New York State moves another step closer to bringing professional sports back following Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recent announcement.
Sit tight, New Yorkers. Sports might be coming back soon. On Sunday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that professional teams could begin “spring training” in the state.
This is a major step forward for the return of sports in the country following the coronavirus shutdown that began in mid-March. New York City was one of, if not the hardest-hit place in the world by the virus.
The fact that Cuomo feels comfortable letting professional teams begin spring training and training camps speaks volumes about how far we’ve come.
Of the four major sports, the NFL is the only league that has yet to have its season affected by the shutdown. The NFL offseason has gone along—relatively—smoothly as a virtual process.
The NHL and NBA, on the other hand, were forced to put their seasons on hiatus while MLB was forced to postpone Opening Day. All three leagues are scrambling to start back up again.
Although the NHL and NBA are likely to opt for a “bubble” scenario with games in centralized locations, this news from Governor Cuomo will be a huge lift for MLB. Rather than sending every team to Arizona or Florida, the league is hoping to play games in home stadiums.
With all this said, nothing is set in stone. As states reopen, keep an eye on the spread of COVID-19 because another huge spike in hospitalizations could change things dramatically.
