Cody Glenn-USA TODAY Sports
Fans will not be allowed in to Oracle Park once games start up this season. Yet, that does not mean the fans will be invisible.
The Giants announced Thursday night in an email to season-ticket holders that they will be accepting images of the fans that can be placed in empty seats, allowing “you to be at Oracle Park even when you’re home watching the game.”
The cutouts, from waterproof material, will be placed as close to the actual ticket-holders’ seats as possible. As part of the “Giants Fan Cutout Program,” non-season-ticket holders can pay $99 to have their cutout image displayed in the stands.
It’s an idea that some fans will appreciate and others will mock. Yet, part of the reasoning may be the effect on the Giants on the field. Perhaps the facade of people in the stands will help games feel a bit more normal.
This season, scheduled to begin July 23 or 24, will not be normal, the Giants citing “the continued health risks related to the pandemic” as the reason games will be empty.
Other leagues, too, have gotten creative. In South Korea, the KBO has turned to toys from kids’ TV series, such as Spongebob.