VIDEO: Governor Andrew Cuomo Provides Hope for Sports to Return to New York With Major Shout-Out to Bills
By Jerry Trotta
New York is the national epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. If you're from the Tri-state Area, you've heard this assessment from public health officials and elected leaders countless times by now. According to the CDC, New York is one of a handful of states that has over 40,000 reported cases of COVID-19, and as of Monday, it remained one of the few states in the country that is completely shut down. In light of all this unfortunate situation, Governor Andrew Cuomo provided some much needed hope in regards to the return of live sports -- during his latest daily briefing, Cuomo encouraged major sports teams in the state to begin planning a return, albeit one without fans.
"I want to watch the Buffalo Bills. But I'm still objective. I'm acting as governor. There's no personal agenda here. Yes, I do want to watch the Bills. But that is not subverting my role as governor. I think this is in the best interest of all the people and the state of NY." https://t.co/g4FXETJLIq
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 18, 2020
"I also have been encouraging major sports teams to plan re-openings without fans," said Cuomo. "The games could be televised. New York State will help those major sports franchises to do just that. Hockey, basketball, baseball, football, whoever can reopen, we’ll be a ready, willing, and able partner... I think this is in the best interest of all the people and the best interest of the state of New York."
He made it clear that he wants to watch his Buffalo Bills.
Cuomo's comments should serve as a significant morale booster to New Yorkers who have been handed just about nothing but bad news since mid-March. New York has the most positive cases and deaths in the country, and its numbers are more than double that of the second-most impacted state, New Jersey.
MLB's health proposal is incredibly encouraging. It's remarkably thorough, careful and detailed. Baseball clearly thought this through.
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) May 18, 2020
It's also like walking on a tightrope on a windy day -- and no one knows when the next big gust will roll through.https://t.co/0Fxyfq1qXL
It sounds like Cuomo wholly understands that the return of live sports will help New York heal during these times. That's something that Empire State devotees should feel good about entering the week.