SBJ Unpacks: Coronavirus -- League Execs Talk Strategies For Staying Relevant

My girlfriend and I are driving 10 hours tomorrow morning from Harrison, N.J., to metro Detroit to retrieve the last of my childhood belongings from my parents’ condo that they’re in the midst of selling. For once, I’m looking forward to being in a car for a full day. It’ll give me a chance to blare some country music.

Like most recent days, the sports world continues to try and pick up steam with returning to action. Today, the Professional Lacrosse League announced it’ll switch to a two-week quarantined format this summer in either the Southeast, Midwest or Mid-Atlantic while the UFC is prepping for a return to the Octagon on Saturday evening in Jacksonville. Despite the positive news, there’s still the stark reality of how COVID-19 has impacted the sports business as NASCAR experiences another round of layoffs. 

On a lighter note, the grand finale of our CAA World Congress Comes To You event wrapped up this afternoon with a virtual happy hour. We hope you enjoyed the conversations with the NBPA’s Michele Roberts and Fanatics’ Michael Rubin, among others. We look forward to seeing you all in person at one of our events soon.

Stay safe and be kind to one another. 

--- Mark J. Burns

WNBA COMMISH LOOKS TO BUILD MOMENTUM FOLLOWING VIRTUAL DRAFT

• The WNBA was the first league to shift to a virtual draft on ESPN due to the pandemic, and the league’s successful effort served as a blueprint for the network as it prepped for the NFL Draft. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, speaking at today’s virtual CAA World Congress Comes to You event, credited the partnership with ESPN for being able to “pull that off in a fairly short period of time.” Engelbert feels she came away from the effort a little more knowledgeable about the process and equipment needed for such an undertaking. Engelbert: “I had four iPads -- one sending in the picks, one sending in the feed from ESPN, one with a variety of backups and lights and tripods. I now know how to work every version of every tripod.”
  
  
• The commish also was happy with the virtual personal touch she was able to give draftees. “We sent them an augmented reality gift box where they would scan a Snapchat icon and what would pop up would be a message from me.” 
  
  
• While there was buzz around the draft and the selection of Sabrina Ionescu at No. 1, building off the momentum is a challenge. The WNBA was scheduled to begin its season on May 15, but that start is delayed indefinitely. Engelbert: “One of the reasons we wanted to continue with the draft (virtually) is because our rosters need to be set and these women's dreams need to be met, and so coming off of that, now we can think innovatively on how to keep the conversation going around marketing these household names.”
  
  
• Some of the ways the WNBA may try to innovate is holding doubleheaders with NBA teams that share arenas once play does begin. The league also may try and broadcast games before or after NBA telecasts and take advantage of the hole in the sports calendar that was going to be occupied by the Tokyo Olympics. Engelbert: “We had no games scheduled from July 13-August 13. Can we use that opportunity now because of COVID-19 and the delay in the season to fill that with some broadcast windows?”

OVERWATCH LEAGUE DELIVERING VALUE DESPITE LACK OF IN-PERSON EVENTS

• The Overwatch League amid the pandemic moved its events online only, and Commissioner Pete Vlastelica during CAA World Congress Comes to You stressed his belief that the pivot has worked. Vlastelica: “Necessity is the mother of invention. We learned that this is viable, and we learned that it's viable at a time when it was essential. But because it's viable and very efficient, we'll be able to bring this into a world where it's not as essential, but still as efficient, in order to make our steady state operation that much better.”
  
  
• Esports have gained a lot of attention as one of the only competitions still pressing on amid the pandemic. Vlastelica said OWL has shown its brand partners that it "can continue to deliver value." He said, “Same is true of our media partners, where we're continuing to deliver all the hours of live content that we're committed to.” Still, he recognizes that the overall health of esports depends on the health of traditional sports. “It doesn't give me any joy to know that we're one of the only professional sports leagues that's still in action,” he said.
  
  
• Vlastelica also addressed OWL’s homestand schedule which was to be used throughout this season, saying that the few events that did take place in the U.S. before the shutdown were rewarding. “When the hometown team walked out, the fans were on their feet screaming,” he explained, “The fans weren't just there for the game or because they love the league. They were there to root on their home team. ... That was the thing that we were trying to prove. That was the bet that we had made.”
  
  
• Vlastelica knows that the current situation will not last forever, but he believes that lessons learned from the homestands and from navigating the crisis will, as companies strive to keep their products relevant and to produce them in ways audiences are looking for. Vlastelica: “Certainly that's the way we're going to be approaching the world post COVID.”

