2020 MLB Postseason: Commissioner Manfred wants fans in October
Rob Manfred is pressing ahead to have fans in 2020 MLB Postseason games.
As reported last week, the league and the player’s union reached an agreement to host the 2020 MLB Postseason in neutral site bubbles. According to this agreement, following the Wild Card Round, the remaining postseason rounds will be played in southern California and Texas.
As seen with the success of the NBA Bubble is Orlando, Florida, this news was graciously welcomed by fans. Essentially, the bubble provides the best prevention for the unwelcomed spread of the novel coronavirus. Continuous testing, stricter guidelines for quarantine, and the elimination of unnecessary travel.
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However, in some of the more perplexing recent news, it was reported that Commissioner Manfred plans to push ahead to have fans present at both the NLCS and World Series in October in Texas.
It should be noted that the entire NL postseason will be held in Texas, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, and Minute Maid Park in Houston. The NLCS and World Series will both play at the brand new Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers that opened earlier this year.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Manfred’s decision to allow fans into the postseason bubble is pending final approval by Texas governmental officials.
Undoubtedly, this decision is puzzling and complicated.
At face value, it seems that allowing fans into the bubble entirely defeats the purpose of a confined postseason bubble.
Allowing fans inherently raises the risk of a confined space and adds a certain value of uncertainty to the health and safety protocols implemented to curve the effects of the COVID-19 virus.
Throughout the 2020 regular season, Manfred has been often criticized for his handling of these never-before-seen circumstances. Due to a myriad of reasons, Manfred agreed to host the regular season under semi-normal circumstances.
The biggest changes, aside from the shortened 60-game season, included playing the regular season in ballparks without fans and restricting teams from traveling outside of their regions. The NL East and AL East teams combined for a general East division, which was seen in the Central and West divisions as well.
Entering the final week of the regular season, however, there have been viral outbreaks in a number of teams throughout the league. This has forced the canceling of a number of games and series. For example, the St. Louis Cardinals went two weeks without baseball as a result of an outbreak in late July.
Manfred’s decision to allow fans into the 2020 MLB postseason bubble will surely be met with additional criticism. At the end of the day, major American sports leagues have been dealt with an unfavorable set of circumstances in attempting to play in a global pandemic.
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However, it’s easy to argue that leagues such as the NBA have handled these circumstances far better than Manfred and the MLB.