SBJ Unpacks: Tiger Still King For PGA Tour

It remains an open question when the first football game of note will be played at any level this fall.

The NFL and NFLPA are discussing the possibility of playing no preseason games before the league opens the season on Thursday, Sept. 10. We await decisions by the ACC, Big 12 and SEC to see if they’ll join the Pac-12 and Big Ten in playing conference games only, if they play at all. And it was announced just today that major high school football in the hotbed of Texas will postpone the start of games for its two largest classifications, Class 6A and 5A, until Sept. 24.

With many schools moving to virtual learning in the fall, the sight of football games at any level would normalize things just a bit. But it remains to be seen how much football we will see ... and how soon.

-- Eric Prisbell

WOODS' RETURN FUELS STRONG VIEWERSHIP FOR MEMORIAL

• The Memorial saw a big uptick in TV viewership last week on both CBS and Golf Channel, fueled by Tiger Woods’ return to PGA Tour play for the first time since the pandemic halted sports in the U.S., SBJ’s Austin Karp notes. Despite Woods finishing tied for 40th at the event in Ohio -- held in late May last year -- CBS averaged 3.23 million viewers for Jon Rahm’s three-stroke win. That’s the best figure for Sunday at The Memorial since 2015 and up 9% from 2019.
  
  
• Golf Channel on Sunday from 12:58-3:34pm ET averaged 1.47 million viewers, which is the network’s best lead-in figure for The Memorial on record (dating back to 2007). Lead-in coverage also was up 40% from 2019. CBS on Saturday averaged 2.64 million viewers for Round 3, up 28% from last year. Golf Channel’s lead-in on Saturday averaged 1.24 million viewers, also up 39%.
  
  
• For early round coverage on Golf Channel, the network saw its two most-watched days of 2020 to date. Thursday’s opening round averaged 1.08 million viewers, which is the best figure for The Memorial since 1997 on ESPN (1.18 million viewers). Thursday also was the most-watched weekday Tour telecast for the network since the opening round of the 2018 Tour Championship (1.25 million). Even the Thursday primetime replay on GC averaged 337,000 viewers, which marked the best Tour replay on the network in over five years. Friday’s second round averaged 937,000 viewers, helping GC to its best Friday total-day audience since last year's Presidents Cup.
  
  
• Meanwhile, since the return of live PGA Tour action in June, CBS has seen TV viewership increase 28% from comparable events in 2019. For Golf Channel, that live Tour viewership is up 61%.

RAMS ANTICIPATE NFL WILL CANCEL ALL PRESEASON GAMES

• The NFL has not officially confirmed reports that the preseason will be canceled altogether, but at least one team is telling their fans that’s the case, SBJ’s Ben Fischer reports. The Rams told season-ticket holders in an email today, “We anticipate that the NFL will cancel preseason games.”
  
  
• In the email, the Rams became the fifth team to completely cancel season-tickets this year, instead telling stadium seat license holders they will get first dibs if any ticket sales are allowed. Because of the preseason cancelations, the Rams’ first game at the new SoFi Stadium is now the week one Sunday Night Football matchup with the Cowboys. “In hopes of having fans at the opener, we ask that you please join us in wearing a mask to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” the Rams said.

PACKERS INCOME SOARS ON NFL MEDIA RIGHTS GROWTH

• The pandemic will deliver a financial body blow to the NFL this season, but the gravy train kept rolling last year as broadcast revenue continued to climb, according to financial statements released today by the Packers. The Packers posted $34.9 million net income on $506.9 million in total revenue in the fiscal year ending March 31, a bottom line more than four times larger than 2019. Excluding investment results that reflected the market’s plunge at the start of the pandemic, the team’s operating profit stood at $70.3 million, nearly 100 times last year’s $700,000 figure and double its 2018 operating profit.
  
