Could coronavirus concerns force Texas Rangers series in Seattle to be sans fans?
The escalating concern over the COVID-19 outbreak is starting to have real impact on major sports and the athletes who play them.
The Texas Rangers, along with more than 100 other professional teams in MLB, MLS, NBA and NHL have restricted clubhouse and locker room access to only essential personnel in an attempt to keep their teams clear.
Although the risk of contracting the coronavirus are still astronomically small, the nightmare scenario is that one player gets infected and then spreads it to the entire locker room before the teammates are even aware that anyone was even sick. Beyond the individual concerns of what it would mean to the health of that player and the player’s family, the operations of a team or even league could be greatly effected.
These are all nightmare situation for a team, especially an NBA team in the playoffs, which begin in about five weeks. The Dallas Mavericks just amended their media accessibility to keep non-essential personnel out of the locker room before and after games.
“If something were to happen to one clubhouse that’s at least two weeks,” Rangers third baseman Todd Frazier said, outside of the team’s clubhouse per the league’s temporary policy. “You’d have to quarantine everybody. It could be a crazy season for a team. That’s 12 or 13 games of baseball you can’t get back. We just want it all to go away.”
That’s why Frazier and his teammates are fine with the policy to keep all non-essential personnel out of the clubhouse, which began Tuesday. The Big 12 Conference also instituted a no-locker room access policy this week for their conference tournaments to be played in Kansas City. The Ivy League canceled its basketball tournaments amid virus concerns.
“Walking through that clubhouse today and not seeing any of you guys it feels different, like a show and go,” Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos said, referring to the group of about 10 media members gathered at a table behind the Rangers facility. “Players need to understand the situation. It’s for the good of everybody.”
At the moment, players are allowed to bring their kids to the clubhouse as usual. But Chirinos, who has been bringing his son David to the clubhouse for years, would understand if the league eventually curtailed that access, at least temporarily.
“We’d have to adjust to what they’re asking,” he said, “but right now they’re allowing me and other players to bring the kids to the clubhouse. It’s something we have to deal with. You find a way to not get mad at the situation. I think everybody right now is trying to look out for the good of the team. I know [Rangers general manager Jon Daniels] and guys in the front office are trying to keep everybody healthy in that clubhouse and you guys [the media]. I feel like we’re all in this together.”
Daniels said there has yet to be any discussion with the league about the Rangers’ season-opening four-game series in Seattle on March 26. King County, which Seattle falls within, has been the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States, and the site of at least 20 of the 29 deaths in the nation.
If there’s not a positive trend soon, it’s very possible Major League Baseball may have to take drastic steps with the season’s opening series in Seattle, if not in other cities. That could include playing the games at T-Mobile Park (formerly called SafeCo Field) without fans or perhaps switching the series to Globe Life Field, which is scheduled to host its first-ever regular-season game March 31. However, Daniels said that none of those options have been discussed with the league. The Rangers are scheduled to host two exhibition games on March 23-24. In fact, the stadium will host its first event on Saturday when almost 40,000 people attend the Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson concert.
“We don’t know how Seattle is right now. That’s still two and a half weeks from now,” Chirinos said. “I think we’ll hear some news when we get close to opening day. Right now we’re starting the season in Seattle and we’ll see what happens in two and a half weeks.”
The outbreak has altered the way some players interact with fans, especially in the cozy, fan-friendly confines of most of the spring training ballparks. The league told players it’s up to them to decide.
“Our focus is on getting our job done but at the same time there’s stuff in the back of your mind now,” said Frazier, who has always freely signed autographs for fans. “You feel bad for people, like the fans that want autographs. Some guys are afraid to do that now. We have to take every precaution because we all have families too as well. I love giving autographs before and after games but I’ve kind of minimized it a little bit. I’ve always been fan-friendly. I hope they don’t take it personally, not only from me but from other players. It’s part of life and until this goes away we’ve got to focus on us and our health too.”
The Rangers are preparing signed balls and baseball cards for players to give fans to cut out the exchange of Sharpie pens and paraphernalia between fan and player.
Chirinos, who has always been very fan-friendly, too, hopes fans understand.
“We still need to engage the fans and show they’re part of the team because without the fans we can’t do what we do every single night,” Chirinos said.
But could they be doing that against the Mariners on Opening Day March 26?
“You don’t really think things like this can happen, but now it’s starting to become a reality that this is some serious stuff,” Frazier said. “So we’re taking every precaution we can, washing our hands a lot. I know they’re wiping everything down once we leave the stadium. We talk about it all the time, make sure you wash your hands and keep you hands away from your face.”
As for the season opener in Seattle?
“I haven’t really thought about it to that extent,” Frazier said. “I think the risk compared to the reward is a bit different right now because of what the whole world is going through. It’s something the brass will have to focus on and all health administrators and everybody else. I know it’ll come up when the season gets closer. There are other options. There’s always options.”
