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After an offseason investigation, it appears rumors that suggested the Atlanta Falcons were pumping crowd noise through Georgia Dome speakers were indeed true, and the NFL offices have now officially disciplined the franchise. According to reports, the Falcons have been fined $350,00 and will forfeit a 2016 draft pick.
Falcons have been fined $350,000 and will forfeit their fifth-round selection in the 2016 Draft.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 30, 2015
This attempt at creating an intensified home-field advantage is absolutely despicable and utterly embarrassing. First of all, the Falcons play inside a dome, which already renders (or should) their stadium louder than any team that plays outdoors — with the exception of the Seattle Seahawks, that is. The fact that the Falcons felt they needed to do so further exemplifies the prevailing mantra in sports circles that claim the city of Atlanta is not a good town for professional sports, as the fans are fickle and oftentimes come off as front-runners.
Just a few years ago, when the Falcons were winning an abundance of regular season games, there was seemingly no issue whatsoever with fan support. The Georgia Dome was packed regularly, and Dirty Bird fans were having the time of their lives as the organization, in fairness, hasn’t given them a ton to be excited about throughout the franchise’s history. However, the past two seasons have been a nightmare in Atlanta, and the fact that the Falcons still only went 6-9 at home while pumping in artificial crowd noise is more of an indictment of the lousy roster their front-office put together than it is their come and go fanbase.
Timothy Downs is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. You can ‘like him’ on Facebook add him on Google or follow him on Twitter @Tidow1212
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