  
• Most of the revenue growth came from the team’s share of national NFL revenue -- mostly media rights, writes SBJ's Ben Fischer. That revenue grew from $274.3 million to $296 million, or 7.9% year-over-year -- meaning that the NFL booked nearly $9.47 billion to share across all 32 teams, up from $8.78 billion from one year ago. “As we look to the future, we feel very good about those continuing to grow at a very healthy pace,” said Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy. Every major media deal is up for negotiation in the next two years, and most industry experts expect increases of nearly 50%.
  
  
  

Download the Packers Financials

• Murphy pointed to the team’s reserve fund, now at $411 million, and expected growth in income from Titletown, its development adjacent to Lambeau Field, as bulwarks against pandemic losses. “Looking ahead, obviously things are going to be very different,” Murphy said. “This year, we anticipate revenue will drop significantly, and there’s a lot of uncertainty as every business and organization has. We do feel the organization is well-positioned to weather the pandemic.”
  
  
• Read more here.

DODGERS PRESIDENT STAN KASTEN ON MLB RETURN

• On Thursday night, the Dodgers will open the 2020 baseball season against their storied rivals, the Giants, in the second half of a long-awaited ESPN doubleheader. Having made it through the ups and downs of an uncertain four months, the Dodgers finally get to take the field with a roster favored to win the National League. Cardboard cutouts will replace fans, crowd noise will be manufactured and Dodgers radio voice Charlie Steiner will call the game from his home.
  
  
• Dodgers President Stan Kasten told SBJ’s Bill King, "It was not that long ago that we had real doubts about whether anything like this was going to work. But we think it is going to work, we think the steps that we have put in place -- together with our union -- have been effective so far. Keep your fingers crossed. … We always have great anticipation leading into every year, but there’s an extra measure of exhilaration because the challenges that we had to overcome were far, far greater than every year’s challenges."
  
  
• For more on the negotiations that led to MLB’s return, health and safety protocols, how Dodgers games will look and sound and more, check out the latest SBJ Unpacks podcast.

NEW PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM ADDS NOTABLE SPORTS BUSINESS LEADERS TO BOARD

• Arctos Sports Partners, the new private equity firm planning to acquire minority ownership stakes in pro teams, has announced the first of two planned advisory boards, reports SBJ's Chris Smith. The Arctos Sports Advisors, Fellows & Executives Council is comprised of nine sports business leaders.
  
  
  • TJ Adeshola (Twitter Head of U.S. Sports)
  • Caryn Seidman-Becker (Clear Chair & CEO)
  • Akshay Khanna (StubHub GM of North America)
  • Tim Leiweke (Oak View Group Founder & CEO) 
  • Stephen Master (former Nielsen Global Head of Sports Media)
  • Angela Ruggiero (Sports Innovation Lab co-Founder)
  • Ari Segal (Immortals Gaming Club CEO) 
  • Sara Slane (former American Gaming Association Senior VP)
  • Malcolm Turner (former Vanderbilt AD)
    
    

• Arctos launched earlier this year and is being led by former MSG CEO Doc O’Conner and former Landmark Partners board member Ian Charles. The firm plans to raise more than $1 billion to invest in sports team limited partnerships. 

ROCKETS SUE INSURANCE PROVIDER OVER DENIAL OF COVID-RELATED CLAIM

• The Rockets "filed suit in Rhode Island against the team’s insurance provider, which last month rejected the team’s claim for damages related to the shutdown of NBA games and concert performances" in the wake of the pandemic, according to David Barron of the Houston Chronicle.
  
  
• The lawsuit, filed in Providence County Superior Court on behalf of Clutch City Sports & Entertainment and Rocket Ball Ltd., "accuses Affiliated FM Insurance of breach of contract by refusing last month to honor a policy that provides a maximum of $412 million in coverage for which the team paid $790,490." The Rockets are believed to be the "first NBA team to file suit over insurance claims related to losses after the NBA season was halted."
  
  
• The Rockets "did not specify the amount of the claim but note in the lawsuit that the policy provides 'a substantial portion ... in coverage for business interruption losses on a per occurrence basis.'"

