Keeping Families Safe: Rangers' Gibson Adds Perspective To Fans' Return To Ballparks
Last spring, the Texas Rangers were excited to show off Globe Life Field. Ironically, the day they began to show off the ballpark to the media one year ago was the same day the NBA's Rudy Gobert became COVID-19 patient zero in the sports world.
The following day, the entire sports world was shut down.
Now, the Rangers finally have the chance to welcome their fans to Globe Life Field to cheer on their hometown team. Under the allowance of Texas governor Greg Abbott's executive orders to fully reopen the state, the Rangers announced their intention to open their home stadium at full capacity — the first professional North American team to do so.
While COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are decreasing in Texas, the decision hasn't been received very well by some people in the industry. The MLB season is solely dependent on the health and safety its players. When asked about any concerns in Friday's Zoom call with the media, Rangers pitcher Kyle Gibson brought a fresh perspective.
"I think playing in front of fans is going to be awesome. There's no doubt about it," Gibson said. "I also think the natural concern that I have is where our families are going to sit, how we're going to keep them out of harm's way, and then how that's gonna translate to them coming home to us and being around our families and somehow staying negative (tests) every other day."
Texas had to navigate the 2020 season without their fans in attendance. Then to make the situation even more bizarre, fans were invited into their ballpark for the first time as a neutral site for MLB's postseason and World Series, where the Rangers did not qualify to participate.
The Rangers and their players alike haven't been shy about their excitement for having paying customers in Globe Life Field this year. The baseball atmosphere without fans is stoic and stale. That's one end of the spectrum.
The other is the cruel reality that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. The CDC says only 10 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated for the virus. MLB and its 30 clubs have to be diligent and navigate 162 games instead of 60 this time around, and even then, it might not be enough.
"I think everybody's probably understanding that somebody is going to show up to one of these games with COVID, whether it's asymptomatic or whatever it is," Gibson said. "So the hope for me is that we can find a scenario where our families can be somewhat isolated and social distanced. And it's not just from fans. The other thing about this is when you have more room for your families to spread out, there's less chance of my family giving it to another family, and then having community spread before it even gets to the player."
Gibson's concerns aren't isolated with the Rangers' decisions with Globe Life Field's attendance, which will see a reduced capacity for all games in April after the home opener. There will be some level of attendance at ballparks throughout Major League Baseball this year. Until herd immunity is achieved, spread from player to player, player to family, fan to family, family to family, etc. will be something MLB has to be proactive to prevent.
"I think as long as the players are testing and are being taken off the field for positive tests, and making sure that COVID doesn't come from a family attending a game, needs to be a top concern," Gibson said.
MLB was able to sidestep a few landmines last year when the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals had COVID-19 outbreaks. This year, having fans and families back in ballparks adds key variables in the 2021 equation for success. MLB is off to a good start with low positivity rates, and we all hope that it will continue once Opening Day arrives.
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Chris Halicke covers the Texas Rangers for InsideTheRangers.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHalicke.
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