Trump says sport will soon return without fans ‘like the good old days’

President Trump used a conference call with 20 leading sporting figures to reveal how sports will play a key role in delivering ‘the great American economic revival’ following the coronavirus pandemic

President Trump has suggested that the leading sports in the United States will return without fans in attendance after holding a conference with 20 sporting figures from the country’s leading sporting leagues.

Among the individuals on the call were National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, as well as Chicago Cubs owner Todd Ricketts, Major League Baseball commissioner Robert Manfred and National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver. The PGA Tour, LPGA, MLS, Nascar, UFC and WWE were also represented on the conference call, as was the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

Trump has made sport one of his priorities in getting the nation back up and running following the coronavirus pandemic, and the president explained his plan to have events resume once it is safe to do so, which will see fans locked out of matches, fights and races until the threat of spreading Covid-19 has passed.

It means that once sport resumes it will only be available on television, which Trump strangely suggested will hark back to “the good old days”, but he went on the reveal an integrated process that will see fans spaced out among reduced attendances before arenas and stadia are opened fully.

“Many of them will be starting without fans, so it will be made for television – the good old days made for television – it’ll go that way and then the fans will start coming in,” Trump said at his briefing on Thursday.

“Maybe they’ll be separated by two seats, and then ultimately we want to have packed arenas. When the virus is gone, we’re going to have packed arenas and we’re going to be back to enjoying sports the way they’re supposed to be, and the same thing can be said for restaurants.

“So at a certain point in time, when the virus is gone we’re going to be back to normal.”

A briefing from the White House added that Trump is “optimistic” at getting sports around the country back in action, with all events currently suspended after the UFC were forced into abandoning events by owners Disney and broadcaster ESPN at the start of the week. It added that Trump has made sport one of the key contributors is delivering “the great American economic revival”.

“The President expressed optimism to the major sports organisations that are eager to get their athletes back on courts, courses, and fields of play, and for the millions of sports fans who are missing their favourite teams and players. Leaders of the sports organisations expressed appreciation for the President’s attention to their industry and offered innovative input on social distancing guidelines. President Trump acknowledged the important role that sports play in American life and expressed his desire to make sports a central part of the great American economic revival.”

The full list of sporting figures on the call were:

• Todd Ricketts – Chicago Cubs
• Jerry Jones – Dallas Cowboys
• Mark Cuben – Dallas Mavericks
• Ari Emanuel – Endeavor
• Robert Kraft – The Kraft Group (New England Patriots)
• Mike Whan – LPGA
• Robert Manfred – MLB
• Don Garber – MLS
• Adam Silver – NBA
• Lesa Kennedy – Nascar
• Mark Emmert – NCAA (National College Athletic Association)
• Roger Goodell – NFL
• Gary Bettman – NHL
• Lisa Baird – NWSL
• Jay Monaham – PGA Tour
• Dana White – UFC
• Sarah Hirshland – US Olympic and Paralympic Committee
• Patrick Galbraith – USTA (US Tennis Association)
• Cathy Engelbert – WNBA
• Vince McMahon – WWE

Trump scheduled the call after admitting earlier in the week that he is “bored of watching 14-year-old baseball games” on TV, with the president a keen attendee at events.

“We have to get our sports back,” he said on Tuesday. “I’m tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old.

“But I haven’t actually had too much time to watch. I would say maybe I watch one batter then I get back to work.”