Skip to main content

Andrus: 'Baseball Without Fans Is Not Baseball'

Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus shares his take on the potential of baseball games being played without fans in attendance.

As the baseball world lies in the torture of waiting for any sliver of good news regarding the pulse of the regular season, all options are being considered by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. One topic that has been discussed frequently among the two sides, and the baseball world in general, is the possibility of games with no fans. 

Every sport has a unique atmosphere, and baseball is no different. The interaction between the players and the fans, not to mention the fan-to-fan interaction, are a huge part of baseball. We all smile and feel the warmth in our hearts when we see a child's eyes light up when they meet their hero for the first time, or when a child is brought to tears when they get their autograph.

Primarily, both MLB and the players want there to be fans in the stands when baseball returns. Players want the authentic baseball atmosphere and teams need the revenue of ticket sales to maintain profitability. No fans means very little or  no revenue. It's simple dollars and cents. 

However, both MLB and the players union want to salvage the season in any way they can. If that means there is no fans in the stands for a month or longer, it's an option they may have to seriously consider.

"You never know what's going to happen," Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said via conference call on Monday. "We literally have to work with the CDC and the government. It's not our choice. There's a lot of protocol we have to follow to maintain the safety of our fans and the players."

Elvis Andrus is the player representative from the Texas Rangers in the players union. He has been in the discussions that led to the agreement between the two sides on service time. He's also been in discussions since then regarding other topics moving forward. Fans in attendance has been one of them.

"Surely, we want to play with fans in the stands," Andrus said. "Baseball without fans is not baseball. That's what we're trying to accomplish – finding a way, if it's possible, to play with fans in the stands."

Fans themselves are divided on this issue as well. There are fans that don't want to go to a stadium until they know it's safe and don't want to experience games played in empty stadiums. It's impossible to replicate the same product without fans in attendance.

On the flip side, we all miss baseball. We may even find ourselves missing sports we didn't even like before. When all sports are taken away, it puts things into a much different light. There are plenty of fans that just want to watch sports again, even if it means it's only from their living rooms. 

These are unprecedented times. This is the longest we have been without sports since 9/11, and it's going to be a much longer absence than the several day absence after that tragic day in 2001. All sports leagues, including MLB, have a tough decision to make if they get the "all clear" from the CDC to play games, but mass gatherings are still prohibited. 

Where do you stand on games with no fans in attendance? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Follow Inside The Rangers on SI on Twitter: @SITexasRangers
Like Inside The Rangers on SI on Facebook: facebook.com/SITexasRangers
Follow our Rangers insider Chris Halicke on Twitter: @ChrisHalicke

Click the "follow" button in the top right corner to join the conversation on Inside The Rangers on SI. Access and comment on featured stories and start your own conversations and post external links on our community page.