Major League Baseball hopes to have all its ducks lined up health wise to start a shortened season by late June or early July. Reports say MLB will divide into three 10 team divisions with no National or American League breakdowns.
Games will be played in home team stadiums, without fans.
Whether any of that happens depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is precautions taken to minimize the threat of the coronavirus for players, broadcast teams and stadium personnel.
Such requirements were behind a White House call with league medical officers from professional and collegiate leagues, according to ESPN. The April 28 teleconference was organized by Seema Verma, a member of the White House coronavirus task force and administrator for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Verma informed the team med people on the latest in testing but also encouraged them to follow guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition to MLB, the call included reps from the NFL, the NBA, the WNBA, the NHL, the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, the NCAA, the College Football Playoff, the National Women’s Soccer League, NASCAR, PGA of America, the Masters Tournament, the United States Tennis Association, and a few others.
The PGA Tour announced play will resume on June 8 with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The first four tournaments of the new schedule will be played without fans in attendance, and the PGA Tour has acknowledged the need for safety precautions that will have to be implemented at the events.
Verma emphasized to the league officials the importance of finding innovative ways to allow sports while keeping the athletes, coaches, staff and fans safe. She also acknowledged the president’s commitment to supporting the efforts to reopen in a way that is consistent with public health data.
“They just told us what they knew, and told us they were anxious to help in any way they could,” said Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby who represented College Football Playoffs. “We learned that there were likely going to be a lot more tests available, both the antibody tests and point of contact tests, which was a good thing for all of the pro guys and colleges.
The number of tests expected to rise in the coming months, Bowlsby, who added too many unknowns still existed to determine when the fall season might start.
