Unpacks

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.

If everything goes to plan, there will be a ton of team sports action on TV by the end of July. But for the next few weeks, the sports world will still be more quiet than usual.

MLB was hoping to make a rousing return on July 4th weekend before it got mired in labor issues that will now see it start toward the end of month, around the same time the NBA and NHL are also slated to resume. The NWSL is already back and MLS starts next week, but other properties that will start in late July include the WNBA and Premier Lacrosse League.

While coronavirus safety and injury prevention concerns are of the utmost importance, the potential feast of late-July sports programming could make MLB or one of these other properties rue not starting their season a little earlier in a bid to grab a sports-starved nation’s attention.

-- Adam Stern

SOURCES: NFL CANCELS TWO WEEKS OF PRESEASON GAMES

• The NFL is canceling two weeks of its four-game preseason schedule, sources close to the decision told SBJ's Ben Fischer, as the league tries to make time for pandemic-altered training camps while keeping its regular season on schedule.
  
  
• Details are still sparse, but two senior executives said the league intends to cancel Weeks 1 and 4 while also reformatting Weeks 2 and 3 of the preseason so that every team plays one home game and one road game. Without that change, some teams would have lost both home preseason games.
  
  
• The NFL has said training camps will begin on time -- July 28 for most of the league's 32 teams -- and also still hopes to start the regular season on Thursday, Sept. 10. However, insiders expect the NFL and NFLPA to soon agree to terms on training camps that would call for a slower ramp up into full practices to account for an offseason that was completely virtual because of COVID-19.
  
  
• For more on the NFL's plans, click here.

MASKS, WAIVERS LIKELY REQUIRED FOR NFL FANS

• If NFL teams allow fans into their stadiums this year, they will likely be required to wear masks and sign liability waivers, sources tell SBJ’s Ben Fischer. Those guidelines are expected to be included in a league document detailing recommended procedures for reopening venues, due by early next week.
  
  
• One team executive said fans will likely be asked to “opt in” by agreeing to a waiver at the beginning of any lottery process that determines how many limited tickets available will be distributed. Most teams expect legal capacity to be far lower than total tickets sold as local governments seek to stop the spread of COVID-19.
  
  
• While the NFL document won’t be considered a mandate, officials today said they expect masks to be required for entrance to any stadium this year and employees will be expected to enforce that standard. Other aspects of the protocols, a source confirmed, will be cashless transactions and prepackaged food only at concession stands. The proposed guidelines were first reported by The Athletic.

NBA PROTOCOLS EMPHASIZE LEAGUE'S TIGHT CONTROL OVER BUBBLE

• NBA teams playing in the Disney bubble today submitted their 37-member traveling party list to the league with tight controls on who will be included. Per the NBA’s health and safety protocols, teams will have up to 17 players along with trainers, coaches, security personnel etc. as part of the basketball operations 35-member party, writes SBJ's John Lombardo.
  
  
• The traveling party must also include a senior basketball ops executive such as a basketball operations president, a GM or an assistant GM. Teams are also allowed to include one social media content staff member and one basketball communications staff member for a total of 37 people.
  
  
• According to the health and safety guidelines, owners and senior front office executives such as team presidents will be part of the “Tier 4” personnel that will not reside on the Disney campus. Regular testing for Tier 4 personnel will not be required, but temperature checks and symptom screening will be required to watch games in a socially distanced section at least 25 feet from the court. Face masks must also be worn at all times on the campus and Tier 4 visitors must use secured entrances and exits at the complex and are prohibited from having any direct or close contact with other Tiers when watching games for practices.
  
  
• Magic Chief Communications Officer Joel Glass, who will be the team’s PR rep in the bubble, said that despite living in Orlando, he and all other members of the Magic’s traveling party will be sequestered at Disney for the remainder of the team’s season. “My house is 30 minutes from Disney but it might as well be across the country,” Glass said. “I will leave my house on July 7 and stay to whenever our season ends. It is the only way it can be done.”
   

NWSL COMMISSIONER ON GUIDING THE LEAGUE BACK TO ACTION

• The NWSL has the distinction of being the first of the U.S. team sports to return during the pandemic. For all that the individual touring sports such as NASCAR, the PGA Tour and UFC had to navigate, they don’t have entire teams training and competing on a field in close quarters.
  
  
• NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird spoke with SBJ’s Bill King about that dynamic, the league’s handling of a spate of positive tests from one club in Orlando, and a range of other issues on the latest episode of the SBJ Unpacks podcast. 
  
  
• “We are a team sport (and) we’re a contact sport, so obviously the medical protocols for that had to be at a really extraordinary level for us to be able to mitigate all the risk,” Baird said. “That was the single driver of the timeline -- making sure that we really had that at the level that we needed it to be to create a village, a protected environment, and the actual tournament format.”

The Thorns and Red Stars competing earlier today at the NWSL Challenge Cup in Utah

PADRES' RON FOWLER CASTS BLEAK FINANCIAL OUTLOOK

• Padres Executive Chair Ron Fowler indicated that a nine-figure loan is "just the starting point for mitigating against revenue lost by not having fans, plus diminished sponsorship and media rights agreements, for a truncated 2020 season and what he anticipates will be a financially-challenging 2021," per the San Diego Union-Tribune. 
  
  
• Fowler: "People don’t want to believe we’re going to lose, cash on cash, well over $100 million. I can assure you we are. ... We’ve already borrowed $100 million. We are looking to increase our loan availability, and we are looking to make a significant capital contribution -- more money into the team."
  
  
• Fowler also "doesn’t see it as likely fans will see any of that baseball in person at Petco Park" this season. But he added that "if things change and we can do it with social distancing and all that, we’ll do everything in our power to make it work."
  
