Soccer fans are fighting back against the synthetic noises during the live games to start replacing the claps of in-person onlookers who are made to remain away from sports venues due to coronavirus social distancing rules.
An alliance of fans across more than a dozen European countries launched a campaign on Wednesday against artificial crowd noise, saying, “Augmented reality technology, pre-recorded songs, and other forms of artificial support are a rebuke to matching fans.”
“The empty stadiums are a direct consequence of a public health crisis that has impacted each and every one of us, and the lack of fans can not be compensated for by a computer simulation aimed at entertaining television audiences,” read a letter published by Football Supporters Europe.
Electronic Arts confirmed last week that it will deliver crowd noise to Spain’s La Liga and England’s Premier League, which had been brought together over the years for the FIFA Soccer franchise.
“This is definitely not a situation anyone thought of showing off our library. The important thing, ideally, is to enhance the experience of someone watching a game, “said Paul Boechler, an EA audio artist, last week.
German channels offered Tv audience an option between live sound or recorded fan songs for Bundesliga games.
The fan coalition also called for supporters to have a right to take part in when and how fans can get back to the stadiums in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and make the game more financially viable.
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