Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a likely 2016 presidential contender, criticized the decision of the Baltimore Orioles to bar fans from attending a game this week as a result of riots in the city.
“I think it sends the wrong signal not to have a baseball game with people [at] it,” Mr. Bush said at the The National Review Institute’s Ideas Summit in Washington. “I think we need to recognize that life doesn’t just get paralyzed when these tragedies occur. You can’t allow that to happen because it might actually create more of them.”
The Orioles management decided that their team would play the Chicago White Sox in an empty stadium, which has the capacity to hold nearly 46,000 fans. They also canceled games Monday and Tuesday before playing Wednesday’s game, with the only audience being several dozen fans watching from beyond the locked gates. The Orioles won 8-2.
This weekend’s series against the Tampa Bay Rays has been moved to Florida, where the Orioles will remain the home team — though it’ll be in an opponent’s stadium.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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