  
  

NEW TENNIS PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY AMID PANDEMIC

• Universal Tennis Rating unveiled its National Championship Series earlier this week, which will enable top junior, high school and college players to compete after the pandemic canceled their spring seasons. FILA was announced as the competition’s official apparel and footwear provider. “That core customer that UTR has, that 12-to 18-year old, it’s important for us to get our brand in front of that demographic,” said FILA director of marketing and strategic partnerships Lauren Mallon.
  
  
• FILA and UTR first held conversations about potential partnerships in the summer of 2019. So, the two sides were in position to move quickly when UTR began looking for a partner to provide prizes for the NCS, which was only created within the last month. “We were waiting for the right time and opportunity,” UTR president Anne Worcester told SBJ’s Bret McCormick. 
  
  
• Worcester called on previous relationships with FILA from when she was director of the WTA Connecticut Open. Although the FILA deal is so far specific to the NCS, both sides hope to partner again in the future. “We’re looking at this as a good springboard for our relationship,” said Mallon. 

WORKING FROM HOME WITH POPULOUS ASSOCIATE MEGAN RAND

• Populous Associate Megan Rand’s at-home office is pretty simple -- just a laptop at the dining room table. “And my desk chair that I brought home from the office after seven days of trying to convince myself it wasn’t necessary,” she said. Staying busy has been no issue. “With two projects currently under construction, I spend a lot of my day on Zoom and on the phone, which have made my air pods even more of a permanent fixture in my ears than they were prior,” she said.
  
  

• The Populous HQ in Kansas City is currently in the first phase of return-to-office, with those who have expressed a need to go in being assigned a two-day shift. “I have enjoyed going in one day a week to break up my schedule, even though the office doesn’t have its typical hustle and bustle feeling right now,” said Rand, a member of SBJ’s inaugural New Voices Under 30 class.
  
  
• “I was in a routine of being on the go constantly for project travel, recruiting efforts and personal travel, so this has been an adjustment for me,” Rand said. “I’ve felt very restless at times, but I think my cat is enjoying the company.” She has been impressed with Populous’ construction partners ability to deliver project updates, making use of programmed drone routes, panoramic images and ongoing field reports. “Previously, I would have felt uneasy about not being able to be on-site frequently,” she said. “Maybe in the future this new comfortability and familiarity with technology will help us reduce our frequency of travel.”
  
  
• Binge-watching Netflix series has been a quarantine favorite for many, but not Rand. “I have turned to reading to keep me entertained and get a break from screens,” she said. “I nearly exclusively read non-fiction and some of my favorite quarantine reads so far have been ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight, ‘Just Mercy’ by Bryan Stevenson, and ‘Kitchen Confidential’ by Anthony Bourdain. I have also been able to catch up on some back issues of The Golfer’s Journal -- one of the best curated publications I read.”
  
  

• Want to share what your work-from-home setup is like? Reach out to SBJ's David Rumsey.

Rand has kept multiple Populous projects on track while working from her dining room table

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: TRAVEL LIMITATIONS

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from Sports Destination Network President Dirk Smith, who writes under the header, "Hotel Sector Is Relearning Supply-And-Demand Economics."
   
• "As a meeting planning company specializing in sports businesses, my 'old normal' role was hotel site selection, contract discussions, and logistical insight. That morphed into a cavalcade of group meeting postponements and cancellations. Now, as we (hopefully) emerge into some semblance of group meetings, the additional contribution for my clients is all of the above, plus a '30,000-foot' perspective of the travel industry."
  
  
• To read Smith's 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

• For the first half of 2020, the pandemic has put a large dent in the total prize money distributed among the top 10 esports titles, Trent Murray notes in the SBJ Esports newsletter. Data from Esports Earnings shows that those 10 titles, which includes top games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2, awarded $29.94 million in prize money. That's down over 40% from just over $50 million during the same time frame last year. The reason for the sharp drop is simple: Most esports distribute the majority of prize money at in-person, international championship events, and those have not taken place since March. 
  
  
• Six FC Dallas players have "tested positive for COVID-19," per the Dallas Morning News. FC Dallas traveled to Orlando to prepare for the MLS is Back tournament, which begins July 8. The club confirmed that "no members of its traveling party had tested positive for the virus prior to the club’s departure for Orlando on Saturday morning." But upon their arrival in Orlando, two players "tested positive." FC Dallas said that the two affected players were "immediately isolated from their teammates, the entire FC Dallas delegation, other MLS clubs and staff." All FC Dallas players and staff are "now being isolated while in Orlando."
  
  
• In SBJ Media tonight, John Ourand takes a look at the hazards of running a traditional TV business during a pandemic, especially when there are no sports to fill the schedule.
  
  
• The Devils this afternoon unveiled new “Black Lives Matter” logos behind the nets at the Barnabas Health Hockey House, the team’s practice facility, writes SBJ’s Mark J. Burns. The logos will be in place for the foreseeable future and precede parent company Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment’s plans to announce a new diversity and inclusion initiative in the coming weeks. 
  
  
• The American Athletic Conference officially moved into its new HQ in Irving, Texas, today after seven years in Providence, R..I. The AAC said conference staff members will begin working in the new space this month while adhering to state and local health guidelines.
  
  
• KT Tape is sponsoring a new virtual head-to-head 5k race between Olympian Jared Ward and Olympic qualifier Jake Riley, reports SBJ’s Chris Smith. The race will be broadcast live on professional running group Team Boulder’s Instagram on July 4, with Ward running in Provo, Utah, and Riley in Boulder, Colo. The two runners’ coaches will provide live commentary. The winner will donate the prize money to local charities supporting frontline healthcare workers; the charities will be announced Friday. 
  
