SBJ Unpacks: Silent Count For NFL Week One?

Tonight in SBJ Unpacks: More and more NFL teams make the call to begin their seasons in empty stadiums. 

Also:

• A new spin on the NFL's false positives
• Texas Tech, Oklahoma grapple with COVID cases
• Golf retail equipment sales impress
• A new Paralympic doc hits Netflix
• Padres' ballpark awarded safety designation 

MORE NFL TEAMS PREPARE TO START SEASON WITHOUT FANS IN STADIUM

• At least two-thirds of the NFL won’t have any fans inside their stadiums to start the season, SBJ’s Ben Fischer reports. Today, five more clubs broke the bad news to their supporters, including the Bills, Bengals and all three California teams. That’s now 21 teams that will start in empty venues, though most hold out hope of bringing in limited numbers before the season concludes.
  
  
• The news wasn’t a surprise in Buffalo, San Francisco and L.A., where governments had already expressed skepticism about large gatherings. There had been some reason to believe the Bengals may get permission in Ohio. But the team indicated otherwise in their statement, saying “despite months of diligent effort with local government officials and health experts, based on the most recent state of Ohio orders,” Paul Brown Stadium cannot have fans at the Sept. 13 opener.
  
  
• Five teams have committed to fans: The Bucs (25% capacity); Chiefs (22%); Colts (25%); Dolphins (13,000); and the Jaguars (25%). Just six teams have not yet declared their plans, but that number includes the Cowboys -- who fully intend to have fans, but have not yet given specifics. 

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NFLPA INVESTIGATING NFL TESTING LAB

• The NFLPA is "conducting an investigation into the testing process" at the New Jersey lab that produced 77 false positive COVID-19 test results, according to USA Today. Eleven teams were impacted over the weekend from the incorrect test results. The lab in question, BioReference Laboratories, yesterday released a statement saying that its own investigation "revealed that the 'likely false positive results' were caused by an isolated contamination during the testing preparation.”
  
  

• The Ringer's Nora Princiotti today argued that the false positives are "in a weird way evidence that the system is working." Princiotti, appearing on "The Ringer NFL Show," said, "We’ve seen so far ... things go really, really well. I was not expecting that we were going to go weeks and weeks without having players test positive. ... Right now there aren’t tests that don’t have false positives sometimes. So we can’t move the goalposts. ... We just have to remember that the goal is to keep people healthy. The goal is to keep players who may test positive off the field. The goal isn’t to have all of your players available all the time. That has to be secondary."

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PROGRAMS FACE COVID CONCERNS HEAD ON

• As the college football season fast approaches, more universities are facing complications from COVID testing and player safety. 
  
  
  • Texas Tech today "reported 21 active cases of COVID-19 within its football program, but will continue to practice without those who have been placed in self isolation to prevent further spread of the virus," per ESPN. The school has "tested every member of the football program weekly since late July when the Red Raiders began walk-through practices as allowed by the NCAA." Texas Tech will soon "move to testing three times per week under the Big 12's requirements for high-risk sports."
    
    
  • Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley revealed the Sooners have had one position group "essentially wiped out -- all but one -- by a COVID test." Riley did tell reporters the team is "definitely under 10 active cases" after it got a group of eight or nine quarantined players back today. 
    
    
  • Ohio State's athletic department "expects to lose out" on $130.3 million in revenues following the postponement of the fall sports season by the Big Ten, according to the Columbus Dispatch's Joey Kaufman. OSU "attributed the sharp drop in income for the athletic department to losses of ticket sales, media rights fees and other conference-related revenues distributions stemming from a fall season."
    
    
  • Meanwhile, the CFP selection committee "affirmed its plans to hold a national championship game even with the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences sitting out the season." The committee said that it "would begin releasing its weekly rankings on Nov. 17 before announcing its final selections on Dec. 20." 
    
    
• For more insight into the football season, look for SBJ College from Michael Smith tonight.

NBA, UNION AGAIN PUSH BACK WINDOW TO TERMINATE CBA

• For the second time, the NBA and the NBPA "agreed to push back a 60-day window that preserves each side's rights to terminate the Collective Bargaining Agreement in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic," according to sources cited by ESPN.
  
  
• The NBA and NBPA agreed on an Oct. 15 deadline to "complete talks on modifications to the CBA for the 2020-2021 season, a date that guarantees an uninterrupted completion of the NBA playoffs and allows more time for the league and union to make better-informed decisions based upon on the virus' course and the league's revenue projections for next season." Sources said that the NBA and NBPA "extended the original negotiating deadline in May to Sept. 10."
  
  
• Meanwhile, the Washington Post goes with the header, "Michele Roberts Was Set To Retire. Then The Coronavirus Pulled The NBA Players’ Union Chief Back."

GOLF RETAIL SALES HIT NEW HEIGHTS

• Golf retail equipment sales in the U.S. hit an all-time monthly record in July with $388.6 million, according to market research firm Golf Datatech. July’s sales eclipsed the previous monthly record set in June of 2007 at $368 million followed by June of 2006 at $364 million, per SBJ's John Lombardo. The sales increase comes as golf rounds played in June jumped 14%, according to the National Golf Foundation. 
  
  
• “Golf is surging through the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is a perfect outdoor social distancing recreational activity, and the retail results confirm what a lot of retailers and PGA professionals have been feeling,” said Golf Datatech Partner John Krzynowek. “Hard goods have fared especially well, clear evidence that people are playing golf and spending on equipment.” 
  
