Trump Hopes Sports Will Return 'Sooner Than Later'

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he believes professional sports can resume “sooner rather than later” and that arenas and stadiums eventually will be filled with fans attending games once the nation’s health improves from the coronavirus pandemic.

Newsday reports Trump made the comments after speaking on a conference call with commissioners from most major sports, including the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL.

Trump said at his Saturday news briefing at the White House that the fans “want to get back, they’ve got to get back, too. They want to see basketball, baseball, football and hockey. They want to see their sports. They want to go out onto the golf courses and breath nice, clean, beautiful fresh air.”

Trump said he wouldn’t predict when pro sports can resume.

“I can’t tell you a date, but I think it’s going to be sooner rather than later,” he said. “We’re not going to have to have separation for the rest of our time on the planet. We need it for this period of time, but eventually people are going to be able to occupy those seats in arenas next to each other like we have for all of my life and all of your life.”

Trump’s conference call included 12 sports commissioners and top executives from football, baseball, basketball and hockey, as well as Major League Soccer, the WNBA, WWE, the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, UFC, NASCAR, IndyCar and Breeders’ Cup, according to a White House pool report.

“The president recognized the good work being done by many teams and players to care for their communities, workforces, and fan bases across the nation,” the pool report said. “The commissioners thanked President Trump for his national leadership and for his interest in the sports industry. President Trump encouraged them to continue to support their fellow Americans during this challenging time.”

Trump said current social-distancing measures aimed to slow the spread of the virus eventually will be relaxed, after which people can gather in large groups. More than 300 million Americans now are under some requirements for social distancing.