  
• A new Olympic surfing documentary from Newsy, “Breaking Waves,” was released today. The film, made in partnership with Marie Claire, documents last year’s three-way Olympic qualifying race between Carissa Moore, Lakey Peterson and Caroline Marks; Moore and Marks are currently slated to represent Team USA in surfing’s Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games. The 21-minute doc will be distributed on Newsy’s digital channels in addition to airing four times on its cable network this weekend. 
  
  
• SBJ is happy to report that sports facilities vet Bill Squires continues to make big strides in his recovery from a grueling battle with COVID that kept him on a ventilator for nearly five weeks. Squires texted SBJ’s David Bourne today to say, “I just finished walking four miles, unassisted, without any stops.” Want to read about Squires’ journey? Click here.

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:
  
  
  • Canceled Season Paints Grim Financial Picture For MiLB's Future
  • NBA Paying More Than $150M For Disney World Bubble
  • TNT's Marv Albert Won't Be On Site For NBA's Orlando Return

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • 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.
  • SponsorUnited Founder & President Bob Lynch talks about how the sports sponsorship industry is navigating the treacherous waters the pandemic has caused.

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.

More than 400 attendees heard leaders from throughout the sports industry today during SBJ's "The Road Ahead" virtual event series. A few comments stood out to me:

• LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said, “I won’t mortgage the future to make 2020 look better.” That’s an incredibly challenging mindset -- in any aspect of life -- to maintain during a year where the situation has changed so fast, so often, and looking ahead often seems like a pointless effort.
  
  
• Legends' Bill Rhoda expects fans to see cleaning personnel much more prominently at venues than in the past -- before, during and after events. Rhoda thinks the pandemic will have the same effect on cleanliness and the hygiene of public areas that the 9-11 terrorism attacks had on security. 
  
  
• And the USTA's Deanne Pownall talked about trying to recreate some of the U.S. Open experience in fans’ homes, including the tournament’s famous Honey Deuce cocktail. A Honey Deuce sounds pretty good right about now.
  
  

-- Bret McCormick

INDUSTRY LEADERS ON THE TIMES AHEAD

• At today's "The Road Ahead" virtual event series, leaders across sports business identified the story or issue they’ll be eyeing most closely in the weeks and months ahead.
  
  
  • Dolphins President & CEO Tom Garfinkel: “I don’t know that it’s a specific sports business story. I think I’m consumed with kind of where we are as a society. This is an important time in history. The polarization of our society, the marginalization of facts and truth, the ubiquity of yellow journalism. The need for leadership, like we talked about, that’s rational and courageous.”
    
    
  • Blues President & CEO of Business Operations Chris Zimmerman: “Quite honestly I’d say it has to do with what’s going on in Washington (DC) and what they’re going to do next in terms of the HEROES Act or any other major stimulus programs.”
    
    
  • Hawks CEO Steve Koonin: "I am amazed at the power of the sports gambler. The stock market had one of the great economic rebounds from March until recently. There’s a lot of belief that it was sports gamblers looking for action. … If sports gaming becomes legal around the country ... it’s going to be a major economic factor that changes a lot of behavior in sports. I think we’re just on the beginning of that story and I think it’s going to be a massive one.”

PANDEMIC ACCELERATING CHANGE ACROSS TV PRODUCTION

• Sports TV production has been forced to evolve amid the pandemic, with leagues and networks adapting on the fly to increase access and innovation for viewers. Both NASCAR races and PGA Tour events have used drone footage to showcase unique camera angles, while ESPN has been pumping in fake crowd noise for the network's coverage of baseball in South Korea to make up for no fans in attendance. 
  
  
• ESPN Senior VP/Production & Remote Events Mark Gross today as part of "The Road Ahead" virtual event series said he initially thought fake crowd noise would not “sound authentic” and would come off “just a little bit cheesy.” Gross: “We were pleasantly surprised from day one that it actually sounds good. It's at the right level -- it's not overwhelming.” 
  
  
• Golf Channel Exec VP/Content & Exec Producer Molly Solomon opted against crowd noise for PGA Tour coverage, but did convince Rickie Fowler to be mic’d up in Ft. Worth earlier this month. Solomon said mic’d players had long been a goal, and the current situation across the sports landscape “opened up doors” to try something new. Solomon: “There are going to be so many innovations that come out of this. … When we get all our toys back that it is going to prove really, really fruitful.” 
  
  
• What do these recent developments mean for viewers moving forward? SBJ’s John Ourand notes the key for TV networks is “all about getting more access.” Networks expect these crowd-less games to let leagues and athletes become more comfortable with providing that peak behind the curtain. Ourand: “Once networks get that access, it's unlikely to go away.”

Fowler wore a microphone for the PGA Tour's return in Ft. Worth earlier this month

LOSS OF MiLB SEASON HITS HOME FOR BOTH STAKEHOLDERS & FANS

• While Minor League Baseball's announcement this afternoon that the season is canceled was a foregone conclusion, the news was no less devastating for executives, players and various stakeholders in the 160-team MiLB world, writes SBJ's Eric Prisbell.
  
  
• More than 41.5 million fans in 2019 attended minor league games, which are a timeless, indelible part of American culture. MiLB Senior Director of Communications Jeff Lantz told SBJ in early April that the traditional season would not be played if fans could not attend games because teams need ticket and concession revenue just to offset gameday operational costs. Almost three months later, there is still no clarity on when fans will return to sporting venues. 
  
  
• MLB informed MiLB that it will not be providing its affiliated teams with players this season. Instead, MLB will use "taxi squads" for players to help bolster depth on major league rosters. The cancellation of this season is especially painful for fans because it comes at the same time MiLB is expected to contract some 40 teams once it and MLB reach an agreement over a new Professional Baseball Agreement. It remains to be seen just how deeply other MiLB teams, many of which have been hit hard by furloughs and layoffs, will be affected by the loss of a 2020 season.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS PARAMOUNT AS MLB PLAYERS REPORT

• Here is what MLB players can expect as they report tomorrow to their respective Summer Camp sites, according to SBJ's Eric Prisbell.
  
