It is possible 10,000 fans could be permitted to attend the World Series at Globe Life ParkGETTY IMAGES
There is cautious optimism across MLB that at least some fans will be permitted to attend the neutral-site World Series next month at Globe Life Field. One model that could be the most realistic, according to a source, is for 10,000 fans -- roughly 25% capacity in the Rangers' 40,300-seat ballpark -- to be permitted to attend while adhering to social-distancing guidelines. The source stressed that MLB has no plan yet for fans to attend the World Series, much less a specified number at this point. "But that is the hope -- that some fans can attend," the source said. The $1.2B ballpark will be home to three rounds in the expanded postseason, including hosting an NLDS matchup and the NLCS. The expanded postseason is expected to generate close to $1B for the league. Globe Life Field already has been able to test some of its operations during the pandemic when it hosted more than 50 graduations this spring. Staff tested air conditioners, restrooms and connections related to scanning tickets at gate entries. In all, more than 100,000 family members and guests attended the ceremonies while socially distanced (Eric Prisbell, SBJ Unpacks).
MANFRED HOPEFUL ON FANS: THE ATHLETIC's Evan Drellich noted MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is "hopeful that fans will be allowed into games during the postseason." Manfred said, “I’m hopeful that [for] the World Series and the LCS we will have limited fan capacity." He added, "It’s important for us to start back down the road. Obviously it’ll be limited numbers, socially distanced, protection provided for the fans in terms of temperature checks and the like. Kind of the pods like you saw in some of the NFL games. We’ll probably use that same theory. But I do think it’s important as we look forward to 2021 to get back to the idea that live sports, they’re generally outdoors, at least our games. And it’s something that we can get back to.” Speaking in an hosted by Hofstra Univ., Manfred "emphasized the stress on MLB’s business model without fans in the park." He explained, “With the resumption of play, one of the things that people have lost sight of -- you know, the game’s back. That’s what matters, people are seeing games. But you know, the clubs, the industry, we lose about 40 percent of our revenue when we play without fans. Remember it’s not just the tickets, it’s tickets, it’s concessions, it’s parking, it’s the merchandise that gets sold in the stadium." Manfred: “The owners have made a massive economic investment in getting the game back on the field for the good of the game. We need next year to be back in a situation where we can have fans in ballparks in order to sustain our business. It’s really that simple" (THEATHLETIC.com, 9/14).
WORTH THE SACRIFICE? In St. Louis, Ben Frederickson writes under the header, "Playoff Bubble Should Be No-Brainer For MLB Players." Dodgers 3B Justin Turner was among those to be opposed to a postseason bubble, noting the league is "asking us to choose between our families and the playoffs" despite it being a "pretty successful season." Frederickson: "This is where the players lose me. ... The virus-related curveballs MLB has faced during the regular season have been problematic. They could be catastrophic during the postseason, where the big TV money is made. A scrambled postseason schedule, or even worse a called-off tournament, would be very bad for the business of baseball." Players "should care a lot about this, especially if they are worried about how frigid the next round of free agency could become because of the pandemic’s impact on teams’ finances." A playoff bubble is "one of the few times players and owners should be in full agreement on the same topic" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/15).
