Governor Gavin Newsom made an encouraging announcement for sports fans in the Golden State on Monday. Professional sports could be back on the field much sooner than we thought.
During a press briefing, Newsom was running down a list of entities that could be re-opening soon when he added this:
“Sporting events, pro sports, in that first week or so of June without spectators and with modifications and very prescriptive conditions also could begin to move forward. Again, if we hold these trend lines in the next number of weeks."
Previous estimations had the return of sports in California delayed until deeper into the summer. This announcement clears a major hurdle for the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball to get back to playing.
MLB revealed a return to play plan last week that included starting a second “Spring Training” in June, possibly at each team’s home ballpark, with games beginning in July in front of no fans.
Newsom’s announcement makes it much easier for the Padres, Angels, Dodgers, A’s and Giants to do just that.
It could also mean college football and NFL teams can begin their summer training camps in person and on time. San Diego State University is aiming for a July 7 camp date on campus but they still need approval from the school and the NCAA.
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