Manfred: MLB 'will be more aggressive' about fans attending games in 2021
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred expects fans to be at games in 2021, as long as local municipalities allow them to attend.
"As we look forward, we will be more aggressive about having fans in ballparks," Manfred said on Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Evan Drellich.
During the 60-game campaign in 2020, fans only attended games in a limited capacity throughout the NLCS and World Series, with both events taking place in Texas amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Cases continue to rise, with the United States recently surpassing 10 million in total, according to the CDC.
"If local public health authorities allow for fans, I think you're going to see fans in the ballpark next year," Manfred added. "Now, will it be full stadiums? I kind of doubt that.
"But we do think it's important, and it's why we did it in the World Series and the LCS: To get people accustomed to the idea that you can go to these live events with appropriate protocols, pods of people, social distancing, masks, and do it safely."
Manfred said playing another season without fans isn't a "tenable position" for the league. MLB, which estimates 40% of its revenue comes from fans attending games, cited operational losses between $2.7 and $3.1 billion in 2020, according to Drellich.
"Our regular-season product is the most dependent of the sports in terms of having fans in the ballpark and those live, gate-related revenues," Manfred said.
MLB and the MLBPA are expecting a full 162-game season will be played in 2021, with the campaign starting on April 1.