The NBA’s return to play is coming into focus, as Friday gave word that both players and the league have agreed on the parameters they will use to finish the 2019-20 season in Orlando. With that news of team numbers, playoff format and warm-up games came some other news: no trips to Disney with family.
Oh, and the league might also use artificial crowd noise from NBA 2K to make televised versions of these spectator-less games sound more like traditional NBA games. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, video game effects are actually being considered for the TV broadcasts that will be the only way hoops fans can watch these games this summer.
– There could be crowd noise via NBA 2K video game sounds, but the NBA and NBPA is still discussing creative opportunities
Using video game crowd noise would certainly qualify as a “creative” solution to crowd-less games, but it’s not without its own controversies. Some fans have complained about European soccer matches in fan-less venues using piped-in crowd noise, which often gives belated reactions to goals or big plays because it’s essentially a person in a control room pressing buttons based on what’s happening on the field.
It would certainly make for a weird dynamic to these games, but also hide some more interesting problems with the setting including hearing everything players say on the court. Which, you know, may not be very TV-friendly in the heat of the moment. Still, not everyone was on board with the news, including some NBA players.
Wtf I hope they not serious https://t.co/SVJ2rH1K8f
— َ (@monstatrezz) June 5, 2020
It was also a chance for some others to make some very good 2K-related jokes.
2k crowd noise when Ben Simmons hits a three pic.twitter.com/7O9g12RdsE
— Prez💊 (@PresidentEmbiid) June 5, 2020
If the NBA is gonna use NBA 2K crowd noise, they should also figure out a way to incorporate the David Aldridge side eye after every postgame interview. pic.twitter.com/1Dc7W9zhvu
— WHISTLE UNCUT (@WhistleUncut) June 5, 2020
We’ll see if the suggestion actually takes place, but if it does there are a lot of basketball fans who will be hearing familiar sounds later this summer.