The news continues to get worse for sports fans in relation to the coronavirus. The Dodgers’ Opening Series is in danger as the California Department of Public Health has recommended crowd sizes be limited to just 250 people per venue. If there were to become a mandate, fans would likely not be allowed into Dodger Stadium to watch the games.
The state of California has officially limited gatherings for the remainder of March to 250 people, per to the California Dept. of Public Health: https://t.co/QDwj7UtDNX
The Dodgers, Padres and A's all will have their home openers either moved to alternate sites or postponed.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 12, 2020
The alternative to playing games without crowds would likely be pushing back games. But depending on how long this potential mandate would last, that may not be an option. It seems more and more likely every day that the Dodgers will be playing in an empty stadium on March 26th.
The good news here is that there are still a few weeks for the Dodgers to figure things out. As of now, none of the Spring Training games being played in Arizona and Florida have been canceled. The Mariners and Athletics are the only two teams who are almost certain to have to find alternative options as their city’s mandates are already in effect.
The NBA decided to halt all games and activities until they are able to have a broader discussion about the issue on Thursday. The league came to a screeching halt on Wednesday when a member of the Utah Jazz tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The NHL issued a statement shortly after the NBA shut down, and will continue to play games.
We will have on word from the Dodgers and Major League Baseball, both of whom are likely to make a statement this week. Los Angeles opens up their season against the rival Giants on March 26th for a three-game series. They were scheduled to play six-straight home games to open the year.
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