Baseball Could Return In July; Pritzker: 'I Want To See Sports'

ILLINOIS — Illinois' stay-at-home order will last at least until the end of May, and things won't return to normal until there's an effective treatment or a vaccine for coronavirus, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said, but he does want professional sports to return.

In March, the worsening pandemic prompted the cancellation of the season for the NBA and NHL, and early on in the crisis, Pritzker said Chicago sports team owners were on board with canceling all sporting events until at least May.

The news was a big blow to baseball fans, who were anticipating opening day for the Cubs and the White Sox.

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But now there's hope that sports could return to Chicago — although it seems teams will initially compete in empty stadiums.

On Monday, Major League Baseball owners approved a plan to start the season in July, with spring training starting in early to mid-June. MLB officials were slated to make a presentation to the players' union Tuesday.

Under the plan each team would reportedly play about 82 regular-season games: against opponents in its own division plus interleague matchups limited to AL East vs. NL East, AL Central vs. NL Central and AL West vs. NL West.

AP Source: MLB Owners Approve Plan To Start Season In July

The proposal would take into account fans being able to return to ballparks at some point, perhaps with a small percentage of seats sold at first and then gradually increasing.

Last month, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was hopeful that the Chicago White Sox and Cubs could play homes games in empty stadiums this summer. "Can I envision a world where baseball might return to Chicago this summer? Yes. Is it likely to be without fans? Probably," Lightfoot said in late April.

"I want to see sports play," Pritzker told reporters at his weekday press conference on Friday. "I think it's good for everybody. I think they can do it here in Illinois. Especially if you look at the timetable, there's a high likelihood they could do it within a timetable that we're hoping to be able to reopen many businesses."

The state is set to reopen following a 5-phase reopening plan based on the number of infections and hospital capacity. The entire state is now in phase 2, and no region can begin phase 3 until at least May 29, if not longer.

Reopening Illinois: 6 Things To Know

Large events — like concerts, festivals and major-league sporting events with fans — can't happen until stage 5, which won't arrive without a coronavirus vaccine or a widely available and effective treatment, the governor has said.

The NFL is planning to hold its season as usual, with the Chicago Bears' opening their season Aug. 13 in Detroit and the home opener on Aug. 20 against the Giants.