Texas to open for pro sports May 31, California targeting early June
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Two more states are getting ready to welcome back professional sports.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that professional sports will be allowed to reopen in his state May 31, according to Karina Kling of Spectrum News Austin.
Seven professional sports - basketball, baseball, auto racing, football, golf, softball, and tennis - were given the green light to resume in Texas, pending approval from the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), according to Jori Epstein of USA Today. Hockey and soccer were not mentioned; it's unclear if that will mean a longer wait time for the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars or Major League Soccer's FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo.
Abbott's office detailed a list of requirements that professional leagues must meet before being allowed to resume in Texas. All leagues must first present "a plan that incorporates applicable minimum standard health protocols" to the state, which will then be reviewed by both the DSHS and the governor's office.
Out west, Gov. Gavin Newsom stated California is hoping to allow sports events beginning in the first week of June.
Newsom cautioned, however, that early June is merely a target at this time. There would also be "modifications and very prescriptive conditions" required to host events in California.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state could see pro sports return by the first week of June without fans. pic.twitter.com/j4PPg56Yn7
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 18, 2020
In both states, pro sports would resume without fans in attendance.
Texas and California are the latest states to either reopen for sports or contemplate doing so. Both Florida and Arizona officially welcomed professional sports into their borders last week; New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo encouraged his state's teams to start planning for a reopening without fans.
Texas and California play host to a combined 29 sports franchises spread across the four major professional leagues, MLS, and the WNBA.