The NFL is considering the idea of pumping in fake crowd noises into stadiums this season, to add to the entertainment value of the games.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the NFL is “considering a league-wide policy that would enable fan sound to be heard in stadiums.”
The NFL would not be the first to use fake crowd noise to make TV broadcasts seem more exciting. The pros in baseball, soccer, and basketball have already tried the tactic.
According to Yahoo Sports, MLB used the crowd noise from the video game MLB The Show and the NBA also used video game recordings, its from NBA 2K. Major League Soccer did not divulge the source of its artificial crowd sounds.
If the NFL does begin using fake crowd noises, it will necessitate a rules change. Current league rules prohibit artificial crowd sounds.
Indeed, in 2015, the Atlanta Falcons was fined $350,000 and lost a fifth-round draft pick for pumping fake crowd noise into the stadium.
At the time, Falcons Owner Arthur Blank apologized for hurting the “integrity of the NFL.”
“What took place was wrong and nowhere near the standards by which we run our business. Anytime there are actions that compromise the integrity of the NFL or threaten the culture of our franchise, as this issue did, they will be dealt with swiftly and strongly,” he said.
In other announcements, the NFL has also nixed all cheerleaders, sideline reporters, and extraneous TV personnel down on the field during the season, at least at the outset, the league said this week.
That would about cancel the job of any female that works with and or for the NFL.
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