SBJ Unpacks: Has NFL Reached Its Tipping Point?

Tonight in SBJ Unpacks: Has the NFL reached a crossroads in its effort to stage a season amid the pandemic?

Also:

• Jeanie Buss on her first NBA Finals as Lakers controlling owner
• IOC's Thomas Bach gives update on Tokyo Games
• Earthquakes keep fans engaged with drive-on watch parties
• Pandemic slows progress for emerging tennis outfit
• Why post-COVID attendance will note recover as quickly as post-9/11

HOW WILL NFL HANDLE TITANS' UNSANCTIONED WORKOUT?

• Titans players "conducted a workout at a local school while their team was sidelined by the NFL because of a COVID-19 outbreak, a breach of league pandemic mandates that raises the possibility of severe penalties for the team," per the Wall Street Journal.
  
  
• The workout, which took place Sept. 30 and was confirmed by the headmaster of the school in Nashville, "came as two additional Titans players tested positive for coronavirus -- bringing the organization’s total positive cases to 20 in the past nine days." A day before the workout, the Titans’ facility was "shuttered as positive tests continued to roll in, and the team was given explicit instructions to conduct no in-person activities." News of the Titans workout comes as two NFL games this weekend "are in jeopardy of postponement," including the Titans' game against the Bills.
  
  
• The Boston Globe's Ben Volin writes, "As COVID-19 cases mount, the time is rapidly approaching for Roger Goodell to pause the 2020 NFL season." Volin: "If no other Patriots or Titans test positive this week, and no other team is in danger of an outbreak, then the NFL can proceed with Week 5 as planned. But just one more positive from either team could send the NFL into a tailspin. ... The success of the 2020 season depends on the league’s ability to control outbreaks. And it is becoming clear that the NFL needs to get a better handle on COVID-19."

JEANIE BUSS ON FIRST NBA FINALS AS CONTROLLING OWNER

• The Lakers are one win away from their first title under Controlling Owner & CEO Jeanie Buss, who took over for her late father as the team entered a transition phase in the 2013-2014 season. Buss, appearing on Howard Beck’s “The Full 48” podcast, shed light on her first Finals in the new role. 
  
  
• Buss said that while there are “many great chapters of Laker history,” an NBA title this year would be “something that nobody can compare anything to,” citing both the Orlando bubble and social injustice issues across the country. Buss: “The human resiliency of our players and staff really is something I’m more proud of than the wins and losses.”
  
  
• Buss also said she had to make mental adjustments for the team’s playoff run. “I hate to remind everybody, but we hadn’t been in the playoffs in seven years. So I had to remind myself what it was like -- the ups and downs."
  
  
• Buss: "For me the biggest difference is this is the first Finals I can remember that Phil (Jackson) wasn’t the coach. Having him to talk to about his feeling about where we were headed, and how things were going or who he was disappointed in … I really don’t have that person. I did text him (Tuesday) morning and asked him if he saw (Game 3). I haven’t heard back yet.”

IOC STILL EXPECTS TO HOST INT'L SPECTATORS IN TOKYO

• IOC President Thomas Bach told media today that the organization presently expects the Tokyo Games to host international spectators, though he also acknowledged that it is too soon to say anything for sure, reports SBJ’s Chris Smith.
  
  
• “What we do not know is whether we can fill the stadia to full capacity or whether there are other measures that will have to be applied,” said Bach. He also noted that there has been “good progress” on the development of COVID-19 countermeasures for the Games. IOC Sports Director Christophe Dubi said that there is presently no hard deadline for determining what those official policies will be, but that there should be a firmer outlook by the end of the year. “It is really premature at this stage,” said Dubi. “No deadline, but (there will be) a clearer picture in December, and then we’ll move in spring and summer to establish the policies for the Games.”
  
  
• Meanwhile, candidates for next year’s IOC presidential election must be announced by the end of November. (Bach intends to seek reelection). The election will take place at the 138th IOC Session in Tokyo next summer, with the president-elect taking control the day after the closing ceremony. 

EARTHQUAKES KEEP FANS ENGAGED WITH DRIVE-IN WATCH PARTIES

• When the San Jose Earthquakes host the Vancouver Whitecaps FC tonight, there won’t be fans sitting in seats at Earthquakes Stadium, but there will still be dozens of parked cars in and around the venue with families cheering on the club, writes SBJ’s Mark J. Burns. The Earthquakes’ drive-in watch parties began during this summer’s MLS is Back Tournament, the team’s COO Jared Shawlee tells SBJ. 
• Shawlee said of the viewing experience: “It was a way for us to keep in touch with our fans and give them a sense of community around the Earthquakes. We weren’t sure initially how much demand there would be but once we saw how popular it was, we knew we had something special.”
  
  
• Up to 50 cars parked in a two-acre grass space dubbed the ‘7UP Epicenter’ to watch a two-sided video board while another 50 cars sat in an adjacent lot to watch a portable screen. The watch parties have continued with MLS clubs returning to local markets. During the club’s first match back at Earthquakes Stadium on Sept. 5, Shawlee said that for the first 20 minutes “it sounded like vuvuzelas in South Africa for the World Cup” with all of the fans honking their horns. The club has since asked fans to keep the honking to major moments in the match and during stoppages.
  
  
• The now free passes typically sell out in minutes to season-ticket holders, who are provided early-access to the digital tickets. They also receive a giveaway upon arrival. Cars are socially-distanced, limited merchandise is available for sale outside, and fans must either keep their windows rolled up while watching the match or if they roll them down, continue to wear a mask. If positioned correctly, some cars within the venue can see both the video board and some of the action. Shawlee: “Those are the high-demand spots.” He added, “It just feels like people really do crave a sense of being back in a stadium and back watching the team again.”