CITI OPEN CANCELLATION STALLS TENNIS' MOMENTUM

• The ATP’s planned return to action was dealt a blow today with the cancellation of the Citi Open, SBJ’s Bret McCormick notes. The event in D.C., which would have re-started ATP play, was set to begin 23 days from now, but tournament operator Mark Ein said that “there are too many unresolved external issues, including various international travel restrictions as well as troubling health and safety trends, that have forced us to make this decision now.”
  
  

• The cancellation raises more questions about how many international players will come to the New York for the Western & Southern Open and U.S. Open, being held back-to-back at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center beginning Aug. 20. Travelers from most of Western Europe are prevented from entering the U.S. under current CDC travel restrictions. Additionally, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s list of travel-restricted states now includes Virginia and Maryland, meaning anyone that stayed in either of those states and was then traveling to New York would have had to quarantine for 14 days.

• European players’ reluctance to travel to the U.S. is likely compounded by the fact that the six tournaments after the U.S. Open are back in Europe, including the French Open in late September. The USTA said the Citi Open cancellation “in no way impacts" the U.S. Open or the W&S Open.
  

• Meanwhile, Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley "cannot see any situation" where the 2021 Australian Open is "held anywhere other than Melbourne Park." Tiley and his team have "laid out six scenarios, ranging from best case to worse, of how the Australian Open would operate given the significant hurdle of COVID-19." See more in SBD Global.

WORLD TEAMTENNIS SENDS PLAYER HOME FOR BREAKING QUARANTINE BUBBLE

• World TeamTennis last night had to send a player home after she broke the organization’s quarantine bubble at The Greenbrier resort.  A statement from the WTT said Danielle Collins, a member of the Orlando Storm, left not only the resort but the state of West Virginia. WTT’s quarantine bubble contains 245 people involved with the league’s three-week competition.
  
  
• "She just put me in a position where I really had no choice,” WTT CEO Carlos Silva told SBJ’s Bret McCormick. “We’re trying really hard to keep everyone safe and do the right thing. That was a mistake she made and I think she understood it and we had to dismiss her last night.”
  
  
• WTT did get positive news Tuesday, though, in the form of its viewership from weekend matches. CBS averaged 484,000 viewers for a WTT match on Sunday from 1:30-3:30pm ET, marking the league’s best figure in its 45-year history, per SBJ's Austin Karp. The previous WTT record was on July 21, 2019, when the league debuted on CBS (409,000 viewers). CBS will also air the WTT title match on Aug. 2.
  
  
• Compared to some other sports on TV last weekend, WTT was still short of the 731,000 viewers for AVP volleyball on NBC or the 509,000 viewers on ESPN for UFC Fight Night prelims. WTT beat out a Yankees-Mets exhibition on Saturday night on ESPN2 (410,000), but the cable net was blacked out in N.Y. It also topped both IndyCar telecasts on NBCSN on Friday and Saturday night from Iowa Speedway (334,000 and 356,000, respectively).

SUMMER PLANS WITH DRAFTKINGS' JASON PARK & USA WRESTLING'S RICH BENDER

• With 2020 forcing everyone across the industry to shift their calendars around, SBJ's Kody Timmers is catching up with execs, talent, team personnel and more to see how they are making the most of an unprecedented summer. First up is DraftKings CFO Jason Park and USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender, who dish on how they've been spending their free time and what future vacation they'd most like to take.
• DraftKings' Jason Park: 
  
  
  • Working on: "I’ve been spending a lot of time with my two daughters, ages 4 and 1. For the most part, it’s been summer vacation for them since COVID-19 turned the world on its head, but we’ve found a silver lining and I’ve really enjoyed spending time with them instead of commuting to and from the office."
  • Future vacations: "My family has a particular affinity for mountains during the summer months. Perhaps a vacation in Colorado when it’s safe to travel again and restrictions are lifted. If not Colorado, a quick trip to the Berkshires could suffice."
    