  
  • They will all undergo a multifaceted intake screening, with staggered appointment times to prevent groups from congregating during the process. The screening consists of at least three components:
    
    
    • A temperature check with a contactless thermometer administered by a representative of the team's medical staff.
    • A saliva-based or nasal swab diagnostic COVID test.
    • And a venous blood collection or dried blood spot sample for antibody testing. 
      
      
  • Players then will be required to self-quarantine at their residence until results are reported some 24-48 hours later. If results are negative, the player may then report to Summer Camp and enter the team's facilities. If the results are positive, he will continue to self-isolate and will be treated consistent with other protocols for positive test results. 
    
    

• As far as expectations go, Yankees Senior VP & GM Brian Cashman said in a conference call today that he doesn't expect all players to be ready to start camp Friday because of the staggered intake screening appointment times and because of potential logistical challenges related to travel. 

MORE NFL TEAMS OFFERING FANS AN OUT FOR 2020

• At least one quarter of the NFL is now allowing season-ticket holders to skip 2020 with no negative implications for their long-term relationship with the club, reports SBJ’s Ben Fischer. The Bills, Dolphins, Texans and Rams can be added to the list that previously included the Patriots, Giants, Jets and Bears. 
  
  
• Dolphins President & CEO Tom Garfinkel told "The Road Ahead" virtual event series that any Dolphins fan who considers themselves at an elevated risk for COVID-19 will be allowed to roll their accounts over to 2021 and miss 2020. The Dolphins are particularly concerned about fans over 65, a group for whom the disease is more deadly, a spokesperson said. The Bills, Texans and Rams also issued similar offers to any season-ticket holder, without tying it to risk status.
  
  
• With virtually every aspect of NFL ticketing still up the air, the Bills took the additional step of saying they “will not be charging or taking any additional season ticket payments” until guidelines are established. The list of teams offering a year off is likely to grow, and it may not include teams that did not reply to SBJ inquiries or publish their letter to ticket holders.
  
  
• Allowing ticket holders to skip 2020 may ease the challenge teams face of deciding which fans can attend if attendance is capped by law, but it creates another one: Demands for refunds. The Texans are offering a 10% credit on food, beverages and merchandise as an incentive to roll over their accounts rather than seek a refund.

SOUNDERS’ HEALTHCARE PARTNERS ENGAGING AMID PANDEMIC

• Teams and leagues have been trying to figure out ways to stay engaged with their fan bases during the pandemic, and the Sounders have been able to do so by “acknowledging and joining the conversation on the public health side,” according to Manager of Corporate Partnership Sales Enoch Andoh. As part of SBJ’s “The Road Ahead” series, Andoh today said teams have to accept that their “goals and initiatives and objectives kind of shifted through all of this.”
  
  

• Andoh: “A lot of assets we can't deliver on because they're match-date related. And so a lot of interesting conversations. But we’re trying to get creative with our partners and really just being able to help them with their messaging, as that's even shifted multiple times in the last three months.” Andoh noted the MLS is Back tournament is seeing a “shift to virtual kind of signage … which is great in some respects, but not every partnership is focused on ticketing or signage and impressions.” 
  
  

• Also on today’s panel was Tom Kruse, chief strategy, integration & innovation officer at CHI Franciscan, whose healthcare firm is the Sounders’ training jersey partner. He said the team’s strong fan base has been a benefit during the pandemic. Kruse: “(If) you can get people to believe that this organization believes in us, believes in our providers, appreciates our providers -- that goes so much further than the LED sign we're missing out on.”
  
  
• Marketing agency Bendigo Founder & Principal Jeff Sofka noted the Sounders early during the pandemic created a project allowing fans to “put up their community heroes and present them in a way that saluted them online.” Sofka: “It was great. We moved it fast, it's been an important part of the whole digital landscape and social media that the Sounders have done around CHI Franciscan.” Sofka noted the company is “pretty close to finalizing some really amazing amplifications of that” around MLS’ return. 

APPAREL, FOOTWEAR SALES REFLECT NEW REALITY

• During a Sports & Fitness Industry Association webinar today, NPD industry analyst Matt Powell painted a bleak picture for most sports apparel and footwear sales during the pandemic, but noted some industry resilience, with sales spikes in home exercise equipment. Ecommerce, of course, is rocketing, writes SBJ's Terry Lefton.
  
  

• “Going into the pandemic, we said ecommerce’s potion of athletic footwear sales would grow from 30 percent to 50 percent in five to 10 years,’’ Powell said. “That time frame has been cut in half.’’ Government-enforced shutdown of most sporting sporting-goods retailers exacerbated what was already an over-retailed category. Powell said that 9,000 retail doors closed in 2019 and that 20,000-25,000 doors would close this year.
   
• Athletic footwear illustrated the overall industry difficulties, since it was up 3% for the first two months of the year, before crashing 32% for March-May. Early indicators for June sales were up double-digits, however, with the running category trending well. “Coming out of the pandemic, people are going to more focused on healthy lifestyle, so running should be strong,’’ Powell said. 
  
  
• By brand, Nike footwear sales declined 20% for the first five months. Nike’s Jordan Brand was down only 6%, buoyed by “The Last Dance” documentary. Adidas, Skechers and New Balance footwear sales also dipped around 20%. 
  
  
• Sports apparel/activewear had its own roller-coaster ride, up 1% during the first two months of 2020, but down 18% for the year through April. Not surprisingly, sweatpants were one of few bright spots, since it’s “the work-from home uniform,’’ according to Powell. On the equipment side, health and fitness equipment sales climbed a remarkable 63% for the first four months of 2020.
  
