Empty NFL Stadiums and Artificial Crowd Noise, Will Colleges Get the Same

Fox Sports Joe Buck has opened another can of debate that could potentially make it's way to college football too.

The NFL is considering the possibility of using artificial crowd noise during NFL games should stadiums remain empty during the coming season. 

During an interview with Andy Cohen Live on SiriusXM, Fox Sports broadcaster Joe Buck said the network might pump in crowd noise and virtual project fans in empty stadiums during their broadcasts, according to John Ourand of Sports Business Journal and a story published by SportsIllustrated on May 13. 

"It's pretty much a done deal," Buck said. "I think whoever is going to be at that control is going to have to be really good at their job and be realistic with how a crowd would react depending on what just happened on the field. So it's really important.

"And then on top of that ... They're looking at ways to put virtual fans in the stands, so when you see a wide shot, it looks like the stadium is jam-packed, and in fact, it'll be empty."

While there have been no indications that the same could occur during college broadcasts, the powers that be in broadcast media would almost certainly entertain the thought of doing the same during the college season. 

What would that mean for Vanderbilt football?

Let's be honest, and it's not intended as a shot at or negative comment towards Vanderbilt. Still, attendance at Commodore games at Vanderbilt Stadium is sparse at best, with last season's best games being Georgia and LSU, where both visiting teams fans took over the stadium. 

Would it make sense to add virtual crowds and noise to a broadcast of a home game for the Commodores?

Does it make sense to do this in the NFL when people watching at home know the stadiums are empty?

In the end, it's all about the entertainment factor for television executives in trying to guarantee fans will tune in to watch their broadcasts even though no one is in the stadium other than the teams and officials. 

At the same time, fans of football would watch the games on television if it were being played in the parking lot of a local grocery store at this point. We don't need crowd noise or virtual fans projected into the shot to make people tune in. 

As for college games, should they decide to do such a thing, let's just use virtual bands to play virtual fight songs following touchdowns and leave it at that!   

Follow Greg on Twitter @GregAriasSports and @SIVanderbilt or Facebook at Vanderbilt Commodores-Maven.