SBJ Unpacks: The Road Ahead -- Top Rank "Bubble" Takes Center Stage

It’s hard to be optimistic these days, especially as the long-awaited returns of MLS, MLB and the NBA drive headlong into an increasingly uncertain public health crisis. But as we head into the long holiday weekend, let’s take a moment to appreciate some of the good news. 

The NWSL returned to a solid TV audience, tripling the league’s prior high-water mark. My colleague Terry Lefton today reported there are signs of life in the sponsorship market, with the Chiefs nearing a field naming rights deal. And this morning, the Labor Department announced that unemployment fell to 11% in June thanks to 4.8 million new jobs, a much-needed rebound.

This weekend brings something else to look forward to: The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, which goes ahead Saturday without spectators. For the first time ever, bettors in New Jersey, Colorado and New Hampshire can get in on the action. According to my sportsbook app, 12-time winner Joey Chestnut is currently a -1000 favorite in the men’s contest.

From everyone here at SBJ, have a safe and relaxing holiday weekend, and we’ll see you on Monday.

-- Chris Smith 

TOP RANK'S TODD DUBOEF ON NAVIGATING BOXING'S RETURN

• With fighters spread across the globe in a sport with little structure, boxing promoter Top Rank faced its own complex set of hurdles as it plotted its return from the shutdown. Rather than run the risk of cards falling apart on short notice, it elected to create what it now calls “The Bubble”, a built-for-a-pandemic venue at the Las Vegas MGM Grand that serves as home to fighters and trainers in the days leading up to their bouts.
  
  
• Once they enter and are tested for COVID-19, they remain for as many as five days, eating, sleeping and training within a self-contained, quarantined environment. Two days before Top Rank’s June 9 return on ESPN, one of the fighters on that card, 20016 U.S. Olympian Mikaela Mayer, tested positive for the virus.
  
  
• Top Rank President Todd DuBoef discussed that experience, and many other facets of boxing’s return, with SBJ’s Bill King on the latest episode of the SBJ Unpacks podcast.
  
  
• “I stopped for a second and there was a sense of disappointment,” DuBoef said. “But then there was a sense of: The system works. Kind of like success. Somebody tested positive and my first question was: 'Was that athlete around anyone? Did we put anybody at risk? Did anyone else come in contact with the athlete? Did we quarantine correctly?' All those types of things that normally wouldn’t be my questions. My question would be: 'We lost a fight . . . Do we have enough content for the show?' But I was doing the opposite thing. We worked through it. We jumped knee deep in with that positive test.”
  
   
• Viewers can see “The Bubble” for themselves at 8:00pm tonight on ESPN, on a show headlined by Jose Pedraza vs. Mikkel LesPierre, a fight originally scheduled for June 18 that was postponed when LesPierre’s manager tested positive. 

USA HOCKEY SET TO UNDERGO FURLOUGHS

• USA Hockey is planning to furlough staffers for two weeks in late July/early August, sources tell SBJ’s Mark J. Burns.
  
  
• Details are still being figured out on the exact dates, but the belief is that all furloughed staffers won’t have the same two-week time span. Employees won’t be paid, but will still receive health benefits paid for by USA Hockey, sources said. There are no layoffs at this time.
  
  
• The furloughs follow the national governing body instituting tiered pay cuts earlier this summer, a development first reported by SBJ. The AP reported in May that USA Hockey received $2.18 million from the federal government’s paycheck protection program. At this time, it’s unclear how much, if any, of the money was used by the organization. 
  

WATKINS GLEN INT'L HOPES TO HOST FANS IN AUGUST

• Watkins Glen Int'l President Michael Printup confirmed that he is talking to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration about having fans on site for NASCAR’s August race weekend, but that the spectators would have to be from in-state, writes SBJ's Adam Stern.
  
  
• SBJ reported earlier this week that Printup is talking to Cuomo about getting a waiver for the NASCAR industry so they don’t have to quarantine for two weeks in N.Y., and that WGI was also interested in inquiring about having fans on site.
  
  
• In an interview with the AP’s John Kekis, Printup did not touch on the quarantine but did confirm the talks about fans -- and he said that the track’s proposal was for less than 50% capacity and only for fans from the state who are within 150 miles driving distance from the scenic venue.
  
