While the sporting landscape has been on a pause button ever since coronavirus pandemic swept through the globe, the leagues across the world are now working on a plan to resume the season with possible safeguards.?
One of the first leagues to resume was Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan, doing so as early as April 12. While the action restarted, the games are being played without spectators.?
But to ensure the players don't miss the regular atmosphere too much, the stadiums are filled with cardboard fans instead of the real fans. The seats are being occupied by mannequins and cardboard cutouts.
To create a proper match feel atmosphere at the ground, one local team in Taiwan joined forces with a local robot company and put robots and signboards in the stadium to simulate the cheering fans.??
Players, stadium staff, and cheerleaders are all seen in attendance, but in deference to coronavirus social distancing recommendations, the stands remained people-free. Instead, cheerleaders snapped photos with fake human cardboard cutouts and mannequins,?some of which were actually robots.???
The league's players are living in dorm-style housing and can only travel to and from the baseball stadium in order to keep them safe during the outbreak, according to various reports.?
If latest reports are anything to go by then the real fans won't have to wait too long to see live action inside the stadiums. CPBL is planning to allow upto 1000 fans to attend the games from May 8 which might be bad news for cardboard fans.?