The Trump Administration has deemed professional athletes essential workers in the United States — here's what that means for the return of sports

• The Trump Administration has deemed professional athletes as essential workers to escalate the return of sports leagues across the country.
• On May 22, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf signed an order that allows foreign athletes to enter the US to compete.
• The order also exempts team leadership and essential staff as well as spouses and dependents from laws that would otherwise prevent them from traveling stateside.
• Athletes from the NBA, WNBA, MLB, PGA, LPGA, NHL, ATP, WTA, NWSL, and more are included in the directive.
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Sports are on their way back.

And now, the Trump Administration is using its power to help expedite the process.

On May 22, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf signed an order that allows foreign professional athletes to enter the United States to train and compete in their respective sports. The provision also exempts team leadership and essential staff as well as spouses and dependents from laws that would otherwise prevent them from traveling stateside.

“Professional sporting events provide much needed economic benefits, but equally important, they provide community pride and national unity,” Wolf said in a statement. “In today’s environment, Americans need their sports. It’s time to reopen the economy and it’s time we get our professional athletes back to work.”

According to the release, the order applies to athletes and staff affiliated with the NBA, WNBA, MLB, PGA, LPGA, NHL, ATP, and WTA. In a call with members of the media Wednesday afternoon, commissioner Lisa Baird confirmed that the National Women’s Soccer League – which will be amongst the first professional leagues in the nation to return to action – is also included in the directive.

“Yes, we are included in that list,” Baird said. “We were on the phone yesterday and we’re working with our immigration attorney to clear the visas and make sure that our players who are still outside the United States are cleared to come back in.”

The order garnered some attention on Tuesday when NHL deputy commissioner and chief legal officer Bill Daly said Wolf’s move deems NHL players – many of whom hail from Canada and Nordic countries – “essential personnel.”

“We have been dealing with the governments in both the United States and Canada on these travel restrictions and quarantine requirements,” Daly said during a call with the press. “The acting director of Homeland Security in the last three days, I believe, signed an order that made professional athletes essential personnel and allows them to travel into the United States.”

The Department of Homeland Security memo notes that any individual eligible for the exemption is still subject to inspection by Customs and Border Protection.

While some states – including New York, New Jersey, and Utah – have lifted restrictions on group training for athletic teams, other states still ban gatherings of that many people. While Wolf’s directive merely lifts travel limitations for certain foreign athletes, it stands to reason that sports leagues planning to host competition across state lines will need to seek further exemptions from the government to avoid violating existing state laws.

• Read more:
• The NWSL will host a ‘bubble’ tournament in Utah, but some of the USWNT’s biggest stars might not participate
• The WNBA is mulling over plans to establish a ‘bubble’ for its 2020 season in the wake of COVID-19, but plans remain far from certain
• The PGA Tour is set to return June 11 without fans in attendance – here’s how the rest of the year will look for golf
• MLB is hoping to start a shortened 2020 season in July – here’s how the season would look