Fox To Use Virtual Fans And Fake Crowd Noise During NFL Games Without Fans

Play-by-play announcer Joe Buck says “It’s pretty much a done deal.”

Steve Huff

May 14, 2020

View of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) — Getty Images

If the NFL must at least begin its upcoming season in empty venues due to coronavirus-related safety concerns, Fox has a plan for that: Digitally-rendered audiences and crowd noise.

Or if you want to acknowledge how weird that could be, imagine watching a game on TV in which the stadium is populated with ghost fans. Sports Business Journal reporter John Ourand caught the news while listening to sportscaster Joe Buck on Sirius XM’s Andy Cohen Live.

Joe Buck to SiriusXM’s "Andy Cohen Live": Fox Sports will pump in crowd noise and put virtual fans in the stands for NFL games in empty stadiums. SBJ Media is live: 🔒https://t.co/11fxKTc6bv🔒 pic.twitter.com/baK9S1LAsq

— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) May 13, 2020

Listen to Buck speaking with Cohen in the video below.

As you can hear, Cohen was just as surprised by this development as anyone. As news spread on social media it became clear that the concept freaked people out. Here are just two examples that characterize the overall response.

Fake crowd noise and digitized fans for NFL broadcasts? Bad idea @FOXSports. Really Really Bad Idea.

— Joel (@joelct48) May 14, 2020

Fake crowd noise on @NFLonFOX for @nfl??? Why not have option with an audio team strictly doing live play by play and analysis for gambling focus? @MitchMossRadio @paulyhoward and many others would be 🧨

— Josh Brady (@JEBtweettime) May 14, 2020

On Thursday, Buck tried to stem the tide of criticism and clarify his statements in a series of tweets.

Amazing the headline doesn’t match what I said. Didn’t think that happened at places like SI. I’ve been saying for over a month, including on HBO in April, that some ambient crowd noise under a broadcast is a simple, necessary tool to normalize the viewing experience at home…. https://t.co/6JY11ZcGZU

— Joe Buck (@Buck) May 14, 2020

There is no “traditional” take on this topic. It’s new territory. Hoping stadiums are full and all is normal. If not, then it’s a blank canvas. All networks will try to make it look and sound as normal as possible. It could lead to unprecedented, thrilling access. Who knows?

— Joe Buck (@Buck) May 14, 2020

But Crowd reactions are an enormous piece of the TV puzzle. All reactions by a crowd are valuable and to be used – as far as I know. I use it as much as I can and still keep my job. Big moments like the Minn. Miracle are MADE on tv because of the crowd noise.

— Joe Buck (@Buck) May 14, 2020

It doesn’t have to be over the top. But something has to be there. Contrary to the misleading headline at SI and other places – I said FOX is WORKING on virtual fans. They are working everyday on ANYTHING to make our shows the best on TV. That’s exciting to me, and I am thankful

— Joe Buck (@Buck) May 14, 2020

Some ideas will work and some won’t. That’s the nature of WORKING on something. It’s uncharted water. It could be a very exciting time in network TV coverage. I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Praying for a SAFE return to a stadium near you for all involved.

— Joe Buck (@Buck) May 14, 2020

Referencing a Sports Illustrated report Buck said it “doesn’t match what I said.”

“I’ve been saying for over a month, including on HBO in April, that some ambient crowd noise under a broadcast is a simple, necessary tool to normalize the viewing experience at home,” he continued.

In his next tweets, Buck defended the idea then summarized the gist of what he intended to get across: “I said FOX is WORKING on virtual fans. They are working everyday on ANYTHING to make our shows the best on TV. That’s exciting to me, and I am thankful.”

“It could be a very exciting time in network TV coverage,” Buck said in his concluding tweet, “I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Praying for a SAFE return to a stadium near you for all involved.”

Buck’s point is easy to understand—it’s a ‘damn, whatever works, let’s do it’ kind of attitude.

For now, the nature of NFL gameplay and just about everything else people do outside the home is up in the air. We’ll have some idea of where Fox really goes with making broadcasts work when the season begins in September 2020.