Like us, you’re probably overjoyed by the return of Major League Baseball and the NBA. It’s about time, right? Still, we have to admit that the games won’t be quite the same without fans in attendance. ESPN.com recently featured an article about COVID-19 robbing baseball fans the chance to boo the daylights out of the cheating Houston Astros. We thought we’d take that theme a bit further and list more experiences that fans will miss out on by not being able to see the games in person.
◊ If Hawaii fans aren’t allowed to attend UH home games, they will miss the unveiling of the Todd Graham era of Rainbow Warrior football.
◊ No more betting on the drunken fights in the Orange Section.
◊ Hawaii fans will also be deprived of that warm feeling of aloha you get when the Aloha Stadium Parking Lords bark at you to back up your vehicle a few inches.
◊ Tampa Bay fans have been waiting for months to cheer on Tom Brady as he runs onto the field at Raymond James Stadium for the first time. And now they won’t get that opportunity. (Insert “feeling deflated” joke here.)
◊ Speaking of home fields, the cities of Los Angeles and Las Vegas spent billions to build their shiny new stadiums. And now, during the NFL’s opening week, these state-of-the-art wonders will likely open their doors to…nobody.
◊ If the Lakers win the NBA title at home, it will be a crying shame that fans at the Staples Center won’t be there to stand up and chant, “Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!”
◊ Rainbow Wahine volleyball fans won’t get to witness the debut of highly touted freshman setter Katie Lang. With Norene Iosia and Bailey Choy both having graduated, Lang will be a key factor on this year’s squad.
◊ That gratifying feeling you get when you see a young fan excitedly retrieves a foul ball and holds it up triumphantly with the world’s biggest smile? Not gonna happen.
◊ Going back to UH volleyball, how weird will it be for the Rainbow Wahine players after their home matches? Imagine turning toward the stands and expecting to see all the aunties with their leis, and just seeing…empty seats. (This is getting depressing.)
◊ At UH basketball games, no more Billy V and, “Ladies and gentlemen…YOUR Rainbow Dancers.”
◊ If the ban on crowds extends to UH baseball season, we won’t have the seventh inning stretch, “Sweet Caroline” and Warrior Dogs.
# # #