  
• As for holiday sales being a possible panacea? “I'm not real optimistic,’’ Powell said. “We’ve got millions of people out of work and I think we’re going to be in a very challenged position for a while. There isn’t a quick snap-back for the business.’’

ICYMI: OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS -- DRAWING UP A GAME PLAN

• Tonight's op-ed is from sports media consultants Ed Desser and John Kosner, who write under the header, "Thoughtful, Creative Planning Will Put New Normal Into Focus."

• "Re-think. Have you put your most pressing problems into priority order? With revenue prospects down, how best to trim expenses? What do your media and sponsorship agreements state in terms of force majeure, and compensation adjustment procedures? How best to maintain these vital relationships? We are just beginning to understand the ramifications of COVID from a media rights perspective. Anticipate some form of renegotiation."

• To read Desser and Kosner's 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

• As he approaches the end of a 24-year run as ACC commissioner, John Swofford said he’s encouraged by the way conferences and institutions are working together to solve the riddles caused by COVID-19. Swofford: “There’s a more cooperative spirit in college athletics than I’ve seen, especially conference to conference. The sharing of information, the sharing of best practices, it’s going to be critical to whatever the outcome is on playing or not playing.” See more from Swofford in tonight's SBJ College from Michael Smith, as well as a look at why Learfield IMG College and Under Armour aren’t immune to the country’s economic upheaval.
  
  
• NFLPA President JC Tretter today in an open letter to players "warned that the fight for safety amid COVID-19 has only just begun and that football won’t happen until the membership feels safe." Tretter: "Professional athletes in every sport have to regularly fend off criticism that our profession should be considered less of a job and that we shouldn’t fight for protections and benefits. As we begin our fight for necessary COVID-19 protections, these recycled misconceptions will be used to undermine the strength of our union and the legitimacy of your career.‘' The full letter can be read here.
  
  
• Home workout solutions remain in high demand amid the pandemic, as today Lululemon agreed to acquire startup Mirror for $500 million. Per Techcrunch's Anthony Ha, even when gyms "begin to reopen in different locales, many will likely be wary of returning to a potentially high-risk enclosed space." Lululemon also became an investor in Mirror late last year.
  
  

• Two members of the Nuggets’ traveling party "tested positive for the coronavirus over the weekend, prompting the team to close its facilities," according to the Denver Post. A source said that since the weekend, "another member of the traveling party has tested positive." That brings the Nuggets' total to "at least six confirmed cases since the season’s suspension." A source said that the facility is "expected to be closed through at least Thursday, with the possibility of re-opening the gym Friday."
  
  
• The Wall Street Journal's Laine Higgins writes when the pandemic shut down American sports in March, college football "had the benefit of time." But now with the season two months away, the virus is "surging strongly, especially in places, like the South, where college football is king." University administrators are "coming to grips with an unhappy reality: the biggest stadiums in the U.S. are going to look pretty lonely on Saturday afternoons." 

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:
  
  
  • Some MLBers Opting Out Of Season Restart Due To Virus Concerns
  • Positive Tests Crop Up In NHL; More Clarity Unlikely Until Camps Open
  • NBA Not Allowing Mandatory OTAs For Teams Not In Orlando
  • ATP, WTA Hoping To Create Bubble For Players Ahead Of Return

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Oura CEO Harpreet Rai on his company’s advanced technology ring and how the NBA plans to utilize it in the Orlando bubble.
  • SponsorUnited Founder & President Bob Lynch talks about how the sports sponsorship industry is navigating the treacherous waters the pandemic has caused.
  • Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth on the NBA’s return plan, the league’s role in promoting social justice and much more.

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.

The pandemic has transformed the cyclical and largely predictable sports business into something unfamiliar. Asked what value a sports venue without fans has, the sponsorship chief at a company with several entitlements said "our argument starts that it's worth zero -- not everyone agrees."

With COVID-19 reaching new highs in some of the most populous states, 14 are rethinking reopening plans. There’s additional skepticism around the return of sports, especially for those planning to play outside of a bubble.

Those unfamiliar things in what was a recognizable sports landscape have become the most nettlesome; hopefully, a path to health -- businesswise and otherwise -- can emerge soon.

-- Terry Lefton

NASCAR SEEKING QUARANTINE WAIVER FOR WATKINS GLEN

• Watkins Glen Int'l and NASCAR are in discussions with Andrew Cuomo's administration to try to get a waiver for the motorsports industry regarding New York state's quarantine rule that currently includes North Carolina, sources tell SBJ's Adam Stern. Cuomo last week implemented a rule mandating that residents of certain states with spiking cases must quarantine for two weeks if they travel to New York. North Carolina, where the majority of the NASCAR industry is based, is one of those states -- and NASCAR’s annual race weekend at WGI is slated for August, presenting an obvious issue.

• Without a waiver, the idea of having teams quarantine seems highly unlikely for multiple reasons, so a cancellation could not be ruled out. It was not yet clear how receptive Cuomo was to the request. There is a precedent, as Cuomo granted a waiver to players from the Mets and Yankees as they returned from Florida to get MLB's pre-season training back underway before the 2020 season starts later this month.

• However, the NASCAR industry entails more than 500 people on a normal race weekend, and the sport has not been doing uniform coronavirus testing for all competitors and at-track participants, which could give Cuomo pause. Given how New York has suddenly become a state with a low amount of coronavirus cases, NASCAR was believed to also be interested in talking to Cuomo about possibly having fans at the WGI race weekend. Whether that has been impacted by the new quarantine rule is unclear.

NFL CARDINALS ACKNOWLEDGE LOW CHANCE OF CAPACITY CROWDS

• The Cardinals have told season ticket holders there’s a “very low” chance of playing to capacity crowds at State Farm Stadium this season, SBJ’s Ben Fischer reports. The Cardinals and other NFL teams are trying to manage expectations amid a difficult ticketing scenario, as it appears that sold tickets will far eclipse legal capacities set by local public health officials fighting COVID-19. However it's hard to say how many seats will be available or where.

