BOISE, Idaho — Idaho’s live sports and other events are beginning to make a comeback.
The Boise Hawks minor league baseball team is about two weeks into the season, a summer staple that was forced to halt after their 2020 campaign was cancelled due to the pandemic.
“These past two weeks have been pretty exciting, seeing these fans come out and smiling for the first time in putting on live events and live baseball,” said Boise Hawks General Manager Mike Van Hise.
Van Hise said stadium workers are required to mask up and sanitizing stations are abundant. Other than that, he said for fans, things should feel normal again.
“Being an outdoor venue and kind of having the natural social distance, people here are safe, and people here are enjoying the game,” Van Hise said. “The numbers are still strong, people are still coming out, people are still enjoying it, we really haven't seen any push back when it comes to that.”
Van Hise admits that with almost two years off the field, there is a bit of catch-up to be played. All full-time stadium workers were brought back, but part-time workers are down by 20 percent.
Throughout the COVID pandemic, the stadium hosted activities like cornhole, or line dancing with local organizations. Van Hise said while they did help, those events were mildly successful.
“Losing a whole year of baseball really hurts,” said Van Hise. “I think the fans will come out in droves, and as our promotions get a little bit better, a little bit stronger throughout the summer, people will be balling out here.”
Van Hise said he plans to ramp up promotions in 2021. The Hawks became an independent league team in December 2020, with no parent MLB team. Van Hise says they need the community’s support.
To apply for a position with the Boise Hawks visit their website.
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