The state of Ohio is planning on opening at least some of its economy on May 26 amid the ongoing pandemic plaguing the United States.
It’s going to be one of the last states to do this. A vast majority of other states have opened to an extent as of right now.
This seems to suggest good news on the baseball front in Ohio. Governor Mike DeWine (R) announced that low-contact and non-contract sports can resume later in May. High-contact sports such as football are still being considered.
While the press release did not go into detail explaining what sports this entails, baseball is obviously considered low-contact. As it relates to basketball, that’s obviously an open question.
Regardless, once the NBA season does return it will likely be in bubble cities at Walt Disney World in Florida and the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. Home games for teams around the country are out of the question.
MLB is different in that owners have already agreed to an 82-game schedule that will allow teams to play in their home venues without fans in attendance. This would obviously impact the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds should the players agree to the truncated season.