Canadians OK with empty sports arenas, wary of attending games; poll

VANCOUVER – Canadian sports fans are itching to watch sports again, but many would think twice about attending a game, according to a poll.

An Angus Reid online survey conducted from May 1-4 asked a randomized sample of 1,527 Canadians how they felt about sports during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They were queried about how they felt about games being played in empty stadiums and arenas, whether they attend a game for free without reservation, and which sports they missed the most.

One in three indicated playing games in empty venues would be “great”, while over half said “it’s better than nothing,” according to the pollster.