NFL Broadcasts Will Feature Phantom Fans Cheering Stellar Plays
- Real game audio from each stadium will be played at every game
- Even with empty seats, viewers could hear Fireman Ed’s J-E-T-S
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts after a play against the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 19, 2020.
Photographer: David Eulitt/Getty Images
National Football League broadcasts will look different this year, with rows of empty seats in the stadiums. But they’ll sound as close to normal as the league can make them.
The NFL is set to kick off its 2020 season Thursday night in Kansas City, where the Super Bowl champion Chiefs host the Houston Texans. About 16,000 fans are expected, less than one-quarter Arrowhead Stadium’s capacity, due to social distancing in the coronavirus pandemic. But if all goes according to plan, NFL Films will supply prerecorded audio specific to each venue and it’ll sound as if 76,416 fans are cheering every Patrick Mahomes pass completion.