  
• However, Golf Datatech reports that equipment sales remain down in year-over-year as the industry looks to make up for earlier 2020 declines since May, when sales were down 31.4% year-to-date. 

NETFLIX' PARALYMPIC DOC AIMS TO INCREASE AWARENESS

• Netflix tomorrow will release “Rising Phoenix,” a new documentary about the Paralympics. The film chronicles the history of the Paralympic Games and profiles contemporary athletes, including Tatyana McFadden (also a producer on the film), swimmer Ellie Cole, powerlifter Cui Zhe and archer Matt Stutzman.
  
  
• Stutzman shared some of his perspectives on the film with SBJ’s Chris Smith. “They’ve done an incredible job of putting it together to bring awareness to people with physical disabilities,” said Stutzman. “And I think it’s going to do an awesome job of changing the perspective of people with physical disabilities in regular life and in sports.” 
  
  
• The film was initially planned to launch alongside the start of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, but it now marks one year out from the postponed Games. A key struggle for Olympians and Paralympians alike is maintaining relevance between Games, and Stutzman believes the film can help bridge the gap. “There are a lot of things going on right now that are making it better,” said Stutzman. “It’s something that we’ve got to keep working on all the time. I think the film will bring awareness to that.”
  
  
• Stutzman said that buzz around the film has already opened a few channels of communication with potential sponsors, though at this point they’re all forward-looking: “We’ve heard from a couple people about sponsorship stuff, but until we actually see what happens next year, we won’t really know too much.” 

PADRES' PETCO PARK AWARDED SAFETY ACT DESIGNATION

• The Padres’ security protocols for Petco Park have been awarded a Safety Act Designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
  
  
• When DHS "designates" a security plan or a technology as a "Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology," its owner is granted limited liability for all claims that may arise following an act of terrorism. Petco Park becomes the second ballpark this summer to have been awarded some level of Safety Act protection -- the Rockies got the word last month -- and sixth overall, according to SBJ’s David Broughton.
  
  
• The award expires in August 2025. The application process was handled by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, whose Safety Act portfolio includes Citi Field and Little Caesars Arena, and Padres Senior VP/Ballpark Operations Mark Guglielmo.

SPEED READS

• Syracuse remains on a “path to compete this fall,” AD John Wildhack said today. The former ESPN exec, who took the reins at his alma mater in 2016 and was just extended to 2025, covered a lot of ground on a Zoom call this afternoon, announcing that the school administered 319 COVID tests with no infections last week. That tells him the protocols put in place by the Orange are doing the job and those stringent standards will continue into football season. See more on Wildhack's thinking in SBJ College.
  
  

• Former USA Swimming CMO Matt Farrell today announced the launch of marketing and communications agency Farrell Sports Worldwide. Farrell told SBJ’s Chris Smith that he’s long toyed with the idea, and he thinks it’s an ideal time to launch an agency as sports properties increasingly turn to outsourcing. Farrell, who’s leaving a two-year stint at Golf Channel, says the agency already has its first client on board, and he hopes to help teams, leagues and governing bodies focus on leveraging digital content. “The whole purpose of this agency is to convert digital audience to participation,” said Farrell.
  
  

• ESPN's "College GameDay" will still hit the road this season, albeit without fans surrounding the set. SI's Jimmy Traina writes, "Outside of pro wrestling, there has never been a sports show that has relied more on fans than College GameDay." Both are "built on energy, atmosphere, signs in the crowd, characters and somewhat unhinged fans." Traina: "Nothing is normal in 2020, especially sports. We will get a harsh reminder of that anytime we check out College GameDay this season."
  
  

• NBC Sports' Peter Hailey notes sports fans on Twitter late last night were "greeted with something other than random NBA highlights and ads that continue to hit too close to home: A new Twitter account tied to Dan Snyder." The Washington Football Team owner "looks to have just joined the social media platform, and you can find his verified handle right here." The account appears to be protected, meaning Snyder can "only be followed by approved users."
  
  
• CBS averaged 2.495 million viewers for PGA Tour coverage this season (14 events), marking the network’s best figure since 2014-2015 (2.675 million) and third-best over the last decade (also behind 2.745 million in 2012), per SBJ's Austin Karp. The increase comes amid the impact of COVID-19 and despite the fact that Tiger Woods only appeared briefly in CBS’ Saturday/Sunday windows for the season. 
  
  
• U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has "denied Epic Games’ request for a temporary restraining order related to Fortnite on the Apple App Store, but has granted relief when it comes to its game development platform, Unreal Engine," per Esports Observer's James Fudge. The decision came after a hearing held over Zoom yesterday afternoon where Rogers "grilled attorneys for Apple and Epic Games."

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:
  
  
  • Retired Players Sue NFL, Claim Bias In Concussion Benefits
  • Sources: 76ers Set For Front-Office Shakeups After Firing Brown
  • Goodell's Stance On Societal Issues In Spotlight As Season Approaches
  • Sources: Ex-Grizzlies Investor In Talks To Buy T'Wolves, WNBA Lynx

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  
  • NHL Executive Vice President & Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer on planning for the league’s bubble and broadcasting a product viewers have enjoyed. 
    
    
  • Former NFL player turned activist Benjamin Watson on what he is helping to implement in this time of social unrest.
    

--- AXS SPORTS FACILITIES & FRANCHISES & TICKETING SYMPOSIUM ---

September 22-23, 2020

Virtual Program

Announcing the 2020 AXS Sports Facilities & Franchises & Ticketing Symposium agenda.  To view the agenda or to learn more, visit www.SportsFacilitiesandFranchises.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.