The Sound of Silence

[The Adelaide Connection]

It may end up being a moot point (if the season gets scratched) but how do you all see playing to an empty stadia impacting players, games and the whole viewing experience?

I am interested to see the impact on goal kicking accuracy and overall skills. The mental side of the game is arguably one of the biggest hurdles (especially in inexperienced players) and crowd sounds certainly play a part in that.

I predict that WC and Adelaide enjoy probably the biggest advantage from crowd sound both in terms of motivating players, putting off opposition, and influencing umpires (something that has ground my gears for years). The free-kick differential in the West over a long time, in particular, is outrageous.
The traditional big clubs certainly get this against lower drawing clubs too. We may see home ground advantage diluted quite a bit.

From a viewing point of view, the predominantly commentator and whistle only noises may just make me finally turn the sound off completely. There may be an opportunity to pick up more player direction and banter, which could be an interesting insight.