SBJ Unpacks: Still Hope For College Football

Tonight in SBJ Unpacks: Debates continue to swirl on whether some version of the college football season can -- or should -- be played, and what will Augusta National look like without patrons at The Masters?

Also:

• NFL players satisfied with league's health and safety protocols right now.
• Just what exactly will Tony Petitti be doing at Activision Blizzard?
• What does WarnerMedia's executive shuffle mean for company?

BOB BOWLSBY SPEAKS ON BIG 12'S DECISION TO PRESS AHEAD

• The college football season appeared to be on its final breath last night, after the Big Ten and Pac-12 postponed falls sports. But then the Big 12 announced its intentions to try and play this fall, giving new life to the SEC and ACC's already-stated plans. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby today cautioned that the league’s formal announcement that it would move forward with every effort to play a 10-game schedule "was only a first step and could encounter multiple obstacles."

• Bowlsby: “We will find ourselves with bumpy spots during the fall, there isn’t any doubt about it. But I think we’re very well prepared to deal with those things. I feel good about our decision going forward. I think our board feels good about it. ... If we get to the point where our doctors and scientists are saying, ‘You know what? You’ve got two wheels off the track,' we will pivot that day."

• Bowlsby's words came after Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren yesterday had to explain his conference's decision and deal with various reactions from media and fans. The Pac-12 similarly said that its decision was rooted in science, and now some are beginning to look past just football and are wondering what the college basketball season will ultimately look like.

OCTAGON NFL AGENT: PLAYERS PLEASED WITH SAFETY PROTOCOLS SO FAR

• Octagon Football Senior Dir of Client Management Casey Muir is part of a team that represents 36 active NFL players, two of which decided to opt out of the upcoming NFL season -- Patriots S Patrick Chung and Texans DT Eddie Vanderdoes. Chung cited family concerns and Vanderdoes has a pre-existing condition. But Muir expressed that his players who did opt-in are satisfied with how the league is handling player health and safety thus far.

• Muir told Sports Business Daily’s Andrew Levin, “The players that we work with almost universally feel as though the protocols are working and they really feel safe. They feel as though the teams, the staffs, have been doing a very good job inside the building -- testing protocols, the safety protocols, the social distancing, constant reminders for players.”

• Muir also addressed the tenuous state of the college football season. "Things are so fluid," he said. "Just think about the possibilities: There’s a real possibility we could have college football in the fall with a number of conferences, and college football in the spring potentially. That, in and of itself, is mind-blowing.”

• For more on Muir’s football thoughts, check out today’s SBJ Unpacks podcast.

NO FANS AT MASTERS CREATES SEVERAL FIRSTS FOR AUGUSTA 

• It was not a huge surprise that Augusta National officially announced today that spectators would not be allowed at The Masters in November. But the unprecedented move does have some interesting domino effects that will play out over the next few months. Official merchandise has always only been available at the tournament, but ESPN's Bob Harig reported Augusta National "will 'allow exclusive access' to purchase Masters merchandise on line to those who had tickets/badges."

• Augusta National will honor 2020 tickets in 2021, but Eventellect co-Founder Patrick Ryan pointed out that the decision creates a "massive headache and financial loss for the secondary market." Ryan's breakdown: "The chain of custody for these badges is very messy ... It’s not simply: venue - reseller - marketplace - fan ... There are often 3 additional middle men ... Clawing back refunds is going to be a mess."

• Some reaction to the news from around the golf industry:
  • Golf Digest's Nicole Rae: "Augusta National with zero patrons is going to be WILD to see. Foggy fall mornings around that place are going to be eerie as hell."
  • Golf writer Will Knights: "Wall-to-wall fairway around a firm, fall Augusta National without patrons would be pretty cool..."
  • ESPN's Harig: "A Masters without spectators is better than no Masters. Still incredibly sad. Augusta National likely thought of  everything and has the resources to test or do what others can’t. Was hoping there was a way."
  • PGA Tour Magazine's Jeremy Schilling: "while ANGC can afford testing, one test is just a snapshot. You would need multiple days of these patrons/guests in the days & potentially weeks leading up the tourney to be safe."

A patron-less Augusta National may create an eerie-feeling Masters tournament this fallgetty images

EXPLORING TONY PETITTI'S NEW ROLE AT ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

• This week's edition of SBJ Esports takes a look at Activision Blizzard's headline-grabbing move -- hiring MLB Deputy Commissioner Tony Petitti. SBJ's Adam Stern writes the hire led to industry curiosity on what projects and responsibilities Petitti will be in charge of. The newly created job also brings questions about where esports division President & CEO Pete Vlastelica fits into that.
  
  
• Petitti was named president of sports and entertainment on Monday, and he will report to CEO Bobby Kotick, while Vlastelica will now report to Petitti. Some fans on social media have also been critical of hiring someone from MLB, given that the sport is seen as having an aging fanbase.
  
  
• Petitti doesn’t officially start at Activision until next week, so the company said it is thus not yet ready to discuss his role beyond what was noted in the press release. SBJ’s John Ourand and Eric Prisbell earlier this week reported that Petitti will oversee efforts to move Activision brands into local markets and help tell stories of players, teams and fans.

• One team source said that teams haven’t yet been formally informed of what Petitti’s role will mean for Overwatch League and Call of Duty League, but that he clearly could get involved with the properties’ media deals and relationships given his work in this sector with MLB. Activision Blizzard Esports has an exclusive digital streaming deal with YouTube, but none of its premier properties currently have a linear TV deal.
  