• “Based on the latest available information, the likelihood that we will be able to play all of our games in front of a full-capacity crowd is very low,” the Cardinals said in a letter to season ticket holders. “As such, we are developing contingency plans for the different scenarios and potential stadium seating configurations. When the overall situation comes into clearer focus and the details of the 2020 plan are solidified we will reach out with an update.”

• Separately, the Bears and Jets today became the fourth and fifth teams, respectively, known to offer fans the option of cancelling their 2020 tickets with no loss of status for 2021, following the Patriots, Giants and Rams. In the letter sent today, the Bears also said they’d let season ticket holders know more about capacities and seating configurations as soon as they can, and said “Adaptability and flexibility will be key” for both the team and fans to make the most of a complicated situation.

NHL ANNOUNCES 26 POSITIVE COVID TESTS AMONG PLAYERS

• The NHL announced that a total of 26 players have "reported testing positive for the new coronavirus since voluntary workouts began June 8." Today's update "includes four additional cases among those tested at team facilities, to go along with the 11 announced June 19." The league said that it is "aware of 11 other players testing positive outside the voluntary workout protocol."

• More than 250 players who worked out at team facilities were "administered more than 1,450 COVID-19 tests." Training camps can "open as early as July 10 if an agreement on testing, health and safety protocols and 'hub' cities" can be reached. 

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: DRAWING UP A GAME PLAN

• Tonight's op-ed is from sports media consultants Ed Desser and John Kosner, who write under the header, "Thoughtful, Creative Planning Will Put New Normal Into Focus."

• "Re-think. Have you put your most pressing problems into priority order? With revenue prospects down, how best to trim expenses? What do your media and sponsorship agreements state in terms of force majeure, and compensation adjustment procedures? How best to maintain these vital relationships? We are just beginning to understand the ramifications of COVID from a media rights perspective. Anticipate some form of renegotiation."

• To read Desser and Kosner's full contribution, click here. 

WORKING FROM HOME WITH BEARS EXEC MELISSA MCDERMOTT

• Bears Director of Partnership Activation Melissa McDermott has been quarantining with her family in their Lake Forest, Ill., home. Keeping up with her daughter (3) and son (6) was the first priority for McDermott, who labeled herself a “creature of habit.” McDermott: “I talked to my boss, talked to some of my colleagues and I said, ‘I need to block off like 8:00-10:00am on my schedule every day, if I can. That just allowed me to get the kids going in the morning.”

• McDermott says there has been no problem keeping her team’s normal cadence of meetings, albeit virtually, but she does look for ways to keep things interesting. “I've tried to pepper in a couple of fun things, whether that's happy hours, coffee breaks. I ran a trivia game for them for a while and things like that,” she said. “So, just something to keep it new and fun and let us connect when we can.”

• With many clients hurting from the pandemic, McDermott is making sure to keep things in perspective. “I just reach out and say, ‘Hey, how are you doing? What can we do to help? We're here for you,’” she said. “So many of them, unfortunately, have gone through furloughs or layoffs or really tough times.” McDermott has been trying to think of good gestures to keep spirits high, like sending gifts or merchandise for companies to share with or raffle off to employees. “Something that’s a morale booster,” she said.

• Without the usual slate of summer sports, McDermott has been watching plenty of reality TV. “I’m a huge foodie and I love to cook. So, ‘Top Chef: All-Stars’ is my No. 1 show,” she said. McDermott: “I'm a big ‘Bachelor’/’Bachelorette’ fan. They’ve been replaying the best seasons. So, that's kind of my mindless, wind down with a glass of wine at the end of the day, kids are in bed, I can kind of escape to watch that.”

• Want to share what your work-from-home setup is like? Reach out to SBJ's David Rumsey.

McDermott feels she has found a good balance between work and keeping up with her kids during the pandemic

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

• NASCAR has canceled the 2020 Champion’s Week and Cup Series Awards banquet in Nashville due to the coronavirus pandemic, writes SBJ's Adam Stern. The sanctioning body formally announced the move today after informing industry partners about it in recent days. NASCAR first started holding the postseason event in Nashville last December following a decade in Las Vegas. The awards banquet is typically broadcast by NBC Sports.

• The NFLPA today "directed agents to provide their players with info from the CDC on COVID-19 risk factors and speak with them by mid-July about the importance of consulting their personal physicians as they make decisions on playing this season."
  
  
• F1 has been given financial breathing room until the end of 2021 after Liberty Media amended the conditions attached to a $2.9 billion loan. Motorsport notes that F1 CEO Chase Carey said that the "change will help the company get through the COVID-19 crisis."
  
  
• A new survey from Civic Science, analyzed by SBJ's David Broughton, shows that some 21% of Americans closely follow MLB, and those fans are mostly split on their feelings about baseball returning to play this year. The poll was taken among 36 ,000 U.S. residents earlier this month.

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:
  
  
  • Raiders, Davis Upset With Plan To Sell Advertising On Tarped Seats
  • Silver: NBA "Comfortable" With Bubble's Safety Despite Florida Surge
  • MLB Rangers' Employees Question Safety Of Returning To Office
  • Univ. Of Washington Reduces Salaries, Budget For FY 2021

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • SponsorUnited Founder & President Bob Lynch talks about how the sports sponsorship industry is navigating the treacherous waters the pandemic has caused.
  • Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth on the NBA’s return plan, the league’s role in promoting social justice and much more.
  • SBJ's Michael Smith on the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases at some of the country’s top football programs.

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.

All eyes turn to Utah this weekend, where tomorrow, the NWSL will attempt to become the first unionized team sport back since the pandemic hit.

