I hate it when the home crowd gets excited and loud. For some reason it just pisses me off. So when Kyle Kuzma was involved with a sequence of plays that closed the Bucks’ lead from double-digits to nothing, and the Lakers’ faithful got louder and more raucous each time the gap was narrowed, I was just sitting there getting steamed. In my opinion, the ideal basketball game would take place in an empty gym with only players, coaches, and refs. No fans to get all emotional and, frankly, childishly over-reactive. There’s just something barbaric about thousands of fans grouped into one place acting like a mob.
I recently attended a Bucks game because I got free tickets, and I’ll tell you right now, I did not clap or yell even one time. I sat there like a statue in total silence, except when I had to correct the people around me when they mis-identified a player or asserted that contested Middleton midrange shots are not good shots. Whenever the PA announcer pleaded with us to “get up” and “get loud”, I defied him. As they say, you have to be the change you want in the world. And the change I want in this world is to not have loud fans being loud and excited in my presence, and to not have my NBA-viewing experience ruined by their loudness on TV.
I would allow fans to watch games live in the arena as long as they signed an agreement to not make any noise the entire time. That way, they could still get concessions and buy merchandise and do all the things associated with the game-day experience. However, my experience with humanity is that they will be loud even when you tell them to be quiet. So, empty gyms with no spectators might be the only option. Sorry Jack Nicholson.