Written by Drew McConnell

Athletic events have always attracted a crowd. Whether it’s the admiration of the athlete’s abilities, a sense of commonality and community with others, or just sheer entertainment value, there’s always been something about sports that has lured folks from all walks of life to cheer their favourites or boo their hated rivals.

Whatever the reason for sports fandom, one thing that’s been magnified and made clear by the COVID-19 pandemic is the considerable impact a live crowd has on the atmosphere of a sporting event. Having been fortunate enough to attend Huskies hockey games both with and without a live audience, I can say with great certainty that even a handful of people in the stands can dramatically shift a game’s atmosphere.

You don’t even have to be in the arena to understand the difference between having the seats filled with rabid fans and a building brimming with barren bleachers. For some insight, you could tune in to watch professionals on television and see National Hockey League (NHL) games competed before empty arenas and you can see the difference.

But when you’re there in person, not only can you see the difference, you can feel it. Back in February, I had the opportunity to do a webcast of a men’s exhibition hockey game for AUS TV at the Dauphinee Centre – SMU’s on-campus hockey rink. It was a fun experience – which you can read about here – but there was definitely something missing. The normal buzz and palpable energy were noticeably absent from this event, which took the atmosphere down a notch. It didn’t feel like an event as much as it did just a game.

Obviously, this change in atmosphere was a necessary sacrifice in order to have an exhibition game in the first place. The health and safety protocols had to be followed strictly – and they were. This meant no spectators in the crowd and, moreover, a skeleton crew of maybe a dozen or so event staff. To their credit, the athletes played their hearts out and put on a heck of a show. But at the end of the night, after the final buzzer sounded, my prevailing thought circled around how much better the game would have been with at least some people in the stands.

That wish seemed in vain after it was announced that gathering restrictions were being increased due to a spike in COVID case numbers in the Halifax region. It seemed likely that the exhibition games scheduled would be cancelled and we’d have to wait and see what the 2021-22 season would bring.

But surprisingly, the Nova Scotia government rescinded the restrictions about a week later – increasing gathering limits to 50% of a venue’s capacity. As such, the decision was made to continue exhibition hockey play and stage a women’s game on March 13th at the Dauphinee Centre. This time, however, there would be a limited number of spectators permitted in the building.

From the drop of the puck of that game – a recap of which can be found here – you could feel the difference from the previous one. Just having that ambient sound of cheering and ballyhoo injected- an element of excitement and electricity that only fans can bring. It felt like an actual event rather than just a scrimmage. The energy was most noticeable any time a goal was scored. Given that the game in question was between SMU and Dalhousie, both schools were represented well in the stands.

Being there live would have made you feel as if there were hundreds of people crammed into the Dauphinee Centre, based on the atmosphere alone. In reality, the arena had signs posted which noted a maximum capacity of 50. To the best of my knowledge, there were about 29 people in the stands. It’s amazing to consider how much those 29 screaming fans contributed to the aura of the game.

The difference between the atmosphere of that women’s hockey game on March 13th and the men’s game a month earlier was undeniable. It was a true case study in how much a live crowd – regardless of size – can add to the excitement of a sporting event. It’s those moments of being surrounded by people, sharing an experience, a moment in time, that will live with you infinitely.

On a personal note, I will never forget the feeling of being in Montreal at the Bell Centre when Canadian Mixed Martial Arts icon Georges St. Pierre made his entrance before a packed house of 20,000 fans. I still get goosebumps when I think about it. That moment reinforced the very notion of what sport is all about - coming together over a shared passion and creating a vibrant community.

Those goosebump moments are sure to return when fans are permitted back inside venues at full capacity. Hopefully, when the next varsity season begins this fall, society will be in a place where crowds can pack arenas and cheer and boo until they’re blue in the face - because it’s those goosebump moments that turn a game into an event.

Life of the Party: Why Fans Make a Game an Event

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