Gov. Andrew Cuomo 'encouraging' major sports teams to reopen without fans, wants to watch Bills

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MLB, players begin negotiations to start season

National Baseball Writer for the Wall Street Journal, Jared Diamond, discusses the status of the 2020 season.

As New York begins to slowly prepare to come out of the other end of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday he’s encouraging professional sports teams to prepare to open up as well.

Cuomo said teams should be preparing to begin their seasons without fans at stadiums and ballparks.

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“I have also been encouraging major sports teams to plan reopenings without fans,” Cuomo said. “The games could be televised. New York state will help those major sports franchises to do just that. Hockey, basketball, baseball, football, whoever, can reopen — we’re a ready, willing, and able partner."

“Personal disclosure, I wanna watch the Buffalo Bills, but I’m still objective. I’m acting as governor — there’s no personal agenda here. Yes, I do want to watch the Bills, but that is not subverting my role as governor. I think this is in the best interest of all the people, and in the best interest of the state of New York.”

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Cuomo’s comments came a day after President Trump expressed his desire for sports to return to the forefront of American society in the wake of the pandemic.

“We want to get sports back. We miss sports,” Trump said during an NBC Sports broadcast of a golf match featuring Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, and Matthew Wolff. “We need sports in terms of the psyche, the psyche of our country.

“We want to be back to normal where you have the big crowds where they’re practically standing on top of each other, not where they’re worried.”

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None of the four major North American sports leagues have come up with plans to either start their play again or begin their opening day. Major League Soccer clubs have started training but it’s unclear when the season will start up again.