New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Gives Green-Light For Pro Teams To Return To Their Facilities

New York State has been one of the states that has been most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. In New York, there have been nearly 197,000 confirmed cases and just over 16,000 deaths. Due to the pandemic, life in New York State has been put on hold, and this includes professional sports. On Sunday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) made an announcement that could see the return of pro sports in the state.

Cuomo said that starting Sunday, all professional sports teams in New York State will be able to begin holding training camps. In a statement, Cuomo said that the returns of sports could be something good for all New Yorkers. “I believe that sports that can come back without having people in the stadium, without having people in the arena – do it! Do it! Work out the economics, if you can,” he said. “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.”

The NBA, MLB and NHL have all been in talks with their respective players associations as well as state and local governments and health officials about starting or resuming their seasons. The NBA has begun allowing its teams reopen their facilities under various guidelines, as long as it is permitted by state governments. 

The Brooklyn Nets announced that they will be reopening their facility to its players starting on Tuesday, saying in a statement that the team will follow all guidelines put forth by the state. “The organization will strictly follow the protocols outlined by the NBA and infectious disease experts to ensure that all precautions are taken in order to maintain a safe and healthy environment for players and staff,” the team said in a statement.