Virus makes prospect of fans uncertain
LOS ANGELES — If Major League Baseball manages to successfully start its 2020 season on July 23, fans won’t be there to watch as the coronavirus continues spreading at alarming rates around the country.
But allowing fans at games in 2020 is a possibility because the league’s Operations Manual says so. The sentence leaving the door cracked was placed in the middle of a meaty paragraph on Page 28: “Clubs may permit fan attendance at games with the approval of MLB and relevant local authorities.”
Dodgers President Stan Kasten, however, said he doesn’t expect fans will be allowed at Dodger Stadium in the near future.
“It is not on the table anytime soon,” Kasten said Friday. “Obviously, when it is safe for fans to show up, we’d love for that to happen, even if it’s a small number to begin. But I think we’re going away from even thinking about that.”
Teams in different states are on different timelines. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this week reiterated that he wants fans to attend sporting events in the state at half-capacity soon despite rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the state. Houston Astros owner Jim Crane told reporters “that’s the plan.” The Texas Rangers are the state’s other MLB organization.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the Chicago Cubs and White Sox could allow as many as 8,000 fans at their ballparks. But in California, coronavirus cases have continued rising. Los Angeles County remains the hot spot, registering 38% of the state’s new cases in the last two weeks.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he doesn’t envision stadiums packed with fans until a vaccine is available. This month, Southern California athletic director Mike Bohn informed football seasonticket holders that the university was planning for “a reduced capacity” at the Coliseum. The NHL is considering Los Angeles as one of two hubs for its season restart in late July or early August. The NBA, WNBA and Major League Soccer are scheduled to have all games played in hubs in Florida starting in July.