[ti:Baseball Fans Excited, Worried About Opening Day] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]The Major League Baseball season in the U.S. begins on April 1. [00:06.88]The first day of games is known as Opening Day. [00:13.00]For most baseball fans, it is the first time [00:18.60]they have been able to see their favorite teams and players [00:23.24]since the end of the 2019 season. [00:27.88]In 2020, the season started late, and fans were not permitted [00:35.44]to come to games during the COVID-19 pandemic. [00:41.52]By October, some fans could go to games [00:47.00]in controlled environments called bubbles. [00:52.44]The Los Angeles Dodgers won the season’s [00:56.72]final game and became champions. [01:01.80]Historically, Opening Day signals the arrival of spring [01:08.00]after a long winter. [01:10.56]And baseball fans are filled with excitement and optimism. [01:18.44]But this year will be different. [01:21.04]Fans are still excited and optimistic, [01:25.52]but they are also worried about returning to group events. [01:31.48]The Washington Post conducted a poll of sports fans [01:36.88]with the help of the University of Maryland. [01:41.44]It found that less than half of Americans [01:45.56]would feel comfortable attending a sporting event. [01:51.12]More fans said they would feel better about attending an outdoor game [01:57.52]like baseball compared to an indoor game such as basketball. [02:05.48]Also, they would feel better about going to a game [02:09.24]if fans were required to wear face coverings, [02:12.68]tested for the virus or received a vaccine. [02:18.72]Cities around the U.S. with baseball teams [02:22.16]are cutting back the number of fans who can attend. [02:26.92]The famous New York Yankees baseball team [02:31.08]will let about 10,000 fans attend the games. [02:37.08]The fans will need to be vaccinated or tested for the virus. [02:43.28]In Washington, D.C., about 5,000 people will be able to [02:48.72]go to games in the first part of the season. [02:53.16]They will be required to sit apart from each other [02:57.08]and keep their faces covered most of the time. [03:00.76]“I hope that those 5,000, at least at the start [03:05.56]who are allowed in, kind of realize how lucky they are just to be there. [03:10.60]You know, 35,000 every night at least who would happily [03:14.68]trade places with them and deal with the protocols in place.” [03:21.64]That is Scott Allen. He is a sports writer for the Washington Post. [03:28.76]The poll from the Washington Post does note, however, that sports fans [03:35.56]are more at ease with the idea of attending games today [03:41.24]than they were at this time last year. [03:45.40]About 65 percent said going to a game [03:50.24]in May 2020 was “a large risk.” [03:55.56]Now that number is down to 26 percent. [04:01.12]One person who is willing to take the risk is a baseball fan named Greg. [04:07.36]He was walking with his family [04:09.72]outside the Washington Nationals ballpark on Tuesday. [04:15.48]“I’m excited,” he said. “I’m taking my dad. [04:19.40]I missed sitting in the seats, watching the game and drinking a beer. [04:25.56]Just the whole ballpark atmosphere.” [04:30.36]There were others, however, who wanted to wait and see [04:35.20]how the first part of the season went before going back to the games. [04:41.00]Dan Sullivan was with a friend at a coffee shop near the Washington Nationals home. [04:47.76]He said he will wait to be vaccinated before going to a game. [04:53.16]He does not mind missing Opening Day. [04:57.28]“I hope the people who are there are going to enjoy it, [05:00.88]but most people are not there,” he said. [05:04.64]Since so few fans are allowed, [05:08.48]he does not feel as if he is missing out. [05:12.80]Allen, the Washington Post writer, [05:16.60]said even with Opening Day being so different, [05:21.04]he thinks fans will see it as a return to normalcy. [05:27.04]“[The baseball season] is way to mark time and important moments in your life. [05:34.08]People couldn’t do that last year, and I think it hurt them. [05:39.44]It feels more like the start of spring and what should be an enjoyable summer [05:45.12]when you know that almost every day [05:48.20]you’re going to be able to turn on the baseball game, [05:52.36]or go to see your favorite team.” [05:56.56]I’m Dan Friedell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM