Miami Dolphins unveil plan to host fans in stadium amid coronavirus pandemic

G

groveChuck

U-matic Member
OK, the easy joke is that nobody goes to Dolphins games anyway, but for NFL fans, the crowd-curious, or new normal noobs, read on:

"The Miami Dolphins are in the process of planning how to best implement social distancing at games if teams are allowed to host fans during the 2020 NFL season... revealed mock-ups of new entrances and social distance strategies for Hard Rock Stadium to avoid the spread of Covid-19 during the coronavirus pandemic.

The mock-up includes colored spots on the ground leading to the entrance gates, which are designed to keep distance between fans as they enter the stadium.

There was also talk of limiting attendance to 15,000 fans. Hard Rock Stadium can hold 65,326 fans, but the adjustment would space out the seating to follow social distancing guidelines.

However, the Dolphins will follow the NFL and U.S. Government guidelines when sporting events are deemed safe again.

Hard Rock Stadium aims to became the first public facility to earn the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s STAR accreditation. GBAC is a division of ISSA, a worldwide cleaning industry association, and their goal is to implement cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention work practices to control risks like Covid-19."

PS- RIP Don Shula, the Dolphins Perfect Season coach dead at 90.
 
Dolphins should just play beach football... oh, wait, the beaches are still closed. Surf's temp is 80. Too cold for the locals anyway.

PS. There ought to be a Bill Arnsbarger statue next to Don's.
 
Just saw that about Shula. He had a house not too far from here in the mountains on a golf course. I shot an interview with him there, once. Of course, I can't tell you how many times I've eaten in his steak houses... ; ) He had a good run.
 
If the game (and others) happen, could be good news for broadcasting- at least the sports side of things.
Not sure how the athlete/locker room side of things would work though... and the whole colliding with other people as opposed to distancing thing.
Plexiglass shield face masks?
 
groveChuck said:
... Not sure how the athlete/locker room side of things would work though... and the whole colliding with other people as opposed to distancing thing.

Plexiglass shield face masks?
Click to expand...

These would have to extend over the mouth.

s-l1000.jpg
 
groveChuck said:
If the game (and others) happen, could be good news for broadcasting- at least the sports side of things.
Not sure how the athlete/locker room side of things would work though... and the whole colliding with other people as opposed to distancing thing.
Plexiglass shield face masks?
Click to expand...


I’m honestly scared for “my job”, as someone that has covered sports their entire career. Granted football and basketball are very different sports played in very different environments (traditionally), but... The NBA is looking at limiting the total number of people in the facility to 50 or less(I’ve read much less) with TV coverage all with remote cameras-no tv crew on-site, announcers off-site as well(remmy: this has already been going on for years at the college level and with some other lower tier professional sports, but there were still camera and other essential personnel on-site), no “media” on-site either, they would be off-site, and press conferences/post game would all be remote camera feed, as well.

At least on the broadcast side, it seems like an over reaction. Basketball crews are fairly small anyway. Set-ups aren’t complicated, because the arenas are all wired and the cameras positions, except for under the basket, are really far away from the court, and generally each other.
 
Selected soccer broadcasts have long been from a studio rather than from the on-site crews, all working off a live international video feed. Even before there was Univision, Tony Tirado did the entire 1986 World Cup from a studio in Miami, following the action on a front screen projector in front of him. And, if the feed was showing a replay while there was some live action going on, he was in the same clueless state as every fan watching at home. There was a dubious goal allowed in the Belgium-USSR knockout match. The camera didn't catch it since it was a long pass and there was a limited number of cameras on the field. Jan Ceulemans, the Belgian striker who ended up scoring the goal, admitted to being offside but he may have also been wrong because there was a Soviet player wide and behind him. The Soviets have been angry at that Swedish ref/sideline judge since then but their announcer wasn't at the site either, so he had no proof at all.

At 2:30.


PS. If someone watches a minute more, s/he can hear the English announcers mention "Clijsters". For trivia buffs, that was indeed the late Leo, father of Kim and Elke.
 
Run&Gun said:
I’m honestly scared for “my job”, as someone that has covered sports their entire career. Granted football and basketball are very different sports played in very different environments (traditionally), but... The NBA is looking at limiting the total number of people in the facility to 50 or less(I’ve read much less) with TV coverage all with remote cameras-no tv crew on-site, announcers off-site as well(remmy: this has already been going on for years at the college level and with some other lower tier professional sports, but there were still camera and other essential personnel on-site), no “media” on-site either, they would be off-site, and press conferences/post game would all be remote camera feed, as well.

