The MLB season has been postponed since March 12 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. There have been discussions about starting the season in June or July, but nothing has been determined just yet. Whenever baseball returns, however, President Donald Trump would prefer if the New York Yankees played in front of a smaller crowd.
Trump was asked about the return of sports during his daily press briefing on Wednesday. He explained that he wants to see football games, basketball games and baseball games in the near future. However, the president did clarify that he’s not a major fan of the idea of playing games in several key locations instead of at the home stadiums. He prefers to see the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, and he believes that a smaller crowd could potentially be in attendance.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Trump says he thinks the New York Yankees will “be able to play in Yankee Stadium with obviously smaller crowds and then the crowds would start to build as things get to be a little bit better” this year. pic.twitter.com/qCdRB75dKH
— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) April 29, 2020
“I saw baseball is doing something unusual,” Trump said during the daily press briefing. “I don’t know if I agree with it. I would like to see the Yankees play at Yankee Stadium. I see they have some ideas for baseball that are very different. I guess I’m a traditionalist, but I think they’d be able to play at Yankee Stadium with, obviously, smaller crowds and then the crowds would start to build as things get a little bit better.”
The current plan, per CBS Sports, is for the MLB season to begin in either late June or on July 4. The games would be held in Florida, Texas and Arizona, with a group of teams in each location. The league is hoping teams would then be able to transition into their own ballparks as the season rolls on. Whether or not fans are allowed to attend the games would depend on the states and their stay-at-home orders.
“MLB has been actively considering numerous contingency plans that would allow play to commence once the public health situation has improved to the point that it is safe to do so,” MLB said in a statement in early April. “While we have discussed the idea of staging games at one location as one potential option, we have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan. While we continue to interact regularly with governmental and public health officials, we have not sought or received approval of any plan from federal, state and local officials, or the Players Association.”
The 2020 season could begin in June or July, but that answer has not been provided just yet. The league’s decision will be based on the coronavirus and any strides that have been made toward “flattening the curve.” Having baseball return would be a welcome sight for fans — including the president — but he would simply prefer to see fans at Yankee Stadium.
