Something was missing from sports last year that proved to be a glaring hole – fans.

In empty stadiums and arenas all across the country, teams in football, baseball, basketball and hockey played in total silence; only the sounds of pads colliding, bats cracking and skates gliding could be heard through television screens.

It was eerily representative of the time period we were living in – a time period represented by emptiness, disconnect and unprecedented tumult.

However, as I was watching the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Las Vegas Raiders at Heinz Field Sunday, it hit me: I realized that for the first time in a long time, I was seeing and hearing fans that were back in the stands.

As the Steelers rushed onto the field, the roar of the crowd electrified me in a way I hadn’t been in a very long time. In a way, I almost felt like I was there, helping to root for the Steelers as they took the field in front of 63,000 or so Yinzer faithful.

The game didn’t go as planned, but it was just one of many stadiums that were loud and rambunctious as the home crowds welcomed back their favorite teams.

FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland loudly and proudly welcomed home the Browns.

State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., was alive when the Cardinals beat the Minnesota Vikings due to a last-second missed field goal.

And as the Ravens pulled a major upset over the defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs in Baltimore, the Sunday Night Football tandem of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth went silent as the roar of the faithful drowned them out in jubilation over Lamar Jackson’s gutsy fourth-and-1 QB sneak to put the game away.

It truly is wonderful to see.

Fan attendance correlates directly with the entertainment fans at home get. It’s my personal belief that the louder the fans at the game are, the more engaged and real the games feel at home. With modern microphone technology, we can hear it all, and it directly enhances the fan experience.

Once winter sports start up, it will be a lot of fun to hear the noise emitting from enclosed arenas where fierce fights for puck possession will electrify fans.

MICHAEL GUIDO

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