Phillies eyed mid-August to invite fans back before city ban
By Matt Rappa
Phillies Executive Vice President Dave Buck talks crowd noise, cardboard cutouts, the Phanatic, and more
For the Philadelphia Phillies, the City of Philadelphia’s announcement on Tuesday that all large public gatherings, including fans attending sports games, shall be canceled through February 2021 came as a surprise — not so much that it happened, but when it happened.
Phillies Executive Vice President Dave Buck said Wednesday morning on SportsRadio 94 WIP that he and the organization had been frequently in touch with Philadelphia Managing Director Brian Abernathy.
“I personally talked to him 10 times in the last two months,” Buck said. “Even if we were allowed, which we were a week ago to have fans, we weren’t going to start with fans. … Were we surprised? Probably, that it came out yesterday; were we surprised that it happened? Not really.”
Buck continued that the Phillies were looking at a possibly letting fans attend games once again at Citizens Bank Park in mid-to-late August, “just to try and figure it out and how to get it going.”
He acknowledges the current situation surrounding COVID-19 is “very fluid,” “incredibly different” and that it “changes almost every other day.”
The ban of fans attending games in Philadelphia may not set in stone after all, as the city clarified its stance:
The public events moratorium announced yesterday was specific to those requiring a permit—like festivals and parades. Sporting events will be determined by the team and City based on current guidance as COVID-19 evolves. The Eagles will continue to communicate directly with fans.
— Mayor Jim Kenney (@PhillyMayor) July 15, 2020
Buck raised the point that what happens if every sports fans wears a mask and gets a few of their friends to also wear it the next few weeks or months: “[What happens if] things start to get better?” Buck said. “Things are going to change throughout this whole process.”
“What we’re going to start with next Friday probably would be different on Monday the 27th. We’re just going to play around with it and see what works and what doesn’t work,” Buck said.