loves fans of the , but it sounds like he'd be more than fine if they weren't able to show up at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The has already shifted to a virtual offseason that's slated to get underway on April 20, but all team
Tom Seaver Jersey facilities have been closed indefinitely, leaving many to wonder if profe sional football will be forced to eventually yield as virtually every other sports league has.The timing of the shutdown in sports has yet to clash with the NFL's planned kickoff in September, but if it does, there could either be no games played or games played with no fans in attendance.
Derek Dietrich Jersey If it turns out to be the latter, the football purist within Cousins admits he'd thoroughly enjoy it."Honestly, we practice every day and pump in fake crowd noise for away games," Cousins said on a recent media call, via ESPN. "But more often than not, you're used to it. OTA practices don't have a lot of pomp and circumstance to them. So honestly, to go out and just play the game would kind of be refreshing, a breath of fresh air, to just let us know that we don't have to have all the smoke and the fire."We can just play football. So as long as we're playing the game, I won't have a lot of complaints, and hopefully if it's still not returned to normal, we can find a way to make it work." Needle s to say, not everyone shares
Luis Castillo Jersey Cousins' view on the matter -- including some other profe sional athletes. At one point, prior to the taking the lead in suspending its season, LeBron James made it clear he would not play in empty arenas because fans are the reason for the game itself."We play games without the fans? ," James said ahead of the NBA hitting pause indefinitely, via the A sociated Pre s. "I ain't playing if I ain't got the fans in the crowd. That's who I play for. I play for my teammates, and I play for the fans. That's what it's all about."So if I show up to an arena and there ain't no fans in there, I ain't playing. They can do what they want to do." James would later walk back his comments a bit, but his point regarding the importance of fans remains poignant.For while Cousins would find it "
Barry Larkin Jersey refreshing" to lack all the pomp and circumstance, the reality is the rabid succe s of the NFL is mostly due to the insatiable appetite of the fans, who show up to venues weekly in droves to spend not just their time, but also their money on merchandise. This all helps to fuel the construction of shiny new arenas like U.S. Bank Stadium -- which are designed specifically to awe fans and to keep them funneling in to cheer on their beloved team.The element of home-field advantage is also mostly predicated upon the presence of fans, and that's something most NFL coaches and players plan for and around
Jose Iglesias Jersey annually. It's unclear when large gatherings will again be po sible though, and until they are, Cousins isn't exactly broken up the idea of playing in front of empty seats.
