Hurricane Dorian And Its Impact To Sporting Events In Florida

• Hurricane Dorian is expected to reach Category 4 levels and make landfall near West Palm Beach, FL.
• With the size of the storm and uncertainty of its path, many sporting events are making contingency plans.
• Some programs, like the Florida State Seminoles, made announcements of a game location and time change.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – With what is being touted as a storm comparable to Hurricane Andrew of 1992, Hurricane Dorian is making its way toward Florida.

Between the size and magnitude of the storm as well as the uncertainty of its future path, many sporting events are making plans around the summer storm. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already declared a state of emergency as the storm is expected to make landfall on Tuesday of next week.

The storm is expected to become a Category 4 hurricane, sustaining wind speeds above 140 MPH. With that, here is how the sporting world has been affected.

Hurricane Dorian’s Impact On College Football

As one of the first to act in the news of Hurricane Dorian, the Florida State Seminoles and Boise State Broncos moved their game to the Noles’ Doak Campbell Stadium. Originally scheduled to be played at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville on Saturday, the teams were made aware of the changes, which also includes moving the 7 p.m. EST kickoff to an earlier time (noon).

The game now becomes a home game for the Seminoles, who are selling general admission tickets for only $10. The ‘Noles opened as 3.5-point favorites but the line has shifted to seven points in favor of FSU. Still, the public is pounding this line, at nearly 80%, so it could possibly run further in favor of the Seminoles.

On the western part of the state, the Wisconsin Badgers travel to Tampa to take on the University of South Florida Bulls. While there was no announcement of any game changes, CBS Tampa sports anchor Justin Granit posted an official statement from the USF athletic department.  In short, they do not anticipate the storm being an impact on the game.

Hurricane Dorian’s Impact On MLB Games

The Tampa Bay Rays are beginning their home series against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. As the storm is predicted to make landfall on the east coast of Florida during this series, the teams are preparing contingency plans. According to Marc Topkin from the Tampa Bay Times, there are a couple of options; postponing the games to result in a doubleheader at a later date or relocating the series to a neutral-site venue (or to Baltimore).

Regardless of what the teams decide to do, for those betting on sports in the southeast the odds will definitely be impacted. The runline and moneyline have yet to be posted for these games, but expect something similar to last week’s matchup between these two clubs. At that moment, the Orioles were in the +155 to +190 range, while the Rays were always floating around -200 or higher.

The Miami Marlins lucked out with a multiple-series road trip starting Friday and ending next Thursday. Still, the team returns home a week from today to face the Kansas City Royals and could face issues if the storm makes a major impact on the Miami area. While this event is still some time away and the uncertainty around where Hurricane Dorian will make landfall, expect to hear an announcement either way regarding this game in the near future.

While not on the MLB level, other baseball teams in Florida have also been impacted by the storm. The Class Single-A Florida State League canceled the remainder of their regular season and entire postseason as well. Thursday’s games were the last of the season.

Hurricane Dorian’s Impact On The NFL

While the Noles and Broncos made the move westward, there have been no talks from the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags (+3.5) open their season at home against the Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5) in a week and a half, so the storm may pass through in time for a smooth opening weekend. However, as the storm is also slowing down and projected to head north after making landfall, the Jacksonville area may see some impacts.

According to Sam Mellinger, a sports columnist for the KC Star, every team has contingencies in place. When these plans take effect, it may see a line movement occur. Currently, the Jaguars (+165) are the underdogs against the Chiefs (-190) and the over/under is set at 52 points.

Hurricane Dorian’s Impact On NWLS Games

In the women’s soccer world, the Washington Spirit will still be traveling to Florida to face the Orlando Pride but at a later date. Instead of playing this Saturday, the game has been moved to Saturday, October 5 and will kick off at 5 p.m. EST. In the Pride’s second to last match of the regular season, they are allowing ticket buyers to use their same ticket for the game or exchange it for the team’s remaining matches.

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