Sports events held amid the coronavirus pandemic have become a whole different sort of spectacle when it comes to spectators. Games often have been held with zero fans. Some allowed small crowds. Cavernous venues have been filled with echoes of a bouncing ball or the squeaks of sneakers or chatter among players, coaches and officials that normally is inaudible. It all led to subtle changes to the essence of sports over the past 12 months. Athletes in individual sports needed to adapt and rely on their inner voices. And TV viewers couldn’t always tell the difference between what was real and what was artifice.
No fans? Some? A mix? Odd sights, sounds of pandemic sports
