Orlando resort (also known as the plot of the largely forgotten sequel to Space Jam) … Their view of virtual fans is also slightly more advanced than MLB’s, with each game showing the faces of over 300 people on 17-foot-high video screens near the court. If you want to do it with your face, you can register (free) to virtually support your favorite team .