COVID-19: Lack of NHL Fans Hurting Passion for the Game
COVID-19 has impacted the way NHL fans watch hockey drastically and the lack of in-person viewership may be taking a greater toll on fans than we may realize. While the financial implications on the league’s franchises are evident, fans’ attitudes and commitment to watching hockey has also been affected.
Passionate NHL fans will always be willing to watch a game regardless of fans being in attendance or not, or at least that’s what one would assume. Viewership for sports games was down across many leagues, including the NHL and NBA. While it is easy to point out that the games being played were in summer, something deeper may be happening as to why viewership is down.
The lack of fans leads to a lack of intensity. While the players on the ice are playing as hard as ever, the game just feels different. Watching an NHL game and seeing a barren, empty space behind the player’s benches makes the game lose its edge, and the passion exhibited at live sporting events is lost also. Watching an NHL game at home was sometimes hard, as the lack of fans takes away something needed at live games.
The passion found at sporting events is unlike anything else in the world. The eruption of cheers and celebration when the home team scores can make one’s ears ring for minutes, yet it does not matter because the celebration is in full swing. On the other hand, the deafening silence when the away team stuns the crowd by squeaking out a win is something to behold as well. Only being able to hear the cheers of the visiting team as fans look out onto the ice in agony is something that builds new hatred for other teams and makes love for one’s team grow as well.
During COVID-19, in the NHL with no fans, these moments would have less of an impact. Take for example the Los Angeles Kings winning the Stanley Cup over the New York Rangers in overtime in the Staples Center. Now imagine that moment without the roar of fans celebrating a life long goal that they may only experience that one time. The significance will still stand, but the lore and mystique of the situation may fade over time.
Many fantastic moments happened in the NHL bubble this past summer. Whether it was the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks stunning the Oilers and Penguins respectively or the many overtimes Tampa Bay won to clinch their Stanley Cup, including three series-winning overtime goals, these moments would have been more notable with roaring or stifled crowds.
