Major League Baseball is clearing the way for its teams to issue ticket refunds, if they choose to do so, for games already postponed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Braves didn’t respond to an inquiry Tuesday about whether or when they’ll begin to make refunds available to fans.
» MORE: How ticket buyers are affected by sports shutdown in Atlanta
Until now, MLB’s policy was for teams not to issue widespread refunds because the tickets theoretically could be used when postponed games are rescheduled. However, it has become clear that there’s no way a full schedule will be played and that some games may be played without fans in attendance.
In a reversal of the previous league-wide policy, MLB told teams Tuesday they can determine their own ticket refund policies, according to the Associated Press. Individual teams can announce, apparently starting Wednesday, rules on refunds or credits.
A lawsuit was filed by two baseball fans against MLB and its 30 teams in Los Angeles last week, seeking ticket refunds and certification of class-action status. According to the lawsuit, “fans are stuck with expensive and unusable tickets for unplayable games in the midst of this economic crisis.”
Some Braves season-ticket holders received an email from the team April 16 stating that installment payments due this month were being pushed back “until further notice.” The email didn’t address the issue of refunds for tickets already paid for by fans.
The CEO of Braves owner Liberty Media, Greg Maffei, said last week that MLB is "looking at a lot of options" for starting the season, including the idea of having all teams play games in Arizona without fans in attendance.
