FOX Sports play-by-play man Joe Buck made headlines on Wednesday when he told Andy Cohen that “it’s pretty much a done deal” that there would be piped-in crowd noise during games that are held later this year. He added that there’s a possibility “virtual fans” would be packed into stadium stands that would, in reality, be empty.
But on Thursday, Buck took to Twitter to clarify his comments, saying that FOX was specifically “working” on the idea of adding virtual fans (that’s different than the crowd noise that may be used) but that it wasn’t a completely done deal. Here’s what Buck had to say:
I think the biggest takeaway here is this: we’re in completely uncharted territory here. It might be really weird for us to see virtual fans when the seats are empty if that’s the direction FOX or other broadcasters go in. It could be weirdly comforting. The crowd noise could help Buck and others call games with the level of excitement they deserve. At this point, it seems like all ideas are on the table, and I’m with Buck on one thing: maybe some innovations will stick.