  
• Read more about Activision Blizzard's plans for Petitti and get caught up on the esports industry in SBJ Esports.

WARNERMEDIA EXECUTIVE SHAKEUP RAISES EYEBROWS

• The Ringer’s Andy Greenwald said the recent round of layoffs at WarnerMedia -- which mainly hit Warner Bros. and HBO -- was a “shocker” across the entertainment industry, particularly the ousting of the top HBO Max programming leaders in Robert Greenblatt and Kevin Reilly. Greenwald, on “The Watch” podcast, said, “People did not see this coming. … Reilly signed a new contract in May of 2020 for four years. So this was not a cheap decision.”

• Greenwald’s co-host Chris Ryan, in regards to HBO Max, said it’s “not uncommon to see some executive departures after a certain phase” of a launch. Ryan: “But HBO Max is not an electric scooter company. … Bob Greenblatt and Kevin Reilly were not short-term fixes that then did what they needed to do and left.” Meanwhile, after news of those moves were reported, word came that HBO Sports President Peter Nelson was also stepping down, although that is believed to be his decision.

• Both Greenwald and Ryan agreed HBO Max’s launch paled in comparison to Disney+. Ryan: “Clarity counts. HBO Max launched with an instructional video explaining whether or not consumers already had it.” Greenwald: “Disney, unlike all these other companies, has been a consumer-facing company for its entire existence. A company like WarnerMedia, that didn’t exist as a unified company just a couple years ago, they don’t have a theme park business. They don’t sell toys. They don’t have cruise ships. They’re not used to greeting consumers and welcoming them into the experience.”

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: CONNECTING IN THE NEW VIRTUAL AGE

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from NBC Sports VP/New Business & Client Development Jim Donofrio, who writes under the header, "Networking Takes On Greater Importance Amid Crisis."
• "COVID-19 continues to challenge nearly every business sector and industry. When it comes to the job and internship market, the path for students and 2020 graduates to follow is unclear and will look much different that it has ever looked before. ... As an active mentor at NBCUniversal, the University of Delaware’s Lerner College of Business, and Rutgers Business School, this has been a busy period, so I wanted to share some of my advice and recommendations. The key to being successful is NETWORKING."
• To read the full contribution, click here. 

USA WEIGHTLIFTING LATEST NGB TO SEE SUCCESSFUL CHARITABLE CAMPAIGN

• USA Weightlifting announced today that its month-long fundraising campaign raised $71,292 to support regional clubs and national competitions. SBJ’s Chris Smith notes that more than 670 individual donors contributed to the campaign, which was organized through a partnership with athlete support fundraising platform Snap! Raise. Charitable support has become a key lifeline for Olympic sports struggling to withstand the financial pressures presented by event cancellations.

• Weightlifting also participated in the recently concluded Giving Games, a joint fundraising effort by more than 20 Olympic national governing bodies, including USA Gymnastics, USA Cycling and USA Diving. Earlier this week, USA Swimming announced that its foundation has approved over $3 million in grants to support local swim clubs adversely impacted by COVID-19.

SPEED READS

• Deion Sanders' unemployment didn't last long. After NFL Network yesterday confirmed to SBJ that Sanders was leaving his analyst role he had held since 2006, Barstool Sports today announced the HOFer was joining the outlet and would have his own podcast. Sanders detailed his move on the "Pardon My Take" podcast: "That's what I like about these new shows. I get to say all this stuff and nobody wants to stop me. I love it. ... You guys are as controversial as they come and I get to do that too."

• Sportsbooks around the U.S. have "halted betting on college football, as bookmakers try to determine the best approach to a season in flux," according to ESPN's David Purdum. Some sportsbooks were "planning to refund bets on teams from conferences that won't play in the fall, and other bookmakers were taking a wait-and-see approach."

• Youth on Course, which offers golf rounds to juniors at 1,400 courses across the country for approximately $5 each, has "seen a 77% increase in rounds this year," according to Golf News Net's Ryan Ballangee. The total is 185,000 so far. Ballangee: "Turns out, the pandemic has created time for juniors to try the game."

• The Premier Lacrosse League's 2020 championship game had total audience of 340,000 viewers on NBC, up 23% from last year's championship. Overall, the 2020 PLL Championship Series' 14 broadcasts on NBC/NBCSN averaged 153,000 viewers, up 33% from the 2019 season.

• The PGA Tour tomorrow will integrate odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as part of its PGA Tour Live stream of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. SBJ's Bill King notes this is a first for the Tour, which recently signed DraftKings as its first authorized sports betting operator. The Tour’s monthly subscription OTT channel will incorporate odds into coverage throughout the day, including during a picks feature that will air before the featured group tees off Thursday and Friday.

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:
        
  • Big Ten's Fall Sports Decision Based On Athlete Safety, Health
  • Warren Shuts Down Nebraska's Pursuit Of Fall Football Season
  • NFL "Laser Focused" On Super Bowl LV In Tampa As Planned
  • Masters To Be Played With No Patrons In Attendance This Year

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  
  • Octagon Football Senior Dir of Client Management Casey Muir offers his perspective on the tenuous state of college football and the upcoming NFL season.
    
    
  • SBJ's Adam Stern and Bill King discuss NASCAR's attempts to allow fans to attend their races and its impact on the rest of the sports industry.
    
    
  • Flyers Chief Business Officer Mike Shane on the No. 1 seed’s plans to keep fans engaged through the Stanley Cup playoffs.
    
    

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.