  
• "We could probably get 30% to 50% (capacity), but I think to be reasonable we're going to have to probably bring that number down just to make the governor and his team comfortable,'' Printup said. ''If they get 30,000 at Bristol (in mid-July), that's probably the outside of what we could do.”
  
  
• NASCAR is expected to confirm the remainder of its 2020 season calendar as early as next week.

MLB NETWORK ALL-IN ON TRAINING CAMP COVERAGE

• As MLB teams open unique three-week training camps tomorrow, MLB Network is preparing comprehensive coverage that includes a seven-hour "MLB Tonight" telecast starting at 11:00am ET. While access to camps is limited due to health and safety protocols, MLB Network will utilize its NTT Ballpark Cam system, which entails remote cameras in every ballpark, to spotlight teams performing their first formal baseball activities since the original spring training was shut down in March.
  
  
• The NTT Ballpark Cam system uniquely positions the network to have video access to all 30 ballparks at a time when no fans will be permitted entry and media access is limited. NTT and MLB also did a proof-of-concept event last fall during the postseason.
  
  
• As part of tomorrow’s "MLB Tonight," correspondents will report from different ballparks, including MLB Network’s Scott Braun (Phillies), Alexa Datt (Nationals), Jon Morosi (Cubs), Stephen Nelson (Rangers) and Heidi Watney (Mets). In addition, network analysts Greg Amsinger, Brian Kenny, Matt Vasgersian, Ron Darling, Dan Plesac, Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci will discuss all topics related to what promises to be the most unique season in baseball history.
  
  
• MLB Net Senior VP/Production Dave Patterson told SBJ's Eric Prisbell, “Some of our on-air team might sleep in the parking lot tonight --- they’re that excited. We’re well-positioned to cover the day and bring fans the access they crave.”

WILL NBA RESTART SATISFY ALL COMERS? 

• With stars like Victor Oladipo and Bradley Beal still mulling over participation in the NBA's Orlando bubble, will there be a competitive issue among teams and players cleared to play?
  
  
• ESPN's Brian Windhorst, on the "Hoop Collective" podcast, said a team like the Wizards -- currently sitting outside the eight seed -- should have the mindset of, “We’re either going to be competitive and play this for real, or we’re not.” But ESPN's Tim MacMahon pushed back, saying "That’s not true. … Let’s not act like the last couple weeks of the season is an all-in competitive situation on a consistent basis. ... They’re going so teams can satisfy their local TV contracts. That’s the only reason the Wizards are going. (Plus) the Suns, the Spurs ... the Kings."
  
  
• ESPN's Jackie MacMullan said of the situation in Orlando, "This is a different environment that feels a little murkier every day. I actually had someone tell me today they think this whole thing is starting to hang by a thread. But I think it’s going to happen. Adam Silver’s comments were pretty clear in the TIME100 interview."
  
  
• The NBA on Thursday afternoon released its latest testing numbers, with 344 players tested between June 24-29. From those tests, an additional nine players tested positive, bringing the total number to twenty-five players since testing began on June 23.
  
  
• At deadline: ESPN reports the NBA may be "closing in on signing off on a second 'bubble' in Chicago for the eight teams that were not invited to play in Orlando," with a target date of September.

Both Victor Oladipo and Bradley Beal are still mulling over participation in the NBA's Orlando bubble

SURVEY: TICKET EXECS INCREASINGLY PESSIMISTIC ABOUT 2020 FOOTBALL

• Ticketing officials from a broad range of colleges are generally less optimistic about a 2020 football season than they were a month ago, according to a survey from Dynamic Pricing Partners. Half of those surveyed think the chances of fans being allowed to attend games has gone down. Almost half (45%) think the chances for a full football season have decreased since late May.
  
  
• Other notable responses:
  
  
  • 80% of athletic departments are still working remotely, but 46% of them expect to open in the next month.
  • 88% of schools have permitted student-athletes to return to campus.
  • 76% of schools have not announced any positive student-athlete COVID-19 test results and 80% of schools still don’t have a testing procedure for the season.
    
    
• For more, check out the SBJ College newsletter from Michael Smith.

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: UTILIZING NEW MARKETING & PROMOTIONAL TOOLS

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from Carlton Daniel and Ailin O’Flaherty, who write under the header, "International Prize Promotions Are An Opportune Platform In Our Recovery."
  
