Fans watch baseball in Des Moines.
Iowa Cubs President Sam Bernabe says things are returning to as normal as they can but it will never be like 2019 again. After two years of dealing with the pandemic, including the loss of the entire 2020 season, The I-Cubs open their International League home schedule Tuesday night against Toledo.
“Anybody that is in the entertainment business has had to make adjustments”, said Bernabe. “I think we have all learned a lot about how we need to be doing business and these things will be ongoing.”
One of the biggest changes that has become permanent is Principal Park will be cashless and paperless.
“Virtual yearbooks, digital ticketing. Your phone in your hand is going to be more valuable to event managers because that is how we communicate and let you in”, added Bernabe.
The Quad Cities River Bandits open their Midwest League home schedule Tuesday night against the Cedar Rapids Kernels and General Manager Joe Kubly says they were moving to a cashless and paperless system before the pandemic hit.
“The only thing we are doing that is still printed is you actual ticket to get into the park”, said Kubly. “Everything else is going to be cashless.”
Kubly says the COVID protocols in Modern Woodmen Park have been eliminated.
“There are still people who want to be cautious out there and if people still want to wear masks or sit apart from people we are happy to accommodate that.”