It Really Sounds Like Aaron Donald Doesn't Want to Play NFL Games Without Fans

Professional team sports in the United States are expected to make a gradual comeback this summer, but this will have to happen without fans in attendance, at least in the earlier stages. That's completely understandable due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis and the lack of a vaccine.

Even though not packing fans in a confined stadium is the smart thing for the National Football League to do, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald isn't too fond of the idea. He said that battling in the trenches without the roar of the crowd takes the fun out of the game.

Donald insists that crowd noise can give players an extra boost of adrenaline, especially after making a big play. That's true for any sport, but gigantic, raucous live audiences just aren't feasible at the moment.

To hear Donald's candid outlook, that's a problem.

California governor Gavin Newsom has been on the stricter in terms of stay-at-home orders and social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, Newsom said earlier this week that professional sports teams can return starting the first week of June, but only without fans. In fact, Newsom said that he doesn't envision fans being allowed to attend games for the remainder of the year.

The Rams were expected to open up the brand new SoFi Stadium on Sept. 13 in their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in front of a fired-up crowd. Playing in front of 70,000-plus fans simply isn't in the cards right now, unfortunately.

While Donald thrives off the roar of the faithful, he needs to accept the new normal. Mass gatherings just aren't going to happen in 2020.