BARSTOOL GETS IN ON VIRTUAL HOCKEY TOURNAMENT

• Barstool Sports' hockey podcast "Spittin' Chiclets" this week launched a EA Sports "NHL 20" tournament dubbed the "The Barstool Chiclets Cup," writes SBJ’s Mark J. Burns. The best-of-three, single-elimination format will be co-hosted by Spittin’ Chiclets personalities and former NHL players Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney. The tournament, which includes NHL players, company staff and Twitch streamers, is sponsored by DEVOUR Frozen Foods and broadcasted across Spittin’ Chiclets’ social media channels and Barstool’s website. Matchups air Tuesday and Friday evenings beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
  
  
• Barstool CEO Erika Nardini: “We’re spending a lot of time right now playing with what are sports and what’s the blend of sports, humor and comedy. It’s taking all sorts of different expressions. ... [The Cup] felt like a much better thing to watch than just watching athletes play a game. It feels like much more of an event.” 

NHL EXECS RAMP UP SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT DURING SHUTDOWN

• NHL CMO Heidi Browning said on the first day of the league’s shutdown in March, it initially decided to cease all communication on social media and focus on informative statements from Commissioner Gary Bettman and updates from clubs. “As the pause continued and we realized that this was going to last for an indefinite period, we felt that it was really important to evolve away from just peer communication." Browning said the focus then became a "strategy of communication, community, and connection."
  
  
• Long before officially deciding to work from home, NHL Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer said the league put together a living room-friendly technology program for its producers, editors and employees to create original content. On the takeaways from this experience to apply moving forward, Browning said she wants to continue doing more. “If there’s one wish I have for the gift out of this crisis it would be to slowly change hockey culture as it relates to social media participation, both in the locker room and off the ice.” Mayer said the league’s focus on content evolved into the connection of people and ideas and emphasizing substance over style. Since sports is one of those universal languages around the globe, Browning said leagues everywhere have a responsibility to try and unite and encourage people through uplifting messages.
  
  
• Mayer said the league is listening to those in charge and will not return until it is safe for players, personnel and fans. “I do feel at the end of the day … how important sports is to bring the world back together again. … How we can change the world and have a positive impact is actually quite exciting to me and our team at the NHL,” Mayer said.

SPORTING KC PRESIDENT OPTIMISTIC ON MLS SEASON AS INDIVIDUAL WORKOUTS RESUME

• If MLS can resume play in mid-June, a full 2020 season is still doable, according to Sporting KC President & CEO Jake Reid. On a media conference call this afternoon, Reid added that even if matches don't resume until later in the summer or early fall, the league "could put together some semblance of a season.” Reid: “Clearly, you’re not going to get all 34 games in at that point.” 
  
  
• Starting today, several MLS clubs such as Sporting KC, Inter Miami CF and Atlanta United FC, conducted voluntary individual workouts at their outdoor training grounds, notes SBJ’s Mark J. Burns. When asked about testing players, Reid said that there aren’t tests yet, but did say that “ultimately if we get back to the group [training] stage, that’ll be completely critical. We cannot go back to any type of group training until we have tests.” Reid also said that if matches resume this year in various cities, “you’ll see chartered flights across the board.”

SPONSORS KEEPING CLOSE WATCH ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S STANDING

• The decision of whether to play college football in the fall is intertwined with the larger question of whether to open college campuses across the country, in states that likely will take varied approaches to re-opening. There’s no telling what the season will look like, if there is a season at all. Amid all that uncertainty, how do the sponsors that have tied their brands to college sports make plans and chart courses?
  
  
• SBJ’s Bill King examined that question in the latest episode of the SBJ Unpacks podcast with Vince Thompson, founder and CEO of MELT Sports & Entertainment, an Atlanta-based sports marketing agency that has done extensive work in college sports.
  
  
• “With our clients, we’re adapting against a four to five to six bucket scenario," said Thompson, describing a range from a full return with fans in the stands to no season at all, anywhere. “Any sports sponsorship is tied into consumer behavior; a reach, a target, and certain eyeballs that you want to reach to drive consumption, purchasing and consumer behavior. If all of that is being consumed in the home environment, we’ll shift that definition of experiential, digital, social and retail."

WORKING FROM HOME WITH WINNING STREAK SPORTS CEO CHRIS LENCHESKI

• After decades in motorsports and agency life, Winning Streak Sports CEO Chris Lencheski was used to toiling “AWH,” or away from home, well before the shutdown started. “Every game there’s an away game,’’ he told SBJ’s Terry Lefton. Still, for a guy used to more than a hundred nights annually on the road, becoming accustomed to the current state of quarantine has taken some adjusting for the leader of Granite Bridge Partners’ licensed products company.
  
  
• Lencheski is a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., but he has been spending the past seven weeks or so with his wife and four daughters in Center Valley, Pa., a Lehigh Valley town, centrally located between N.Y. and Philadelphia. With four distance learners under one roof, and a wife who is a school administrator, bandwidth is as critical in this household as food and paper goods. So, there is no hesitation when you ask Lencheski about his technology MVP. “My Eero WIFI is terrific on all four floors,’’ he said.
  
  
• Broadband efficiency throughout their home is especially important, since the Lencheskis have been swapping “home office” locations often to avoid boredom. Lencheski himself is often in the downstairs study/library, but for the increasing amount of video calls, he might escape to the basement location.
  
