Every year thousands upon thousands of fans travel down to Florida and Arizona to watch their favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) teams duke it out before the regular season.
Despite the pandemic, this year is no different than years past. Many PV families are traveling down to watch their favorite teams, such as senior AJ Bynum. One big reason many fans watch spring training games is for the prospects of their team.
Bynum is excited to watch spring training games during his stay in Arizona. “It’s fun to watch spring training games cause not only do you get to see the superstars play but also some up and coming prospects that will be getting to see the field and also the fan player interactions,” Bynum said.
Jeff Reiter, a PV parent and frequent spring training game attendee, agreed with Bynum. “Also, it is a great opportunity to see all of the young prospects play,” Reiter said.
Another reason spring training games are so attractive to fans is because of the casual atmosphere. Unlike in the regular season games where teams are playing for championships, spring training games are for the development of players and in-game repetitions.
Many teams have different stadiums and atmospheres associated with them. Bynum states which games he is going to be watching. “We are going to watch a Cubs game and a Dodgers game. I’m excited to watch the Dodgers because they just came back from winning a World Series and some of the best players in baseball play for them,” he said. “The Cubs are one of the closest MLB teams we have to home so it’s fun to watch them play as well.”
With COVID-19, this spring training season will look different than other seasons.
Reiter spoke about the changes one would encounter this year as compared to other years. “The biggest difference is the number of fans that are allowed into the games. In Florida, they’re only allowing 21% occupancy at their games,” Reiter stated. “Also, the stadiums are not taking cash payments for concessions and souvenirs. They’re only taking credit card payments to avoid contact with patrons.”
Even with this year’s spring training being slightly different than other years, people can still enjoy the casual atmosphere that spring training is all about.
