Sports may be back at the Swamp sooner than later, but Ben Hill Griffin Stadium may not host the team you’re used to seeing.
The state of Florida, sans Broward and Miami-Dade counties, entered “Phase 1” of its plan to re-open last Monday. On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida would join Arizona in welcoming teams from all major sporting leagues to play in the state.
DeSantis said that sports teams from around the country can use collegiate stadiums across the state, and he used Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at UF as an example.
“I’ve already spoken to some of our colleges, like the University of Florida,” DeSantis said on “Fox and Friends” this morning. “They got a great football stadium, the Swamp, that’s not used on Sundays. So if an NFL team needs a place to land, we can work that out, too.”
Florida already declared certain sports as “essential business” and hosted the WWE and UFC without fans. On Wednesday, the Miami Heat reopened their facilities and 12 players participated in voluntary workouts where social distancing was practiced, according to ESPN.
According to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, sports in Arizona will be permitted to continue after Friday.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference at Halifax Health Medical Center Sunday, May 3, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Business owners across much of Florida were busy Sunday preparing to reopen Monday under new restrictions. Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’s deliberately taking things slowly during re-opening. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