  
• “This is my longest stretch of time being in one place in decades,’’ said Lencheski, who has been developing Winning Streak’s direct-to-consumer offerings and its technology platforms during the quarantine. Sports licensing has been as hard hit by the coronavirus as any business outside of hospitality and travel, but Lencheski sees it improving from its current standstill to a fourth-quarter recovery, pending heath circumstances, and potentially aided by the return of football and holiday demand.

• Want to share what your work-from-home setup is like? Reach out to SBJ's David Rumsey.

Lencheski typically works from the downstairs study/library, but often changes location to avoid boredom

THAT'S A WRAP! FINAL THOUGHTS FROM CAA WORLD CONGRESS COMES TO YOU 

• The fourth and final session of CAA World Congress Comes to You was held today. SBJ Publisher & Executive Editor Abe Madkour had some takeaway themes and closing remarks from the virtual events.

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: NOW, MORE THAN EVER

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from Craig Howe of Rebel Ventures, who pinpoints the four ways that sports can stay in the game amid the pandemic.
  
  
• "As an industry, the sports business thrives on values that are associated with winning. Perseverance, dedication, and an unending pursuit of excellence both on and off the field are hallmarks of any client we’ve worked with, no matter what the sport. Now, more than ever, the sports industry needs to embody these values."
  
   
• To read Howe's contribution, click here.

SPEED READS

• The Packers and American Family Insurance are teaming up to provide $20,000 in the form of ready-made meals to frontline workers in Northeast Wisconsin. The team and AFI will deliver thousands of meals to hospitals during Nurse Appreciation Week beginning today through May 12, and police and fire stations during Police Appreciation Week from May 10-16.

• The Ringer's Michael Baumann writes under the header, "The Joy and Anxiety of Watching KBO’s Return." Baseball is back in South Korea, but "as therapeutic as it is to watch a hitter work the count again, it’s hard to escape what this may mean for an ill-advised return for MLB." Unlike South Korea, the "worst is yet to come in the United States."
  
  
• The future of the brick-and-mortar gym stands in question as home workouts rise during the time of the coronavirus. The Wall Street Journal's Avantika Chilkoti reports fitness centers are ready to "experiment with digital offerings and other ways to lure people back when lockdowns ease."
  
  
• Around 64% of U.S. adults would get vaccinated to protect themselves against COVID-19 were one to become available, according to a recent survey conducted by Morning Consult. 14% say they would not and 22% are unsure.

NEWS YOU NEED FROM SPORTS BUSINESS DAILY

• During this crisis impacting the sports business, we want everyone to be up-to-date on the latest news and information. SBD's "Coronavirus & Sports" section is free, outside the paywall, for the foreseeable future. Below are today's headlines:
  
  
  • MLB Confident It Can Return In '20, But More Outbreaks A Concern
  • UFC Felt No Pressure To Be First Sport Back, But Glad It Is
  • NASCAR President Sees Restart As Opportunity To Draw New Fans
  • Changing Attack: PLL Switching To Two-Week Tournament This Year
  • NHL Hopes To Push Forward With Phase 2, But Will Move Cautiously
  • 76ers Giving Season-Ticket Holders Options Amid Crisis
  • Alouettes President Hopes For Call On CFL Season In Coming Weeks
  • Tennis' Return In '20 Doubtful; Attention Turns To Australian Open
  • World TeamTennis Could Play Whole Season In One City
  • Wild Ride: PBR's Return Gets Attention Of CBS' Stephen Colbert
  • Minnesota United Donation To Help Community Around Allianz Field

SBJ UNPACKS -- WEATHERING COVID-19

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • MELT Sports & Entertainment founder Vince Thompson dishes on what sponsors in college sports face as they navigate the uncertainty of the football season.
  • Bill King speaks with Dolphins President & CEO Tom Garfinkel about the franchise’s vision for a “new normal."
  • Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment's Hugh Weber on his experiences leading the Hornets through crisis during, and following, Hurricane Katrina.
  • PBR CEO Sean Gleason discusses how the circuit held its first event this past weekend since the COVID-19 shutdown began.
  • SBJ's Bill King & Mark Burns talk about a path back from this pandemic with a new normal for the sports industry and the potential for fanless games.

SIGN UP NOW FOR LEADERS WEEK DIRECT: MAY 18-21

• Across the week, you’ll hear from some of the biggest names in sports, including NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Cubs Chair Tom Ricketts and Amazon VP/Global Sports Marie Donoghue. Each day offers two hours of streamed content, where industry leaders will examine how the future of sport will change. In addition to the main content stream, there will be in-depth breakout sessions that will address specific challenges, plus networking with industry peers.
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Something related to coronavirus and sports business catch your eye? Tell us about it. Reach out to Austin Karp (akarp@sportsbusinessjournal.com) and we'll share the best of it.