Yesterday, the 2020 MLB postseason schedule was announced where teams will be playing in neutral site locations. Could it still be in empty stadiums? Rob Manfred doesn't seem to think so.
Rob Manfred is already pondering the idea of fans back in the seats for most meaningful playoff games. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, fans have not been permitted to attend any regular-season games to date, but Manfred is optimistic that could change by the time the LCS and World Series are played.
As Evan Drellich of The Athletic notes, while speaking remotely to the Hofstra business school on Monday, Manfred said the following:
"I'm hopeful that the World Series and the LCS we will have limited fan capacity. I think it's important for us to start back down the road. Obviously it'll be limited numbers, socially distanced, protection provided for the fans in terms of temperature checks and the like. Kind of the pods like you saw in some of the NFL games. We'll probably use that same theory. But I do think it's important as we look forward to 2021 to get back to the idea that live sports, they're generally outdoors, at least our games. And it's something that we can get back to."
MLB owners have strong incentives to get paying customers back in the ballparks as soon as possible. Could this happen? Only time will tell.
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