Newsom said that he understood the importance of sports in terms of spirit and prideGETTY IMAGES
California Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to express he “has his doubts” about the state’s three NFL teams playing in front of fans this year, according to Jay Posner of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. The NFL on Thursday night released its ’20 schedule -- assuming the league does not have to delay any games due to the coronavirus pandemic -- and Newsom reiterated what he said several weeks ago, noting it is “difficult to imagine a stadium that’s filled until we have immunity, until we have a vaccine.” Newsom “wondered what might happen if a player or other team personnel tests positive for the virus.” He asked, “Do they quarantine the rest of the team if an offensive lineman is practicing with a defensive lineman, and they are tested positive? What happens to the rest of the line? What happens for the game coming up next weekend? It’s inconceivable to me that that’s not a likely scenario.” Newsom said he understood the importance of sports “in terms of spirit and pride that a community, state and nation can build.” Newsom: “I say this very, very honestly: I hope to be able to answer that question sooner than later. But it’s a very tough question for these leagues to answer, because they must have a safety-first, health-first mindset, and there are conditions that persist in this state and this nation that make re-opening very, very challenging” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 5/8).
MIXING AND MATCHING: In L.A., Bill Shaikin noted Newsom “illustrated the tension that could arise between leagues that want to resume play and the local and state officials that would have to sign off.” The result could be a “patchwork arrangement in which leagues could play before no fans in some cities, limited crowds in some places, and large crowds in other places -- and perhaps not at all in some locales (L.A. TIMES, 5/7).
