Joe Biden recently called out the Texas Rangers for allowing 100% capacity for the team’s home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 5. But when Rangers president Jon Daniels heard the comments, he assured Biden and anyone else concerned about the fans’ health and safety that full capacity isn’t going to be something they do consistently.
“I think after Opening Day, [the] reality is we’re not going to be at full capacity, I doubt it,” Daniels said on 105.3 THE FAN in Dallas / Ft. Worth on Thursday per TMZ. Daniels also admitted that having full capacity is not something recommended by the CDC. “I’m hopeful that people are responsible and wear masks and we can enjoy a good time out,” Daniels continued. “But after that [Opening Day], I don’t see it being a regular occurrence. … “I do see it’s kind of a complex issue and I do see why the President would say what he said.”
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Biden appeared on ESPN Wednesday night and shared his thoughts on the Rangers’ decision. “Well, that’s a decision they made. I think it’s a mistake,” Biden said. “They should listen to Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, the scientists and the experts. But I think it’s not responsible.” The Rangers are the only team in MLB to allow 100% capacity for their Opening Day game. Most teams across the league have limited capacity to 20% to 30%.
This comes when vaccines are rolling out across the country and Biden was asked what he would tell players who are not sure about getting vaccinated. “I would say I’m President of the United States and I got vaccinated,” he said. “I don’t have an unimportant job. Would I take the vaccine if I thought it was going to hurt me? We have done incredible research on the vaccines and they have shown that they work. We have to get to the point where enough people have taken the vaccine, so we diminish the possibility for it to spread.”
The Rangers are looking to have a packed stadium as the team opened Globe Life Field in July 2020. At that time, no fans were allowed to attend games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the stadium was the host of last season’s NLCS and World Series, which had a limited amount of fans.
