Today, President Donald Trump held a conference call with the commissioners of every major professional sport in the country. Although we don’t yet know precisely what was discussed, it was always fair to surmise that it was going to be about COVID-19 timelines, and how sports can help the return to some version of normalcy.
To that end, ESPN’s crew has at least some of what was discussed, including the President’s hope that sports – with crowds – can return by August and September:
Donald Trump also told commissioners that he hopes to have fans back in stadiums and arenas by August and September, sources said, though it is currently unclear if medical experts find that to be a realistic timeline amid the current coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/EFqDryGlTQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2020
More on Donald Trump telling sports commissioners today that he believes the NFL should start on time in September, per @wojespn and me.https://t.co/SrRISWxzAo
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2020
NBA commissioner Adam Silver told those on Trump conference call that the leagues were the first to shut down and that they would love to lead the way in starting the economy once there was an “all clear” from public health officials, sources familiar with call told ESPN. https://t.co/SXmvzhLtAP
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 4, 2020
In ESPN story with @AdamSchefter on White House call with pro sports leagues, Trump also raised idea of the leagues working together to lobby for tax credits that once existed to deduct the purchase of tickets and concessions. https://t.co/217N28fqMW
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 4, 2020
Outside of confirmation that the President’s position is going to be something like “get sports back as soon as possible,” there’s not necessarily a ton we can take away from this. Ultimately, the management of COVID-19 and the availability of widespread testing are going to go a whole lot further in determining if and when sports can proceed than the President’s position. Nevertheless, so long as sports at some point can proceed safely, it doesn’t hurt to have Washington on the side of wanting sports back.
OK. Time for an extraordinarily delicate paragraph about the timeline …
I think it’s important to note that, when it comes to the impact of the pandemic, President Trump has tended to skew aggressively optimistic. It is not a partisan comment to say that, with an election on tap, any incumbent president would hate to see the economy in the tank. So, there’s a strong incentive for the President to push for sports – much like any other significant economic or sentiment driver – to return as soon as possible. That’s not to say his position is not fair (it *is* possible that sports could return, even in front of fans, by August), but you do have to keep the political grain of salt in mind.
To that end, you are reminded that local governments will have a huge say in how sports proceed:
On his daily press briefing just now @GavinNewsom tells me flatly re #NFL starting season on time w/fans in stands in the CA stadiums: "I’m not anticipating that happening in this state." @AdamSchefter https://t.co/ejqC423Vtk
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) April 4, 2020