Professional sporting events are allowed to resume in the state of New York, but they will look much different than in recent years. Phase Four of the New York Forward plan has issued guidance for professional sports, and the biggest takeaway is that no fans will be allowed in the stadiums.
The guidance issued from the state doesn’t pertain to collegiate sports, horse racing, or auto racing, and it’s interesting that fans are not allowed to attend professional sporting events. Professional sports will also have to follow a huge list of guidelines that pertain to players and staff inside of the stadium.
Major League Baseball is looking to start its regular season near the end of July, and this new guidance will affect both the New York Yankees and New York Mets. If the state is still in Phase 4 in September, then the New York Giants and New York Jets will be affected as well.
Each of the four New York teams will come up with their own plan to provide a somewhat normal gameday experience for players, but it won’t be the same. All four teams are set to lose out on millions of dollars from ticket sales, and it will also take away the home-field advantage that each New York team traditionally has.
So how will this impact betting? Besides having a significant effect over the game-day experience, the next biggest question is, how will it affect sports betting? This is obviously the first time that this scenario has played out, but it’s safe to assume that this will hurt the chances of all four New York teams.
New York Mets
The New York Mets are currently listed at +290 at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the National League East. These are the third-best odds among NL East teams, but the Mets will no longer have any real advantage when playing at home.
This was supposed to be a big season for the Mets, but the NL East is a tough division. It’s hard to see the Mets passing the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals without racking up a ton of home wins in 2020.
New York Yankees
The Yankees are overwhelming favorites to win the AL East Division at -290. Even though the Yankees will be playing in front of no fans at home, it’s hard to envision them not winning the AL East this season. Out of all four New York teams, the Yankees should be the least affected by these new guidelines.
New York Giants
The Giants are looking to turn things around after a few down years, but things won’t be easy by essentially playing zero home games in 2020. New York is currently listed at +900 to win the NFC East Division, behind both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
The odds for the Giants will likely lower with this recent announcement, and it’s hard to see them passing those other two teams.
New York Jets
The New York Jets compete in the AFC East, and it appears to be wide open for the very first time. Even so, the Jets are +750 to win the division, trailing both the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills.
The Jets have been a tough team to beat at home, but that likely won’t be the case without fans. This was to be the first year that the Jets appeared to have a chance in the division, but the odds just got much longer.
