By Jordan Kobritz
(Editor’s note: This story was written Wednesday, March 11)
The gates were padlocked and everyone, except players, team personnel, employees, scouts and media, was barred from entering the stadium during the game being played in Joe Riley Stadium.
No, this wasn’t due to the coronavirus, just another promotion by the Minor League Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs and their creative owner, Mike Veeck. “Nobody Night,” held on July 8, 2002, was designed to set the record for professional baseball’s lowest attendance – zero. Mission accomplished.
Hundreds of fans milled about outside the stadium while the RiverDogs game was played, knowing the gates would open after the fifth inning when the game — and the record – became official and everyone would be allowed to enter free of charge.
There have been other Major League sporting events in this country where fans were excluded from the facility, but not because of a medical scare. Until now. The coronavirus has caused major disruptions in the sports world, in part because the medical experts can’t allay the public’s fears of the disease spreading. The fear of the unknown — and the potential risk of liability to teams, leagues and schools if they fail to take action to protect their fans — has led to measures heretofore unseen.
All teams in the NBA, NHL and MLB have been asked to prepare plans to replicate “Nobody Night.” When Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, the highest profile player in the NBA, was asked about the possibility of playing games in empty arenas he had a curt response: “I ain’t playing without fans.” We may soon see whether he meant it.
The first sports event in the U.S. held without fans due to the coronavirus was on March 6. Yeshiva University beat Worcester Polytechnic Institute in an NCAA Division 3 men’s basketball tournament game played in an empty gym at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
In order to prevent any non-authorized individuals from entering the gym, police officers were stationed outside with a sign that read, “No spectators.” No one challenged security. In fact, fears of the disease were so high that Yeshiva’s original hotel reservations were cancelled and, perhaps in a sign of times to come, three WPI players refused to take the court.
The Indian Wells Tennis Tournament in California was the first major sports event in this country to be cancelled due to fears of the coronavirus. Santa Clara County, home to the San Jose Sharks of the NHL, banned large gatherings leaving the San Jose Sharks of the NHL no choice but to play their games in an empty arena. The Golden State Warriors will soon play games without fans thanks to a San Francisco ban on gatherings of more than 1,000. That’s only the tip of the iceberg.
The NCAA announced it will play all March Madness games in empty arenas. Colleges from Massachusetts to California have essentially shut down, moving all classes online and cancelling spring sports.
For now, most professional team sports in the U.S. are going on as scheduled, although you can expect the situation to remain fluid. The NBA and NHL are in the last month of their regular seasons and MLB teams are in spring training with Opening Day two weeks away. Reports from camps in Florida and Arizona indicate that players are taking precautions from exposure to the disease by refusing to shake hands with fans or sign autographs.
In an unprecedented show of unity, the NBA, NHL MLB and MLS issued a joint statement barring all media from locker rooms and clubhouses.
The coronavirus is a reminder that sports is not insulated from the rest of the world. What affects the general population will ultimately impact the games we love.
Jordan Kobritz is a non-practicing attorney and CPA, former Minor League Baseball team owner and current investor in MiLB teams. He is a Professor in the Sport Management Department at SUNY Cortland.
