KBO Playing Games in Front of Stuffed Animal Fans is a COVID-19 Trend We Can All Get Behind
By Nick Porr
The Korean Baseball Organization has begun to display a blatant double standard: fans are still not allowed to come to games, but Spongebob and Pikachu are? In all seriousness, the KBO has developed a brilliant solution to empty stadiums.
During a game between the NC Dinos and the Hanwha Eagles on Sunday, the seats behind home plate were filled with various stuffed animals and plush toys.
They’re playing professional baseball in Korea in front of stuffed animals. This should be a permanent change. pic.twitter.com/zWaE9fj3Uo
— Eric Hynes, in the view of some experts (@eshynes) June 7, 2020
As American sports leagues continue to work on their plans to return to play, they definitely need to take a look at this. The background is a funny distraction from the reality of an empty stadium due to a pandemic.
The NBA and NHL, the professional sports leagues most prepared to return in the United States, have been working on their own plans to simulate a full stadium. The NBA, for one, is considering playing noise from the video game NBA 2K20 in order to avoid playing in a silent stadium.
2-3 preseason games. 1,600 maximum capacity in Orlando. No plan for anti-drug blood testing. Potential crowd noise via NBA 2K sounds.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 5, 2020
Details at @TheAthleticNBA on the NBPA’s call with its Board and Player Reps: https://t.co/OiSdQosgvU
The NBA and other American sports leagues now have the perfect opportunity to pair the two ideas together and create a rowdy crowd of teddy bears. It'd be perfect: the Association would have a full crowd and wouldn't have to worry about any fan-player altercations. That is, unless Milwaukee Bucks center Robin Lopez makes a new fluffy enemy.