This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, sports events have been finding innovative ways to make empty stadiums more appealing. One such example is the use of robots to provide live music, as seen in Taiwan's baseball league, where robots drummed in the stands during the Rakuten Monkeys' opening game.
Mannequins wearing team colours were placed around the stadium, along with cardboard cut-outs of fans, media, and players' family members. This creative approach has been a hit with fans, who have been paying 19 euros to have their life-sized images placed in the Borussia-Park stadium.
Another way to fill empty seats is through crowd sourcing, where fans can have their images placed in the stadium. In South Korea's K-League, recordings of popular chants have echoed around the country's empty football venues, some of which hosted games at the 2002 World Cup.
TV viewers of Australian Rules football will hear pre-recorded crowd noises laid over the match footage when games return next month. Software developers have also launched an app, MyApplause, which allows fans to combine to create crowd noise from their homes.
Baseball cheerleaders in Taiwan have been carrying out live interactions with fans from the stadiums, chatting and broadcasting dance routines over their mobile phones. One cheerleader even cooked and ate a barbecue while sitting in the stands, while sitting in the stands, while interacting with fans online.
