Dr. Fauci says sports can return if fans are removed from equation

President Donald Trump has said the United States is working toward re-opening sectors of the economy with the coronavirus outbreak at or near its peak in the country, and many are wondering what that means for sports. According to one of the nation’s top infectious disease experts, leagues may be able to resume play in the not-so-distant future with one major caveat.

No fans.

Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke about the potential return of sports in an interview with Snapchat’s Peter Hamby, and he said there is an avenue to it happening fairly quickly. However, having fans attend games would be out of the question, and players would have to follow some strict protocols.

“There’s a way of doing that,” Fauci said. “Nobody comes to the stadium. Put [the players] in big hotels, wherever you want to play, keep them very well surveilled. … Have them tested, like, every week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their family, and just let them play the season out.”

Fauci, who said he’s a Washington Nationals fan, believes there would be enough interest in sports for it to be worthwhile to have leagues play in front of empty venues. That is almost certainly true, as many fans are desperate for some sort of fresh content to watch.

Trump is planning to meet with some of the biggest names in sports, and there will be a lot of issues to iron out. While there may be a path to resuming play for many leagues, players would have to agree to follow strict guidelines and potentially be away from their families for extended amounts of time. One report already indicated that aspect of the arrangement could be a problem.