For the first time in months, fans were allowed into a major American sporting event Wednesday night.
Just under 3,000 attendees put on face masks and entered Frisco, Texas’ Toyota Stadium to watch FC Dallas take on Nashville SC.
Fans boo kneeling players
As the national anthem played, players on both teams and the MLS officials knelt to protest the May police killing of George Floyd.
Some fans inside the stadium booed them.
“You can’t even have support from your own fans in your own stadium,” Dallas defender Reggie Cannon said.
“It’s baffling to me. As a team we try to give the best possible product on the field, and these last six months have been absolute hell for us. Absolute hell, because we have to watch other people play soccer and we’re just sitting at home unfortunately, contracting COVID from the unfortunate situation we were put in.”
I asked @ReggieCannon15 about this moment, and how we felt to have his fans booing them and throwing objects as a result. This was his response: https://t.co/UrY8U4Ofrz pic.twitter.com/OZWaBpP1BR
— Angel Madison Franco (@angelmadison_) August 13, 2020
The MLS declined to play the national anthem at its MLS Is Back tournament, and players demonstrated before games there, though no fans were allowed in attendance. Cannon said players requested to skip the anthem before Wednesday’s game, but organizers played it anyway.
FC Dallas and Nashville SC were removed from the tournament because they had coronavirus outbreaks on their teams. Wednesday’s game and two more upcoming matches were scheduled between the clubs to even their total number of regular season games played with those
Nashville won the game 1-0.
Nebraska recommits to Big Ten
The University of Nebraska released a statement Thursday affirming its intentions to stay in the Big Ten, days after school athletics officials hinted at playing a football schedule outside the conference if the Big Ten called off the fall season.
Tuesday after the conference postponed fall sports, the school sent out a statement from football coach Scott Frost, president Ted Carter and chancellor Ronnie Green saying “[w]e hope it may be possible for our student athletes to have the opportunity to compete,” in reference to fall sports.
The school backtracked from that stance Thursday, calling the Big Ten an “unparalleled athletic and academic alliance.”
After the Big 12 announced its plans Wednesday to go ahead with its football season, rumors swirled that Nebraska may rejoin its former conference, but the Thursday statement appeared put that to bed.
Cardinals choice looms for MLB
Major League Baseball faces a decision Friday on the St. Louis Cardinals and their coronavirus outbreak. The team hasn’t played since July 29 and is scheduled to begin a three-game series in Chicago against the White Sox.
The Cardinals’ last four series have been postponed as COVID-19 has swept through the club. Ten players and seven staffers have tested positive, with the most recent positive test coming Sunday.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports the team could play Friday or Saturday, provided they receive no new positive tests.
St. Louis has played just five games, while some teams like the Giants have played 20. MLB may use win percentage if teams who have games canceled due to outbreaks cannot reach 60 games played. If that’s the case, the Cardinals and Giants would be tied for sixth in the race for a wild-card slot in the new 16-team postseason.
