Newsom: pro teams could play games in early June

After weeks of dour statements about the future of sporting events in California during the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday afternoon professional sports might be able to play games without fans in attendance in early June.

“Sporting events, pro sports, in that first week or so of June, without spectators and modifications and very prescriptive conditions, also can begin to move forward,” Newsom said during a news conference.

At a May 7 news conference, Newsom said arenas won’t be filled with sports fans in California until there is a vaccine for the coronavirus. He also expressed doubt about teams playing without fans in attendance because infections could run rampant through a team.

“Imagine what the leagues do when one or two of their key personnel or players are tested positive,” Newsom said. “Do they quarantine the rest of the team? If an offensive lineman is practicing with a defensive lineman, and they tested positive, what happens to the rest of the line? What happens for the game coming up the next weekend? It’s inconceivable to me that that’s not a likely scenario, so it’s a very challenging question.”

The NBA suspended its season March 11 after a player tested positive for COVID-19. The NFL, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, NCAA and other major sports bodies followed suit, postponing and canceling countless events over the past two months as stay-at-home orders took hold across the country.

But sports have begun to slowly reopen. UFC has held live events the past two weekends. PGA golfers Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Ricky Fowler competed in a skins game Sunday. NASCAR drivers raced on a track devoid of fans in Darlington, S.C., on Sunday.

Organized team sports have begun ramping up plans to return to action. MLB players and owners are negotiating a deal to return in early July. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last week a decision about how the league will proceed with its season will be made by early June. The Sacramento Kings began allowing players to workout at their facility last week.

Newsom played basketball and baseball at Redwood High School and attended Santa Clara University on a partial baseball scholarship. He said Monday that if the state continues to hold the rate of coronavirus transmission down and hospitals see reasonable hospitalization and ICU numbers, he will continue with plans to reopen elements of the state’s economy.