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Donald Trump has named Vince McMahon in an advisory group to help reopen the United States economy. The US president announced this week he’s putting together a group including the commissioners of the nation’s top four sports leagues and other executives. As well as ‘the great’ WWE chairman Vince McMahon, Trump also named the likes of NBA’s Adam Silver, NFL chief Roger Goodell, MLB’s Rob Manfred and NHL boss Gary Bettman. Furthermore, he noted that UFC president Dana White is part of the team, alongside Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Speaking during a briefing on Tuesday, Trump talked about the importance of bringing sports back into everyday life after the coronavirus pandemic forced leagues to halt play. He said: ‘We have to get our sports back, I’m tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old. ‘I haven’t actually had too much time to watch – I would say maybe I watch one batter and then I get back to work.’ The conference came after it was revealed WWE would be allowed to continue to hold live shows – without a crowd – at the Performance Center in Orlando.
Despite the state being under a stay-at-home order, the company has been deemed an ‘essential business’ and so will be able to broadcast from its training facility each week. Speaking to the media earlier this week, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demmings said: ‘I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business. ‘With some conversation with the governor’s office regarding the governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. And so therefore, they were allowed to remain open.’
The classification as an ‘essential business’ amid Florida’s ‘state at home’ mandate comes from a memo issued by state coordinating officer Jared Moskowitz. Listing those classified as such, the memo states: ‘Employees at a professional sports and media production with a national audience — including any athletes, entertainers, production team, executive team, media team and any others necessary to facilitate including services supporting such production — only if the location is closed to the general public.’ WWE will continue to broadcast live three nights a week from its Orlando training facility.
Explaining its stance, the company recently said: ‘We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times. ‘We are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff. ‘As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance.’
Donald Trump names WWE's Vince McMahon as adviser to restart US economy
The chairman will have some influence.
metro.co.uk
