With all major sports being suspended, Toronto's five big sports franchises have banded together to create an emergency fund to assist stadium and support staff during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Management, coaches, and players from all five teams will contribute to the fund to "help the workers who support them every day and night". Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said "Our Employees are part of the fabric of our team. They provide us love and support every day they come to work. We see this as an opportunity to reciprocate those same virtues in this time of uncertainty".
Together we are Team Toronto. pic.twitter.com/1Cy8lQMRKy
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 15, 2020
This emergency fund comes in addition to financial payments Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) are making to employees to bridge the gap between Employment Insurence benefits and their regular average earnings. Additionally, those who don't qualify for EI will be paid the equivalent MLSE top-up portion.
While MLSE covers four of the five teams, it is still unclear what plans the Toronto Blue Jays ownership has for its employees.
Feature image courtesy of Tim Gouw via Pexels.com