  
• "As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing new marketing and promotional tools is essential throughout the sports industry. Revenue from major sporting events and fixtures has evaporated because of lockdowns operating in numerous countries around the world. As they plan their recovery and look to ways to reopen and rebuild, the running of an international online prize promotion may be a useful additional tool for clubs, leagues, federations, regulatory bodies and associations, to engage with their consumers, gather valuable data and promote their brands. "
  
  
• To read the full contribution, click here.

CHECK OUT THIS WEEK'S SBJ

• Don’t miss this week’s issue of SBJ. Meanwhile, if you’d like to receive the print issue at your home office, update your delivery address at any time within your account settings here. If you have any questions about how and where to receive your print copy of SBJ, please email help@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

SPEED READS

• From The Undefeated's Jason Reid: "'Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing,' traditionally known as the Black national anthem, is expected to be performed live or played before every Week 1 NFL game, and the league is considering a variety of other measures during the upcoming season to recognize victims of police brutality." The song "would be performed before 'The Star-Spangled Banner,'" sources said.

• The Chiefs could open the 2020 season on a field with a new corporate name, as sources told SBJ's Terry Lefton that current team sponsor Government Employees Health Association (GEHA) is close to finalizing field naming rights at Arrowhead Stadium. Chiefs President Mark Donovan insisted that “field naming rights have always been an option to explore as part of the partnership with GEHA, but not something either of us is focused on right now, especially with everything that’s going on in the world."
  
  
• Twitch in Q2 saw a "massive 62.7% increase in hours watched" from its already record-setting Q1 amid virus lockdowns, according to TechCrunch's Sarah Perez. Twitch reached 5 billion hours watched in Q2, a figure that was "up by 83.1% year-over-year and helps to cement" its place as the "leader among game-streaming services."
  
  
• College athletes are now working out on most campuses, where following health and safety protocols is considered vital to keeping COVID-19 in check so that there can be a 2020 football season. But how do schools know if the players are wearing masks or avoiding parties where there are large gatherings once they leave the football building? As Baylor AD Mack Rhoades said, he feels good about the two hours the players are working out. It’s the other 22 hours that concern him. Read more in the SBJ College newsletter.
  
  
• The Indianapolis Star's Michael McCleary goes deep on this weekend's NASCAR-IndyCar doubleheader at IMS, which "promises something historic, a cross-pollination of the two largest series in American motorsports with three events in two days." The grandstands "will be quiet" and the paddocks "will be restricted." But drivers on both sides "hope that this weekend -- in addition to providing a quick fix out of a shutdown -- is the start of a yearly tradition." Dale Earnhardt Jr., on NBCSN’s “Countdown to Crossover” show, said, “This is opening up a lot of possibilities and opportunities not only for the two series to join together at the race track, but also the drivers to move around and try new things.”
  
  
• Former Golf Channel personality Charlie Rymer is back home in South Carolina after a battle with COVID-19. Rymer recently was "hospitalized for five days," lost nearly 20 pounds and is "still wearily recovering from the 'strong force' that attacked his big 6-foot-4 body." Rymer: “I’m weak, but it’s a good kind of weak from where I’ve been. I imagine it will be a few weeks before I’m 100 percent, maybe sooner, I don’t know. But I’m sitting at home with my dogs and my wife and one kid is coming this weekend, so it’s all good.”

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. Select stories from Sports Business Daily are free, outside the paywall, for the foreseeable future. Below are today's headlines:
  
  
  • Manfred Says 60+ Games Was Never Likely Given Course Of Virus
  • MLB Braces For Positive Virus Tests As Players Report To Camps
  • Toronto, Edmonton Chosen As NHL Hub Cities For Season Restart
  • FC Dallas' Spot In MLS Tournament In Question After Positive Tests
  • MLL Tries To Save '20 Season With Week-Long Tourney In Annapolis

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Top Rank President Todd DuBoef on the resumption of fights in a true, self-contained bubble at Las Vegas’s MGM Grand.
  • NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird joins Bill King to discuss their journey as the first U.S. team sport to return from the stoppage.
  • Oura CEO Harpreet Rai on his company’s advanced technology ring and how the NBA plans to utilize it in the Orlando bubble.

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.