MLB Outlines Changes To Media Access, Potential To Adjust Game Locations As Coronavirus Spreads

UPDATED

On a conference call today with the league’s 30 owners, Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the next steps that Major League Baseball is taking as the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and its disease, COVID-19 continues to spread across the U.S.

To ensure that the league is aware of any impacts the coronavirus might have on particular teams, the league will be monitoring each market through local health officials. According to a league source that spoke on background to allow discussion of the policy change, the possibility of impacted teams playing games in areas outside the home market that is being impacted could take place.

As to media access and other personnel, players will temporarily be inaccessible to the media in clubhouses as the league works with health officials. Instead, players will only be accessible through press conference settings. Media members are being asked to adhere to CDC guidelines by remaining 6 feet away from the players as part of the interview process.

In a sign that North American professional sports leagues are working from a unified front,  Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL) issued a joint statement around media access saying, “After consultation with infectious disease and public health experts, and given the issues that can be associated with close contact in pre- and post-game settings, all team locker rooms and clubhouses will be open only to players and essential employees of teams and team facilities until further notice. Media access will be maintained in designated locations outside of the locker room and clubhouse setting. These temporary changes will be effective beginning with tomorrow’s games and practices.”

Additionally, MLB released the following statement:

“The health and safety of everyone in our communities is of the utmost importance to us. We have been engaging on an ongoing basis with a wide range of public health experts, infectious disease specialists, and governmental agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to obtain the latest information. We are regularly conveying the guidance from these experts to Clubs, players, and staff regarding prevention, good hygiene practices and the latest recommendations related to travel. We are continuing to monitor developments and will adjust as necessary.  While MLB recognizes the fluidity of this rapidly evolving situation, our current intention is to play Spring Training and regular season games as scheduled.

“On a temporary basis, effective on Tuesday, only players and essential personnel may enter locker rooms and clubhouses at MLB facilities. In a joint step with other professional sports leagues, we are requiring that Clubs relocate media availabilities to another area in their facilities. Clubs will be expected to provide best efforts in facilitating usual media coverage and access to uniformed personnel and team officials in these alternate settings. Access for and coverage by the BBWAA and all media are vital to our game and we hope to resume normal operations as quickly as possible. We appreciate the media’s cooperation with this temporary step, which is being taken out of an abundance of caution for the best interests of all.” 

The move to limit access is sure to raise the ire of within the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), such as these comments from Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe

The league continues to actively monitor the fast-changing aspects of the COVID-19 disease as it nears pandemic levels and health officials detail the spread of the novel coronavirus as it moves from a conversation as to whether it can be contained or into mitigation. Major League Baseball continues to say that is in regular contact with numerous health care organizations and governmental agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on SARS-CoV-2.

Before today’s announcement, the league began working with the players around autograph signings. In a recommendation that would encourage autograph signing to continue, yet take precautions, one option for teams is to have players pre-sign balls or other items in the clubhouse in advance of games. This would allow players to toss balls to fans from the recommended safe distance of 6 feet, as opposed to fans handing balls or other items to be signed to the players.

While the NBA, NHL and NCAA Basketball are in the midst of their regular seasons, at this time, the gravity of getting a policy in place in which games could be canceled or played to empty arenas come under different circumstances than Major League Baseball. The league’s schedule offers flexibility because of postponements and movement of the schedule that are already part of MLB’s dynamic due to weather-related events. It’s unclear whether that could change based on any increased virus outbreak.