Gov. Cuomo expresses optimism at Yankees, Mets playing: 'There's a lot of reward with minimal risk'
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo believes baseball returning to the city would be a good thing. At a briefing Saturday, Cuomo expressed optimism regarding the New York Yankees and New York Mets playing games, saying, “There’s a lot of reward with minimal risk.”
Cuomo believes the economic impact of the games would be a positive.
Cuomo on Yankees and Mets playing: "If you have an economic activity that can take place and generates economic interest and entertainment interest...when you look at the risk-reward, there's a lot of reward with minimal risk."
— Nick Reisman (@NickReisman) May 16, 2020
Cuomo also cites the entertainment interest of having baseball games in the city.
While it’s unclear whether that will happen, Major League Baseball is trying to ensure there’s a 2020 season. The league reportedly send a detailed, 67-page document to players Friday outlining how the league will handle safety precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic. The players still have to approve/suggest changes to that document.
Even if the players are on board, individual states will need to determine whether to allow baseball games. In March, New York recommended canceling all gatherings of 50 people or more.
While New York is not allowing large gatherings, it sounds like Cuomo would make an exception for baseball. Either that, or he expects social distancing restrictions to be much looser by the time MLB’s regular season begins. In its document Friday, MLB said it would limit spring training to 50 players per team. While that’s a lower amount than usual, it’s high compared to current social distancing recommendations.
There’s still no guarantee baseball will be played in 2020 — and a lot can change between now and the start of the regular season. But if the league and the players can work things out, it sounds like Cuomo would be open to allowing games in New York.
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