Up to 50 cars can park in a two-acre grass space dubbed the ‘7UP Epicenter’ to watch the Earthquakes' video board

USGA TAKES SENIOR WOMEN'S AMATEUR TO ALASKA

• Alaska isn’t exactly a hotbed for golf, but the USGA will hold its first championship in the state with the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Anchorage Golf Course, reports SBJ's John Lombardo. When the contenders tee off on July 30, all 50 states will have hosted a USGA championship. 
  
  
• “It’s a monumental occasion for us to bring a championship to Alaska, something that has been a long time coming,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA who is leaving his job next June.  “It is important we bring our events to all corners of the United States to expose golfers and golf fans to the inspiration and competitiveness of our championships.”
  
  
• The public Anchorage Golf Course offers views of Denali and overlooks the city of Anchorage, where the average high temperature in July and August is around 62 degrees. This year’s U.S Senior Women’s Amateur has been canceled due to the pandemic. Next year, the event is set to be played Sept. 10-15 at The Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Ala.

PANDEMIC SLOWS PROGRESS FOR EMERGING TENNIS COMPANY

• The pandemic upended a potentially big year for Foxtenn, a Spanish company that offers electronic line-calling to more than 30 ATP, WTA and ITF tennis tournaments. The company is already approved for use on grass and hard court surfaces and was hoping in 2020 to add clay courts to that list. “It was a very important year for us. .... We had very important historical milestones, including clay,” Foxtenn CEO Javier Simon told SBJ’s Bret McCormick. 
  
  
• For Foxtenn to be used officially in pro tennis, it needs to be approved by a technical group made up of representatives from the ITF, ATP, WTA and the four Grand Slams. Foxtenn was employed successfully at a ATP 500-level event in mid-February, as well as an ITF Fed Cup match in The Netherlands. “The players were pushing for it,” Simon said of the ATP feedback. “It served to avoid any kind of discussion during the tournament,” a good sign that controversy was avoided. But a third trial opportunity, at the WTA’s Volvo Car Open in Charleston, S.C., in April, was canceled, as was the Mutua Madrid Open. 
  
  
• Spokespeople from the ATP and WTA tours said that Foxtenn’s clay court trial will resume in 2021. The WTA’s Amy Binder said that player feedback is key to helping the women’s tour assess next steps. 

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: UNCERTAINTY AROUND FUTURE SPORTS ATTENDANCE

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from 4Topps Premium Seating Principal & President Deron Nardo, who writes under the header, "Post-COVID Sports Attendance Will Not Recover As Quickly As Post-9/11."
  
  
• Nardo: "Instead of sharing the communal joy of a sporting event as a means of healing as we did back then, this time we’ll be looking around at nearby fans wondering who might have COVID, who took a vaccine, who has been exercising caution in life … and why isn’t that guy wearing his mask? That paranoia isn’t going to suddenly vanish with a vaccine. In fact, that mistrust has become debilitating for many.  The closer we sit, stand, eat, drink and cheer next to complete strangers, the less convincing the argument is that going to a game is safe."
  
  
• To read the full contribution, click here. Also, be sure to revisit SBJ's Company Watch profile of 4Topps from 2018.

SPEED READS

• The first three games of the Lakers-Heat NBA Finals on ABC have consecutively marked the least-watched Finals games since ESPN acquired rights to the league prior to the 2002-03 season, and likely the lowest since viewership records started being kept regularly in the early '90s, per SBJ's Austin Karp. The Finals, usually played in June, have had to go up against the most atypical TV landscape in modern times, including a COVID-shifted schedule creating more competition, shifting media viewership habits and a surge in viewership around political news during a presidential election year.

• The Dolphins intend to "continue hosting fans in a limited capacity at Hard Rock Stadium for home games despite having clearance under Florida’s Phase 3 reopening to host patrons at full capacity," which is 65,000. Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel: “With positivity rates where they are, we feel that we can keep people safe in a socially distanced environment, which is our 13,000 capacity.”

• This weekend will see two of the biggest publishers in esports display radically different approaches to broadcasting a COVID-safe world championship, per The Esports Observer's Trent Murray. Where Riot Games has opted for a socially-distanced stage and is leaning heavily on LCD screens in Shanghai and its Berlin broadcast studio, Activision Blizzard has chosen an entirely virtual presentation, keeping participants fully isolated. Both approaches share common goals of elevating the broadcast experience, and being able to achieve brand partner deliverables amid the pandemic.
  
  
• NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is "focused on a January 1 start for next season." Appearing from the NHL Network studios in New Jersey ahead of the NHL Draft, Bettman said the decision came after discussions with the NHLPA. Bettman said the decision was made based on "what we have learned and what we know, and what we even still don't know" regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  
• Beginning this month, NBC will move its figure skating coverage from the NBC Sports Gold subscription service to Peacock Premium, per SBJ's Chris Smith. Coverage will include both live broadcasts and on-demand replays, complementing figure skating coverage across NBC’s television networks. Live figure skating programming on Peacock will begin later this month with the Skate America event in Las Vegas.
  
  

• Check out the most recent editions of our SBJ Unpacks podcasts:
  
  
  • Cogent Marketing founder & CEO Mark Zablow on how the marketing agency industry is adjusting during the pandemic.
    
    
  • Upper Deck President Jason Masherah on the company’s exclusive deal with expected No. 1 overall NHL Draft pick Alexis Lafreniere.
    
    
  • Sports betting consultant Sara Slane on Caesars Entertainment’s $3.73 billion acquisition of William Hill and other developing stories around the gaming industry. 

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.