Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Where South Florida pro teams stand in plan for sports to return
Last weekend’s races at the Homestead-Miami Speedway marked an official return of live sports to the South Florida area, although it was without spectators. The major sports leagues are not far behind.
Major League Baseball aside, the questions are no longer “if ” but “when” for the professional sports leagues in their hopes to return after the coronavirus pandemic brought much of the country to a screeching halt. Here is how each local team is progressing in that process:
Miami Marlins
The Marlins returned to the field for practice this week, amid growing uncertainty
about whether a season will be played at all. While the owners and the players association engage in a very public — and very messy — back and forth, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said on ESPN’s Get Up! he was “not confident” a season would be played, one week after he said he was “100 percent certain” there would be a season. The players, meanwhile, are seeking full pro-rated salaries for as many games as possible. Time is dwindling.
Nonetheless, Miami opened Marlins Park on Tuesday to the 40-man roster, and some players were spotted taking part. If the two sides come to an agreement, the players will undoubtedly need time to gear up, as Miami hasn’t played a regular season baseball game since Sept. 29, 2019. Still, of the major sports, baseball still appears, as of now, the least likely to have a season.
Florida Panthers
Of all the local teams preparing
to restart, the Panthers stand to gain the most. The Panthers had 78 points, good for fourth in the Atlantic Division, when the season was suspended in March. Now, they’re preparing for a playoff series against the New York Islanders.
The Panthers entered Stage 2 of hockey’s return last week, which allows players to voluntarily workout on the ice with restrictions. The NHL’s plan aims to start
opening training camps on July 10. If all goes according to plan, it will then set dates for games.
Miami Heat
A 33-page brochure was made public this week, outlining the intricate details of the NBA’s return plan, which will feature 22 teams traveling to Orlando to stay quarantined in a “bubble” in order to finish the rest of the season and postseason.
The Heat will enter the bubble with a 41-24 record, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference. They have already clinched a spot in the playoffs.
While reports have recently circulated about NBA players who are wary of the plan, Heat forward Bam Adebayo said he expects all of Miami’s players to participate.
“We’re the Miami Heat. I don’t think anybody is going to sit out,” Adebayo said. “I think we’re built for situations like this because we work so hard and we push our bodies to be the best.”
The league has tentatively pegged late July as a target for beginning play.
Inter Miami
Major League Soccer recently announced teams could return to their facilities for restricted training, and Inter Miami took full advantage, with all but one player returning to the field immediately. Inter Miami played just two road games in its inaugural season — both losses — before the season as suspended.
Major League Soccer also boasts a “bubble” plan in Orlando, called the “MLS is Back Tournament.” Teams have been split into groups and will advance to a bracket-style tournament after three games. Inter Miami is set to feature in the tournament’s inaugural game against Orlando City SC on July 8. Inter Miami’s group will feature five other teams: Orlando City, New York City FC, Philadelphia Union, Chicago Fire and Nashville SC.
Miami Dolphins
The NFL has had the fortune of timing on its side. The coronavirus pandemic shut down sports in the United States a month after the Super Bowl, meaning it has consumed — but not completely halted — the NFL’s offseason.
Although there were no rookie camps or organized team activities, the league is now on schedule as planned, with training camps set to open in July. There will undoubtedly be questions to answer with regard to how this season will be played, and a surge in coronavirus cases would force the league to reconsider everything. But as of now, the Dolphins, like every other team in the NFL, will prepare for a season as normal.