It won’t be perfect (see the Orlando Pride’s decision to withdraw from the Utah event). But it’s more than other team-sport leagues have figured out so far, and every property, sponsor and broadcaster will be watching closely to see what works, what doesn’t and what they can learn.

MLB and the NBA’s continued progress toward play also help us end the week on a high note -- even as the renewed spread of COVID-19 has authorities in Texas, Arizona and Florida fearing the worst.

-- Ben Fischer

LEARFIELD IMG COLLEGE RESTRUCTURING MEANS LOST JOBS

• Learfield IMG College has undergone another phase of leadership adjustments, while also reducing its workforce by 11% as part of a broader restructuring, reports SBJ’s Michael Smith. The media and tech company with deep roots in college sports has eliminated roughly 200 jobs as it continues to adjust to the COVID-19 induced economic downturn.
  
  
• The company said in April that it furloughed an unspecified number of employees for 90 days, a period that comes to an end on July 15. With the 90-day deadline approaching, Learfield IMG College said today that it would bring back more than half of those employees to their old position at the same salary. The privately held company, based in Plano, Texas, has 2,000 employees. It said the cuts were spread evenly across the business. Those receiving severance were told yesterday and today.
  
  
• Additionally, new President & CEO Cole Gahagan has done some shifting within the company's C-suite. CLC Exec VP & Managing Director Cory Moss and Paciolan President & CEO Kim Damron have moved onto the leadership team, and will now report directly to Gahagan. CLC and Paciolan are both Learfield IMG College companies. Moss and Damron were both on SBJ’s Power Players list last year; Damron also was an SBJ Game Changer.
  
  
• Chief People & Culture Officer Kristine Schroeder will report to Gahagan as well. She has been instrumental in leading HR through the Learfield and IMG College merger and implementation of a new HR and payroll system. Learfield vet Andy Rawlings, who oversaw revenue, last month said that he planned to step down. His last day is Tuesday.

NBA CONTINUES MOVING TOWARD SEASON RESTART

• After the NBA and the players' union today finalized their restart agreement, Commissioner Adam Silver said on a media conference call this afternoon that the league comes to its restart with “a lot of humility” and that COVID-19 “has changed every facet of our lives.” SBJ's John Lombardo notes call also included NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum along with NBPA President Chris Paul and NBPA First VP Andre Iguodala.
  
  
• Silver said that no options are risk free and that the challenge is to find a safe and responsible way to operate. He added that he believes that the league has developed a safe and responsible plan to restart the season. Silver added he is concerned with the virus surge in Florida and throughout the country, but that the bubble will continue to be a safe setting.
  
  
• On the business front, Tatum said that sponsors will have floor signage and the league is working on a plan for hundreds of fans to appear on in-arena video boards. Silver said there will be a deep communal connection using unique camera angles, virtual concerts and halftime performances. Roberts said that the league and the union have worked to mitigate the risk as much as possible. “We go into it optimistic,” she said.

NFL TEAMS BELIEVE TARP SPONSORSHIPS WILL HELP MINIMIZE LOSSES

• NFL teams are bullish on the sales potential of the new signage they’ll be allowed to place on the tarps covering the first 6-8 rows of seats in stadiums this year, believing they can go a long way toward minimizing sponsorship revenue losses, SBJ’s Ben Fischer reports. It’s a “crown jewel asset,” said 49ers CRO Brent Schoeb. “There’s no magic bullet for everybody, but we think this is going to be pretty loved by our partners.”
  
  
• Clubs acknowledge that modern sponsorship strategy -- particularly at the team level -- usually tries to be more sophisticated than mere logo placement, often counting on fan engagement, giveaways and product sales that depend on live crowds. Having said that, even the least-watched of the NFL game windows draw many millions of viewers and are regularly the most-watched broadcast in local markets by a wide margin. Local sponsors have never had access to that audience before. “Objectively it does deliver tremendous brand exposure on a national basis,” said one team exec.
  
  
• The full details of the new policy, approved by owners Thursday, are still forthcoming, but one source expected between 14-16 spots available on the tarps. Teams don’t expect to take those assets to new sponsors, instead focusing on using them to recoup lost value for existing sponsors.
  
  
• On the ticketing side, the tarp policy is the NFL’s first official indication that stadiums will not be able to accommodate full crowds -- barring some unforeseen, major shift in the pandemic. Teams surveyed today said they’ve received little feedback from customers with seats in the first eight rows so far, believing most season-ticket holders understand their seats are in flux.

NBA, UNION RELEASE PLAYER TEST RESULTS

• The NBA and the NBPA today jointly announced player coronavirus test results in advance of the league’s restart at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on July 30, notes SBJ's John Lombardo. Of 302 players on June 23, 16 players (5%) tested positive for coronavirus. The league and the union said that any player who tested positive will remain in self-isolation until he satisfies public health protocols for discontinuing isolation and has been cleared by a physician. Commissioner Adam Silver said of the results: "It came in where we expected it. None of the 16 were seriously ill in any way and that was a big relief."
  
  
• No player names were released with the test results. Some players, like the Pacers' Malcolm Brogdon and Kings' Jabari Parker, have publicly acknowledged their positive results. The results come as the virus rate surges in Florida five weeks from the NBA’s restart in Orlando, where the effectiveness of Disney bubble will be in the spotlight.
  
  
• ESPN’s Zach Lowe on "The Jump" said if there is anything that is a consensus among players, coaches, and GMs -- outside of the teams that really want to go because they can win -- "It’s sort of like, ‘I’m little bit concerned, the Orlando numbers are getting scary, the bubble is getting a little more permeable because of that. But you know what, we’re still going to go.'"

SURVEY: SOCIAL DISTANCING IS BIGGEST RETURN-TO-WORK CHALLENGE

• As some sports execs return to the office, 79% of organizations in a survey released today by S&P Global Market Intelligence feel that social distancing practices will be the biggest challenge to resuming their normal in-office operations, writes SBJ's David Broughton.
  