At least on the broadcast side, it seems like an over reaction. Basketball crews are fairly small anyway. Set-ups aren’t complicated, because the arenas are all wired and the cameras positions, except for under the basket, are really far away from the court, and generally each other.
Click to expand...

I would assume that keeping human operators in sports would be crucial in creating a human touch to the games. Without the crowds, you need that human touch to the operating. Cameras on the floor running around hand held, getting into the action between plays. Giving more access to wide angle close ups and getting millions more into the action. Give them an experience they've never seen before. Give the audience at home even more access and excitement. The way games have been shot haven't changed other than stupid 3D characters dancing on the lower thirds.

There is nothing that would kill sports faster than long lens PTZ coverage of two teams of adults playing in an empty stadium.
 
Run&Gun said:
I’m honestly scared for “my job”, as someone that has covered sports their entire career. Granted football and basketball are very different sports played in very different environments (traditionally), but... The NBA is looking at limiting the total number of people in the facility to 50 or less(I’ve read much less) with TV coverage all with remote cameras-no tv crew on-site, announcers off-site as well(remmy: this has already been going on for years at the college level and with some other lower tier professional sports, but there were still camera and other essential personnel on-site), no “media” on-site either, they would be off-site, and press conferences/post game would all be remote camera feed, as well.

At least on the broadcast side, it seems like an over reaction. Basketball crews are fairly small anyway. Set-ups aren’t complicated, because the arenas are all wired and the cameras positions, except for under the basket, are really far away from the court, and generally each other.
Click to expand...


Given that a large percentage of my income has been NFL work, I'm concerned as well. That said, a whole bunch of things- past experience, knowledge of human nature, logic - suggest to me that as the fear subsides the implementation of safety measures will also subside. And more quickly than one might think. Certainly more quickly than health professionals would like, as we have already seen with the many re-openings. In other words, whatever the level of fear today and the level of feeling a need for safety measures today, it will be less in a week. And less the week following. Come August, the public, sports leagues, businesses, governments will be less concerned about COVID than at present. Once you see 50 people seated in a restaurant, which is already taking place, the idea of people packed together in a sports stadium becomes more fathomable. More quickly than one might think society will come to accept the risk and shrug. I don't think anyone knows for certain the odds of dying from COVID. There are many factors involved in any such calculation. Age, pre-existing conditions, quality of hospitalization care. But by all indication the chance is relatively remote. Maybe 1 in 100,000 if not 1 in a million for those under age 50.

Fear-fatigue. Or, put another way, normalization of the risk. Comfort with the risk. That's what is in our favor as far as things getting back to "normal". And it is what gives me hope that the concert halls filled with people and stadiums filled with fans will return sooner than most might think. To put in harshly, in short order people will stop giving a sh!t about the catching the virus and the deaths from the virus. People didn't stop their lives or even much alter their lives when 60K died from the seasonal flu. That is not to suggest that COVID is not far more deadly than the flu. It is. It is also more communicable, if I have the term correct. It spreads more easily. I just think that human nature is to carry on, as before for the most part, despite the risk. People rebuilt homes along the MS coast following Katrina despite the risk. People boarded commercial flights again despite 9/11. Granted, additional safety measures for commercial flights were instituted and that provided address of fear, but people still returned to commercial air travel knowing the new security measures could not 100% prevent hijackings.

Back to the evolution of the return to normalcy that I anticipate, at present when there is a gathering of 10 people some citizens and authorities freak out. But as those gatherings occur with increased frequency and volume, people will less freak out over the gatherings. Authorities will cease policing them as they become so commonplace as to be impossible to police. And, important in the evolution, authorities will get used to such gatherings and less see a need to prevent them. Once gatherings of 10 become acceptable, we're on the road to gatherings of 50 becoming acceptable. ( I believe one state has already green-lit gatherings of 50 ). 10 then 50 then 100 then 1000 and before you know it we are back to stadiums with 80,000 fans. And most have stopped worrying about COVID. It becomes just a part of our world as with death from cancer, drug overdose, suicide, auto accidents, drownings, and seasonal flu.

It would not surprise me, despite knowing how authorities and organizations such as sports leagues tend to cling to an abundance of caution, if, come football season, all these contingency plans and worries have been cast aside. And fans attend games as they always have. If you had asked me a month ago if I thought that could happen I would have said "no". But a month ago I was also thinking there would be no NFL season or college football at all this year. I was wrong then, apparently. So maybe I am wrong now as well in my anticipation that the fear will subside quickly and most will be back to "normal" by the Fall.

