Novel ways to simulate the real deal
– Livening up sport without fans is a challenge for competitions returning after the coronavirus, and organisers have tried several ways to make empty stadiums more appealing.
AFP Sport looks at some of the innovations:
- Robot drummers -
Sport took a surreal twist when Taiwan’s baseball league started last month, with robots providing live music as they drummed in the stands.
In what could have been a scene from Star Wars, a group of robots – some wearing wigs – banged drums for Rakuten Monkeys’ opening game and mannequins wearing team colours were placed around the stadium,
- Crowd sourcing -
Cardboard cut-outs have been a popular way to fill seats, but German football club Borussia
Moenchengladbach took the idea a step further when it gave fans the chance to have lifesized images of themselves in the stands.
Thousands of people have taken up the offer, where they pay €19 to have their image placed in the Borussia-Park Stadium.
- Piped noise -
The sound of tinny, recorded cheering has replaced the roar of the crowd in some stadiums. In South Korea’s K-League, Recordings of popular chants have echoed around the country’s empty football venues, some of which hosted games at the 2002 World Cup.
TV viewers of Australian Rules football will hear pre-recorded crowd noises laid over the match footage when games return next month.
- App-lause -
Software developers have launched an app, which allows fans to combine to create crowd noise from their homes.
Users can choose from cheering, clapping, chanting and whistling, and the resulting noise is played over the stadium loudspeakers and the spectators’ home sound systems. South Korean baseball has also taken a high-tech approach with fans beamed onto a stadium big screen as they watch the game online.
- Baseball barbecue -
Baseball cheerleaders in Taiwan have been carrying out live interactions with fans from the stadiums, chatting and broadcasting dance routines over their mobile phones. Taiwan’s baseball league has enjoyed unaccustomed popularity during the coronavirus. One cheerleader even streamed her barbeque in the stands on the internet.