Newsom says sports without fans can reopen in California in early June

California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Monday that current numbers showing the spread of coronavirus in California have led to thoughts of opening the state up for professional sporting events in a few weeks “if we hold these trend lines.” A month ago, Newsom said he didn’t anticipate football games being played in front of full crowds in California this fall, but they are moving closer to a point where they could be played without fans.

On Monday, Newsom said, “Sporting events, pro sports, in that first week or so of June — without spectators and (with) modifications and very prescriptive conditions — can also begin to move forward.”

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman tweeted, “Money changes everything. Teams started exploring options outside the state, and all of a sudden, the timeline change.” Is he wrong? Less than a week ago, a report came out that the 49ers were considering moving training camp to Arizona. Newsom cited the decline in the number of ICU patients statewide, which has dropped 8.7% in the past 14 days, as well as a 7.5% decline in hospitalizations.

How will that affect the 49ers offseason program? I’m sure we’ll find out shortly. The NFL will have a say in how much contact the team can have. For now, the league is entering the first phase of reopening. You can watch the entire video here. Starting around 18 minutes is relevant for the sporting world.