As to media coverage of games, R&G, I could see where the teams limit the media allowed inside the venue / on the sidelines. In abundance of caution, they may not allow the sideline reporter stand-ups that I do for the NFL Network and those may have to take place outside the stadium instead. And that presumes that by season-start the networks will be comfortable putting reporters and field producers on flights. I suspect that locker-room access for media post-game is gone forever. And I'm okay with that. I never fancied stepping through a sea of stanky athletic tape and while I am a huge fan of Drew Brees I never needed to see his bare ass.
 
James0b57 said:
... There is nothing that would kill sports faster than long lens PTZ coverage of two teams of adults playing in an empty stadium.
Click to expand...
There have been soccer matches played in the empty stadiums due to the previous crowd trouble. One gets used to it.

PS. The camera operators were live on the premises but it was generally one guy high up and mostly panning, with another (typically) running with a Steadicam on the sidelines and behind-the goal-cams on jibs. It could be done via the remote, though the main camera is generally far way from the fans anyway.
 
DLD said:
There have been soccer matches played in the empty stadiums due to the previous crowd trouble. One gets used to it.

PS. The camera operators were live on the premises but it was generally one guy high up and mostly panning, with another (typically) running with a Steadicam on the sidelines and behind-the goal-cams on jibs. It could be done via the remote, though the main camera is generally far way from the fans anyway.
Click to expand...
No doubt, we get used to things. Look at how everyone is living right now!

What i meant is, that the is little reason to make the games less exciting for the viewer, especially without crowds. Doing a one off game is one thing, trying to do a couple seasons that way, is another.

But no worries. Yes, i am sure we all get used to whatever they give us. We are but humble citizens.

They do have an opportunity to raise the bar for TV viewing experience, but they certainly don’t have to.
 
Even though the players are concentrated on the game, and “in the zone” and all that, the event itself plays to the audience. Without an audience, the format is wrong. Similar to SNL at home.

So, sports have an opportunity to play to the viewers at home like never before. I tend to agree. They likely won’t. Leaving many to worry about their job, when a AI equiped PTZ camera can do most of it.
 
No more of these...

MJ.jpg

('The Last Dance' is keeping me relatively sane during no sports.)
 
James0b57 said:
Even though the players are concentrated on the game, and “in the zone” and all that, the event itself plays to the audience. Without an audience, the format is wrong. Similar to SNL at home.

So, sports have an opportunity to play to the viewers at home like never before. I tend to agree. They likely won’t. Leaving many to worry about their job, when a AI equiped PTZ camera can do most of it.
Click to expand...

The Italians and the Spaniards - i.e., the Italian Serie A and the Spanish La Primera, whose clubs are all multi-national - are about to resume training. The German Bundesliga resumed a week or so ago. The English Premier League is still off. Italy and Spain are, I believe, going to play without any fans in the stands. So, get used to hearing coaches shouting from the bench, "Run left. What did I just tell you? Run left" - "I no speaka langvich" - "Well then, WTF. Just shoot".
 
JPNola said:
As to media coverage of games, R&G, I could see where the teams limit the media allowed inside the venue / on the sidelines. In abundance of caution, they may not allow the sideline reporter stand-ups that I do for the NFL Network and those may have to take place outside the stadium instead. And that presumes that by season-start the networks will be comfortable putting reporters and field producers on flights. I suspect that locker-room access for media post-game is gone forever. And I'm okay with that. I never fancied stepping through a sea of stanky athletic tape and while I am a huge fan of Drew Brees I never needed to see his bare ass.
Click to expand...

Had a zoom get together with a few producers, reporters and other shooters that I work with at a certain net, a few weeks ago. 100% social, nothing official. But one of the producers brought up something interesting that they said they could see happening, reporters becoming "beat reporters". Not flying people all over, but sticking with teams close by.
 
I hope you're watching TLD...amazing nostalgia with camera technology (pretty drastic jumps in resolution over those early modern years), and in general a great look at pop culture in the late 80s/90s.

Never again will the world be so simple and beautiful.
 
Run&Gun said:
I've been in one of those. As a matter of fact, it was during the '98 run. I remember Jordan walking up to us all standing there on the court at the Charlotte Coliseum "What do y'all want? Let's get this over with."
Click to expand...

Did you think you’d still see him walking the halls doing interviews? (Though TW now) I recall a reporter and i waiting for him to arrive. She was on her phone, so I saw him first. He looked at me, and nodded. The reporter shot up and ran over to him with a hug. Turned out we were interviewing him later. But that was the first time I saw him in person.
 
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