    
• USA Wrestling's Rich Bender:
  
  
  • Working on: "Have become a very experienced 'Zoomer' during the COVID crisis, but restricted travel has kept me home on the weekends and I have been able to do several home improvement projects. I installed a cedar ceiling on my outside patio, removed carpet and installed hardwood flooring in three rooms of my home (and) have my yard and pasture in shape for the first time in a long time."
  • Future vacations: "Hoping to make a trip to see our daughter in Oklahoma soon and have scheduled a trip to Ozarks later in July."

Park (l) and his family have an affinity for the mountains during summer months; Bender showing off his freshly-installed hardwood floors

SPEED READS

• The Premier Lacrosse League this weekend will be the next sports property to start a fan-less "bubble" tournament to complete its 2020 season, and it has made changes and additions to its product to pull it off, writes SBJ's Adam Stern. The tournament will be held over three weeks at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah, airing across NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold. To pull the tournament off, PLL co-Founder Paul Rabil said that the league has done everything from add new fan elements to the stadium and broadcast to restructuring sponsor agreements. That is in addition to a coronavirus testing protocol that will involve multiple rounds during the course of the tournament.
  
  
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway today said that attendance for the Indy 500 on Aug. 23 will be approximately 25% of capacity, down from previous estimates of 50%. Ticket sales will not be permitted after Friday. IMS will release its full race protocols tomorrow.
  
  
• ESPN's Bob Harig notes Augusta National has "offered no updates" on hosting fans in the intervening three months since The Masters' postponement, and the "clock is ticking on a fall Masters" set for Nov. 12-15. A "cursory check of several hotels in Augusta, Georgia, shows that they are packed for that week, meaning that the original reservations transferred from the April date appear to remain intact." There is also "no indication that Augusta National has reached out to its patrons to offer refunds for 2020 badges or postpone 2020 practice-round tickets to 2021."
  
  
• Spotify is "rolling out video podcasts, with a feature that allows listeners to switch to audio-only mode when on the go, following a successful test of the service," per Deadline's Dade Hayes. The initial roster of shows adding video includes Bill Simmons' "Book of Basketball 2.0" and the popular "Fantasy Footballers."

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:
   
  
  • Source: NFL Owners Offer Players No Preseason Games In '20
  • NFL Testing Protocols Become More Clear As Training Camp Begins
  • Blue Jays Focusing On Five Options For Home, As Baltimore Joins Mix
  • Decision On Fate Of Tokyo Games Unlikely This Year

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Dodgers President Stan Kasten on the unique conditions around the upcoming MLB season.
    
    
  • Calm app Chief Medical Officer Omar Dawood on his company’s deal with LeBron James and other mental health dynamics amid the pandemic.
    
    
  • Aspen Institute's Tom Farrey discusses a potential return for youth sports and share a few rays of hope
    
    

2020 SBJ THOUGHT LEADERS RETREAT (VIRTUAL)

• Aug. 13, 2:00-7:00pm ET (by invitation only)
  
  
• The road ahead has never been more challenging -- and it has never been more important for executive leadership to pause, learn, reflect and relax in order to prepare themselves to step up and navigate what the future holds. This year, we are continuing the tradition of Thought Leaders, creating the industry’s most intimate, senior-level event with a virtual program.
  
  
• Content will include:
  
  
  • Mindful Leadership with Pandit Dasa
  • The C-Suite Imperative: Corporate Responsibility & Social Impact
  • The New Fan Experience: A 360-degree approach; a 365-day Journey
  • Reinvented: A Conversation with Agent Leigh Steinberg
  • Supporting Social Justice Reform: Backing Words with Action
  • Navigating the Road Ahead: Fundamental Shifts We Can Expect in the Sports Business (group discussions)
    
    
• In addition to the compelling content, we will have plenty of time for some of the best virtual networking activities of the year, including:
  
  
  • Jack Daniel’s whiskey tasting
    • Aquimo golf (live challenge)
    • Aquimo cornhole (live challenge)
    • Cooking demo with "Iron Chef" Marc Forgione
    • A private set from John Popper and Brian Wilson of Blues Traveler
    
    
• For more information please visit, www.Thought-Leaders-Retreat.com.

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.