Arizona Governor Opens Door For Pro Sports Return In State
May 13, 2020, 11:38 AM
TEMPE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 09: General view of action between the USC Trojans and the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first half of the NCAAF game at Sun Devil Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Tempe, Arizona. The Trojans defeated the Sun Devils 31-26. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has opened the door for professional sports to return to the state.
Ducey said on Tuesday that professional sports, including MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL can resume without fans on Saturday. The state is slowly starting to reopen during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic with Ducey saying on social media that Arizona is “trending in the right direction.”
BREAKING: Major League Sports can resume after May 15 in Arizona.
— Anne Ryman (@anneryman) May 12, 2020
Ducey said he’s had discussions with “leaders of some of these leagues” but did not say which ones or elaborate on what activities might take place in Arizona. Last month, he said he’d spoken with Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and was open to hosting games.
Arizona governor opens door for pro sports return in state https://t.co/IDNv3WglBB pic.twitter.com/CLFhLKTDGp
— Las Vegas Sun (@LasVegasSun) May 13, 2020
Other sports like basketball and hockey have considered playing the remainder of the regular season in hubs with several teams playing games in one location.
“It would be at this point in time, according to the CDC guidelines, without fans,” Ducey said at a press conference. Citing his public health director, he said “we could do that safely in the state of Arizona beginning May 16.”
