President Trump to Hold Conference Call With Pro Sports Commissioners
President Donald Trump will have a conference call with the commissioners of all professional sports leagues on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET, according to the White House.
CNBC's Jess Golden tweeted the news from Washington, D.C. on Friday night. The topic of discussion will obviously entail the novel coronavirus pandemic.
ESPN's senior NFL insider Adam Schefter confirmed the report from the White House on Saturday morning. According to Schefter, the listed participants on the call are:
- MLB: Rob Manfred
- NFL Roger Goodell
- NHL: Gary Bettman
- NBA: Adam Silver
- WNBA: Cathy Engelbert
- MLS: Don Garber
- PGA Tour: Jay Monahan
- UFC: Dana White
- WWE: Vince McMahon
- NASCAR: John Middlebrook or Jim France
MLB, along with the NBA and NHL, have seen their regular seasons indefinitely suspended amid the COVID-19 crisis. MLB was less than two weeks away from its regular season start when the sports world shutdown, while the NBA and NHL were nearing the completion of their regular seasons and gearing up for the start of the playoffs.
The NFL has been affected as well, but only to a certain extent. Their annual owner meetings were canceled and teams have closed their facilities. However, the NFL Draft, the crown jewel of the NFL offseason, is still on as scheduled for April 23-25. The major difference now is it will only be broadcast on TV instead of tens of thousands of people attending on the iconic Las Vegas Strip.
Some leaders in the NBA have been optimistic about basketball returning relatively soon, including Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Some in MLB aren't so optimistic, viewing July 4th as a potential Opening Day for the 2020 season.
With the President now weighing in, further clarity in the world of sports may be on the horizon, for better or for worse.
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