Another major sports market slowly is opening its doors.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday announced “all the New York professional sports leagues will be able to begin training camps,” essentially giving teams permission to return to their respective facilities. Facilities have been closed for more than two months after leagues paused their seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 cases in New York have plummeted since April 24, though the state still is reporting more than 1,000 new cases a day. Still, Cuomo thinks it’s about time to get sports back up and running.
“I believe that sports that can come back without having people in the stadium, without having people in the arena — do it! Do it!” Cuomo said, via ESPN.
“Work out the economics, if you can. We want you up. We want people to be able to watch sports. To the extent people are still staying home, it gives people something to do. It’s a return to normalcy. So we are working and encouraging all sports teams to start their training camps as soon as possible. And we’ll work with them to make sure that can happen.”
Since the governor’s announcement Sunday morning, the Brooklyn Nets have announced they will open their practice facility Tuesday.
“The organization will strictly follow the protocols outlined by the NBA and infectious disease experts to ensure that all precautions are taken,” the team said in a statement, via The New York Times’ Marc Stein.
After Governor Cuomo’s announcement earlier today, Nets say they will open their practice facility for voluntary player workouts Tuesday: pic.twitter.com/aSpLhiMtO2
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 24, 2020
New York is home to about a dozen major pro sports teams, making this a key milestone in the return of professional sports. Though only light workouts will be allowed for now, this certainly is a step in the right direction.
