It is absolutely unheard of to be watching major league sports on television and not to see fans in the crowd. Even at your least popular match up in sports, the stadiums, arenas, and ballparks are always full. Due to the Covid-19 virus, sporting events are being played fanless this year and it really is a strange sight to see. With MLB being the first sport to play and air on live tv without their fans, they have come up with a created way to “fill” the stadium and get the fans involved.

The MLB Opening Day was on July 27, 2020. The athletes and team staff entered the ballpark, but that was it. Then the idea of cutouts occurred. Teams all over the MLB are beginning to fill the empty stands with the cardboard cutout program, in which fans can pay to have a cardboard likeness of themselves in the stands during home games. The price of the cutout varies team by team as does where your cutout “sits.” This unique idea provides a way for fans to still interact with their favorite team while allowing the teams to bring in some revenue. Some of the teams like the Boston Red Sox have a rather high price for their cutout but it includes more. According to MLB.com “A $500 donation to the Red Sox Foundation will yield you a fan cutout that will sit atop the Green Monster for a portion of the season. If a Red Sox home run ball hits the cutout, that fan will receive the autographed home run ball, two Green Monster tickets for a 2021 home game, a custom Red Sox jersey, and a video replay of the home run. Proceeds are donated to the COVID-19 relief in Massachusetts.” Other teams such as the New York Mets are offering free cutouts to season ticket holders who have renewed their tickets for the 2021 season. At the end of the season, the fans will get the cutout sent back to them to keep as a souvenir. As you watch the games, you will see some “trolling” fans in the stands. Hall of Famer, Chipper Jones,  put on an appearance at Citi Field to haunt the Mets in their own ballpark. Many celebrities have been spotted across the MLB parks as well as some important tributes to late employees and fans of the team. This clever idea keeps the excitement for the fans alive and allows them to interact with their favorite teams.

Although 2020 has been plagued with the coronavirus, we are seeing creative ways that the sports industry are keeping the spirits of players and fans alive. Baseball is the only major sport that is being televised right now, but we have no doubt that the cut outs will continue as new sport seasons start. This idea of the cutouts is both beneficial to the fans and the teams as it creates a bridge of involvement for the fans while giving the illusions of normalcy to the viewer of a “full” ballpark. We hope to see more unique ways for fan interaction with their favorite teams as the season progresses, but for now we are just happy to watch live sports!

The New York Yankees 2 game streak against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park has been postponed due to Covid-19. The Yankees were geared up to play the Phillies early this week when it was announced that the game was to be postponed due to a Covid outbreak in Miami. This outbreak infected at least 18 members of the Miami Marlins, including half of the team’s 30 man active roster, who had just competed against the Phillies over the weekend.

The Phillies hosted the Marlins in a three game streak which ended in an outbreak of the coronavirus throughout the Marlins franchise. Both coaches and players were infected, and there is fear that the virus could spread to other teams. In a precautionary measure, the MLB has announced that the next games that the Phillies would play, would be postponed while they test heavily for the virus. This outbreak came just 4 days after the abbreviated 60 game season began. After Sunday’s game, the Phillies were tested with no positive results. The team is doing another round of testing on Tuesday before they are to continue their season.

The Yankees are scheduled to play the Phillies in New York on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, but it is unclear if those games will happen. Covid-19 has a 14 day incubation period with an average of 5 days before results appear. This means that the tests provided on Monday and even today may not come back with any positive cases even though some players could have been exposed. It is safe to say that an appropriate amount of time will be passed before negative testing will be considered valid.

Miami’s team has not yet cancelled their season after their outbreak with the hopes that a 60 man roster would allow them to get through the season even with positive testings. The team has remained in Philly after being tested there rather than being allowed to travel home to gear up for their next series against the Baltimore Orioles . The MLB says that the Marlins club will not play until Wednesday at the earliest.