Sports
Baseball Hall of Fame Reportedly Expected to Postpone 2020 Induction Ceremony
Mike Stobe/Getty ImagesDerek Jeter and Larry Walker will likely have to wait another year before their Hall of Fame plaques are unveiled in Cooperstown. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Hall of Fame is expected to announce it is postponing this July’s induction ceremony until next year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The event…
Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Derek Jeter and Larry Walker will likely have to wait another year before their Hall of Fame plaques are unveiled in Cooperstown.
According to USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, the Hall of Fame is expected to announce it is postponing this July's induction ceremony until next year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The event annually draws thousands of spectators to Central New York.
The Hall's board members are scheduled to meet this week before reaching a conclusion. This year's induction weekend, scheduled to take place July 24-26, is expected to draw massive crowds as Jeter takes his place among the game's greats—many of whom return yearly to Cooperstown to welcome the latest class into their ranks.
“How could you have an induction ceremony?” Hall of Famer Andre Dawson told Nightengale. “I wouldn't want to see it happen. You got to look at well-being of people. You look at the older guys that come here. Think about the crowd. It's just way too risky.”
Nightengale noted the Hall of Fame has already “dismissed” coordinating any type of virtual event and would prefer to postpone the ceremony rather than try to troubleshoot. Either way, the effects on the village of Cooperstown will be strongly felt.
The town of 1,700 could see an economic loss of nearly $150 million without the boost in rentals and retail that Hall of Fame weekend brings, per Nightengale, with fully booked hotels bracing for cancellations—Jeter had already nabbed every suite at the 22-room Railroad Inn hotel, which typically runs $1,000 per night during induction weekend.
“It's very surreal,” owner of Cooperstown Bat Company Tim Haney said. “To go from what was going to be the biggest year we ever had, to the lowest retail [since 2008], is tough. This would normally be our busiest time of year getting ready for Jeter being inducted for the biggest celebration ever, getting bats out for the players, and having our commemorative bats ready for corporate gifts and senior gifts. Now, everything is on hold.”
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