President Donald Trump has weighed in on how he wants the sporting world to proceed in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump held a call Saturday with the commissioners of leading American pro sports, including the NFL’s Roger Goodell. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski, Trump told the commissioners he wanted the NFL season to start on time, and he hoped to have sports leagues playing in front of fans again by August or September.
In conference call with major league sports commissioners on Saturday, President Donald Trump said he believes the NFL season should start on time in September, sources familiar with the call told @wojespn and me. More on call coming at https://t.co/rDZaVFhcDQ.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2020
Donald Trump also told commissioners that he hopes to have fans back in stadiums and arenas by August and September, sources said, though it is currently unclear if medical experts find that to be a realistic timeline amid the current coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/EFqDryGlTQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2020
As has been noted by public health experts, all timelines like this are dependent on how the virus behaves. We do not know precisely when the pandemic will peak and recede in the United States, and there are fears that it could return again in fall just in time for football season.
There remains the possibility that leagues could restart without fans, and MLB has looked at dates that would precede Trump’s timeline. No matter what he says, there is a significant amount of uncertainty right now, and no clear idea of when sports could start up again. We won’t have a clear idea about the NFL and college football until later in the summer, when we can assess how the virus is behaving and how the county is doing in identifying and combating its spread.
