Florida says live sports are essential. Does Tarrant County agree with that?
The PGA Tour plans to play the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club next month. MLB wants to play baseball games at some point, including at the Texas Rangers’ new ballpark in Arlington.
When asked if Tarrant County viewed live sports such as the PGA Tour’s stop at Colonial and Texas Rangers baseball games as “essential business,” County Judge Glen Whitley said: “I don’t see how we could possibly deem it essential.
“Now we may be able to get back to some degree of participation, but that’s a discussion [still to be had]. ... I think we’ve got to go a long way before we want the crowds we see at Colonial, the crowds we see at the ballpark.”
Whether live sports should be deemed “essential” has become a talking point since Florida determined that it is an essential business for the state’s economy. The decision came down this week as Florida became the first state that paved the way for WWE to air live TV broadcasts of professional wrestling matches from the Orlando area.
Orange County [Florida] Mayor Jerry Demings made the announcement on Monday.
Florida’s list of “essential services” includes “employees at a professional sports and media production with a national audience — including any athletes, entertainers, production team, executive team, media team and any others necessary to facilitate including services supporting such production — only if the location is closed to the general public.”
Asked if this applied to other sports, a spokesperson told ESPN: “The memo does not specify specific sports, as long as the event location is closed to the general public.”
A spokesperson from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office told ESPN on Monday that live sports were characterized as essential “because they are critical to Florida’s economy.”
As far as Texas is concerned, no decision has been made as far as when professional sports will resume in the state. Texas residents have been told to stay-at-home for the rest of this month and it could extend into May.
The Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial is scheduled for May 21-24 over Memorial Day weekend, which would make it the first golf tournament to return since the coronavirus shutdown began. As of now, the PGA Tour has kept the event as scheduled and tournament director Michael Tothe said they are operating as though it will happen.
But, as Whitley said, “Colonial is really going to push it.”
“If people would adhere to social distancing and wearing masks, there’s a very, very slim possibility there,” Whitley said.
The PGA Tour is expected to make more announcements on its tournaments soon. Colonial could be canceled, or possibly pushed back to a later date, if it’s not deemed safe enough to hold the event in mid-May.
Golf is not an ”essential business” in Texas, but courses in Tarrant County and elsewhere in the state have been allowed to stay open following certain protocols.
As far as the Rangers go, MLB has not announced when it’ll resume playing games. The idea of playing all games in Arizona or between Arizona and Florida has been a topic of media speculation.
Of course, baseball fans in the Metroplex have been eagerly awaiting this season with the Rangers moving into their new home at Globe Life Field. “We all want to get out to that new stadium,” Whitley said. “There’s not a single one of us that don’t want to get out there.
“We know when they open that ballpark, everybody and their mother will want to be out there for that opening day.”
