NFL teams adjusting from 80,000 die-hards to 80 decibels
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The jokes write themselves: The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to play home games in front of a significantly reduced number of fans this season.
“How’s that different than any other year?”
Don’t laugh. The Jaguars — along with Atlanta, Cincinnati, Miami, Tampa Bay and others — might be better equipped to handle the NFL’s drastic change in hometown support. They’ve dealt with it for years.
Videoboard enhancements? Player-generated content? On-field celebrations recognizing community heroes and military veterans? Some NFL teams have been doing those and more for decades to help offset fewer butts in seats.
“One of the unfortunate advantages of being in a smaller market like Jacksonville is we have to get a little more creative in terms of how we create that home-field advantage,” Jaguars President Mark Lamping said. “We’d have to do that if it’s normal capacity or not.”
Twenty-one of the NFL’s 32 teams have ruled out spectators for the start of the season, with Buffalo, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Minnesota and San Francisco the latest to announce plans Tuesday. At least eight are preparing to host a limited number of fans.
The bottom line: home-field advantages created by generations of fandom — most notably and noticeable in Green Bay, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Seattle — could be momentarily wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic.
Teams are adjusting. New-age videoboards and top-of-theline sound systems are taking center stage and assuming the all-important role of helping hype players in home venues. Those extras could spill into living rooms as several teams, including Jacksonville, are launching phone apps designed to provide in-stadium experiences to those watching from couches and comfy chairs.
Want to see player introductions? Want to experience a military flyover just before kickoff? The Jaguars are giving fans at home a peek at both through their new app.
The television product, meanwhile, might not look a whole lot different aside from empty venues or sparse crowds. The NFL’s TV partners are expected to add fan reaction to broadcasts.
For players and fans on hand, the voids will be filled by simulated crowd noise. The NFL is expected to allow 80 decibels piped in, a number many teams are already using during training camp practices and scrimmages.
General managers, coaches and team officials are preparing to play with that simulated crowd noise. Normal conversation is about 60 decibels. Double that for a rock concert. Eighty decibels equate to being in heavy traffic or next to a lawn mower. Anything above 85 is consider dangerous, depending on the duration of the exposure, the number of times exposed and the use of hearing protection.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium holds the record for the loudest NFL game. Chiefs fans registered 142.4 decibels on Sept. 29, 2014, while hosting the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.
Going from 80,000 die-hards to 80 decibels will sound like relative silence for anyone accustomed to a raucous, three-hour Sunday afternoon.
“I’m a defensive guy, so I need fans,” Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman said. “I love my fans. That’s a big edge.”