Today, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that all professional sports are cleared to begin training and practicing in New York. It will go into effect immediately and include Buffalo area teams.
This is a big announcement, and it’s the first step to games returning. Right now, the NBA, NHL, and MLB are working on restart plans, and this allows teams to be able to practice at home if they choose to.
“Starting today, all the New York professional sports leagues will be able to begin training camps” said the governor on Sunday. “I believe that sports that can come back without having people in the stadium, without having people in the arena–do it.”
The MLB is planning to plan an 82-game schedule in home ballparks if an economic plan is agreed upon. The NBA is zeroing in on Disney World to resume their season, while the NHL is looking at multiple cities to play.
“Work out the economics if you can. We want you up. We want people to be able to watch sports. To the extent people are still staying home, it gives people something to do. It’s a return to normalcy. So we are working and encouraging all sports teams to start their training camps as soon as possible, and we’ll work with them to make sure that can happen.”
Cuomo also stated that he is very open to making the games accessible to all fans.
“The games could be televised. New York State will help those major sports franchises to do just that,” said Cuomo. “Hockey, basketball, baseball, football–whoever can reopen–we’re a ready, willing, and able partner.”
This is a big step in the right direction for a return to sports. Now, it’s up to the individual leagues to make agreements with their players and teams.