President Donald Trump wants sports to return as soon as possible. On Tuesday, Trump announced he’s enlisting advisers from the medical field, elected office, and the sports world to help with his plan to reopen the country amid the coronavirus pandemic. There will be more than 200 advisers who will consult with the president. Some of the sports executives on the committee are NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
“We have to get our sports back. I’m tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old,” Trump said during his Tuesday briefing per ESPN. “But I haven’t actually had too much time to watch. I would say maybe I watch one batter then I get back to work.” The other sports executives listed are top commissioners including the MLB‘s Rob Manfred, NHL’s Gary Bettman, NFL‘s Roger Goodell, UFC’s Dana White, PGA’s Jay Monahan, and NASCAR’s Lesa Kennedy.
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Earlier this month, Trump had a conference call with major sports leaders, and one of the things that stood out during the meeting was Trump reportedly saying the NFL season “should start on time.” The first game is set for Sept. 10, and while the NFL is planning to start the season then, it’s not a guarantee that will happen. “They want to get back. They’ve got to get back. We want to get back soon. Very soon,” Trump said of the conference call, per NFL Media’s Judy Battista.
The NFL is the only sports league to not make any major changes due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the NFL Draft, which is set to begin on Thursday, April 23, will be virtual, and all NFL team facilities are currently closed. When it comes to offseason workouts, it will also be virtual.
“I would say that’s everyone’s hope, that we are in a position to do that,” NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills said, per Battista. “But the reality is none of us know those facts for certain right now. We hope and pray for the best and prepare for the worst, realizing that is one potential outcome that we will be back fully in business playing games as normal in front of fans on schedule. But it’s certainly not the only outcome.
