Sights and sounds from an empty arena: A preview of the near future of college basketball
The Central Michigan Women's Basketball Team returns to the floor after a timeout during a game against Toledo in the first round of the MAC Tournament March 11 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH. It was announced Tuesday that the game would not allow general admission into the stadium.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Central Michigan had its fans behind its bench.
Sections 107, 108 and 109 of Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse held fans in their seats. These fans, predominately wearing Maroon and Gold, made as much noise as they could. They held beers and cheered for their teams.
The rest of the arena, however, was empty. The recorded attendance at the game was 960, but if that number was correct, the total amount of fans was near the 200 mark. In an arena that holds over 20,000, there was a foreboding sense of emptiness.
Outside of media, faculty, select university staffers and family of participating student athletes, the home of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers was vacant for the first quarterfinal of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. It will remain that way for the duration of the tournament, as members of the general public will not be admitted due to coronavirus concerns. Additionally, the school’s bands and spirit squads were unable to make the trip.
"I was disappointed when I saw that our Sixth-Man Band and spirit teams weren't going to be able to be there just because they create a great atmosphere," Central Michigan coach Heather Oesterle said. "I thought the few fans we did have there were loud and at times when we were coming back in the fourth, they got going."
The decision for this comes at the request of Ohio governor Mike DeWine, who reccomended that all indoor athletic events in Ohio be held without general fans. On Wednesday, DeWine told reporters he plans to make an order for no mass gatherings in Ohio, which will host the First Four in Dayton and the first weekend games of the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA announced Wednesday that it will hold all tournament games without general public spectators in attendance, including the Division I men's and women's tournaments.
Back in Cleveland, employees wore latex gloves and sanitized areas throughout the game. In addition, there were many hand sanitizer dispensers located throughout the arena.
A stadium employee from housekeeping helps wipe down seats before a game between Central Michigan and Toledo March 11 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH.
Wednesday afternoon marked the start of an unprecedented journey for the MAC, marking the first time this conference will close to doors to the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of its tournament. The Big West conference has taken the same precaution and the Ivy League cancelled its tournament all together.
The gym was never silent, but when would it ever be? Communication is a necessity in basketball as with any other sport, and periodic moments of silence were filled with calls of “Switch," "Rebound," and other chatter directed from teammate to teammate.
The most glaring difference was the abundance of red throughout the arena in the form of empty seats. There was a general feeling of emptiness in the arena, no student section razzing of opponents, no bands blasting fight songs. However, the Chippewa faithful sang their fight song as the Chippewas walked off the court heading into the locker room following the end of the first half.
All shops were closed and only a single concession stand was open to the public, a restaurant behind the section allotted for parents. There was still a dance cam, T-Shirt tosses and even two sweepstakes, one giving away a set of gift cards and the other awarding a row with a dozen donuts.
A row of four fans won donuts and five fans populated the row that took home gift cards.
Fans still rose to their feet in crunch time, clapping and cheering. However, it wasn’t nearly as loud as a typical game of this magnitude. Again, having an arena filled to only its first percentile will create that environment.
Players on both teams agreed that the changed environment didn't affect the outcome of the game, however there were mixed feelings as to what it was like playing in front of such a light crowd.
"It wasn't weird at all," Toledo guard Nakiah Black said. "Yes, we're used to, like, a lot bigger roar, but the fans that we did have here, the family we had here, they gave us their all, and even though it wasn't so many people, you could still feel their energy from behind the bench."
"I don't think it makes a difference," Central Michigan forward Kyra Bussell added. "I don't care if there are spectators there. Yeah it's cool (when) it's loud. It was weird that it was quiet, but overall I'm here to play for my coaches and represent Central Michigan."
Oesterle acknowledged the difficulty of playing in the environment.
"I do think it's a tough environment to play in because we do travel really well and our fans are really into it and we had a lot of people that wanted to come down here for the game today that weren't able to because they couldn't get on our pass list," she said. "I don't blame our loss on that, but it was a tough environment to play in."
The game itself saw the top-seeded Chippewas fall at the hands of ninth-seeded Toledo, 78-71. Central Michigan will now await an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament or other postseason action.
In this contest, and likely many others to follow, the arena was by no means silent, but still. There was excitement and energy, but not nearly the amount expected for games of this magnitude.
Those interested will still be able to follow along and enjoy the games on television, however the in-person experience will not be the same. This new format will not be popular or fun for fans, but it’s the popular precaution. With COVID-19 spreading throughout the country, more and more arenas will look like this at all levels.
Wednesday marked the debut of the new standard in the world of indoor sports. When it ends is anyone’s guess.
All parties involved will have to adjust accordingly.