  
• Approximately 575 IT decision-makers took part in the Voice of the Enterprise: Digital Pulse Coronavirus Flash Survey conducted May 26-June 11 by 451 Research, a division of S&P.
  
  
• Additionally, in an open-ended option to the question, "As employees return to work, what will be the greatest operational challenges for your organization?", executives were most likely to be concerned about employees having “less focused execution,” leading to a “drop in productivity due to new physical constraints (masks, distancing) and more chatter.” 

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: EVENT CANCELLATION INSURANCE

• Tonight's op-ed is from international sports consultant and former FIFA agent Miro Gladovic, who writes under the header: "Wimbledon Inspires New Landscape Of Insurance Strategy."
  
  
• "Event cancellation used to be a term reserved for a snowed-out ballgame or a rock concert canceled due to a band member falling ill. COVID-19 has taken the term to a new level. However, a league or concert promoter cannot merely pick up the phone and call an insurance company to seek out a policy that will protect them from an existing event. It’s like calling Geico as your house is being swirled around in a tornado. It doesn’t work that way. However, this pandemic will change the nature of sports and live events forever, as it highlights an unspoken security blanket that is not restricted to mere event cancellation."
  
  
• To read Gladovic's full contribution, click here. 

WORKING FROM HOME WITH BUCCANEERS TICKETING CHIEF BEN MILSOM

• The business side of the Buccaneers organization is still working remotely, and Chief Ticketing Officer Ben Milsom has settled into a comfortable process. “I am lucky to be able to have a separate space in my house where I have been set up for the past three months. Fortunately, we got a new phone system about a year ago that was made for remote working. Balancing my family's schedule with what I am doing was a challenge at first, but now we have all settled into our routines.”
  
  
• Working from home isn’t without its hiccups, though. “For some reason, at critical times on calls, my headset will go out,” Milsom shared. “I never imagined how frustrating that can be. Another fun thing that has happened is my 10-year-old son will walk into my office when I’m on calls and wave to the other people on the call, that always helps to break the ice.”
  
  
• The Bucs saw a surge in demand for tickets when Tom Brady became the team’s new QB, but uncertainty about fans attending games this fall has created a unique challenge for the ticketing staff. Milsom, an 2018 SBJ “Forty Under 40” honoree, is focusing on keeping conversations and relationships going with season-ticket members. “During times like this, it helps to call and check in on people and talk football,” he said. “It helps to take people’s minds off of the current situation.”
  
  
• As live sports slowly start to return, Milsom has been enjoying the EPL and NASCAR, while his kids have been getting into WWE. “I now find myself being put into wrestling moves at really wild times during the day,” he admitted. But fending off his kids’ “attacks” isn’t the only way Milsom is staying active. “Being a Type 1 Diabetic, exercise is critical,” he said. “So, I have been working out in my garage a lot. I also have a friend who is an intense runner, so every once and a while he will crush my spirits and indulge me on a run around our neighborhood.”
  
  
• Want to share what your work-from-home setup is like? Reach out to SBJ's David Rumsey.

Milsom has kept business on track while balancing family life at home these past few months

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

• The Int'l Tennis Federation today scrapped both the Davis Cup and Fed Cup finals for 2020 because of the pandemic. The AP notes "both competitions will resume next year."
  
  
• With the pandemic translating to fewer fans in the stands (or no fans in some cases), the trend of cardboard cutouts of fans is picking up. Baseball teams in Taiwan and South Korea have tried it, as well as some German soccer clubs. Now, MLB's Giants are getting on board, allowing season-ticket holders to “send in an image of themselves to be placed onto a cutout that will be displayed in the stands during home games.” Some businesses, like Indiana-based DS Smith, are looking to capitalize on such an opportunity. The corrugated packaging supplier plans to “produce recyclable cardboard replacement spectators.” It is “launching its design and manufacturing plans, which includes an initial approach” to the NBA, MLB and MLS.
  
  
• The Premier Lacrosse League's return amid coronavirus isn't until late next month, but the league is already on the board for sports bettors seeking some new action. Gambling consultant Sara Slane noted that William Hill U.S. has posted the first-ever odds for the league as it gets set for a bubble return in Utah.
  
  
• Morehouse College today canceled its fall sports seasons (football and cross country) due to COVID-19. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes the D-II school is among the first colleges in the country to cancel football amid the pandemic.
  
  
• MLB put out a unique graphic on how the league plans to test and social distance this season.

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:
  
  
  • NWSL Ready For Risks, Rewards As First U.S. League Back
  • Pirates Lay Off Some Business Office Staffers As Part Of Re-Org
  • NHLPA's Return-To-Play Vote Could Hinge On Escrow Agreement
  • Michigan Facing Eight-Digit Budget Deficit For FY '20-21

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth on the NBA’s return plan, the league’s role in promoting social justice and much more.
  • Michael Smith on the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases at some of the country’s top football programs.

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.

The look of the fanless game has begun to take form.

As the NBA considers a framework for who gets what on virtual ad positions created within its local game telecasts, NFL owners today voted to allow teams to tarp lower-level, TV-visible seating to create a canvas for advertisers during its broadcasts.

Empty seats mean lost revenue. Turning those seats, or the spaces created in their stead, into billboards will recover some of it.

How this will play with viewers, and the networks who hope they’ll stampede back to their TVs, is -- like much of our COVID-ized lives -- TBD.

-- Bill King

NFL TRAINING CAMP ON SCHEDULE; TESTING PROTOCOL TBD

• NFL training camp will start on time around July 28, league executives said today after an owners meeting, but little other hard information was available about possible preseason cancellations, reports SBJ’s Ben Fischer. NFL General Counsel Jeff Pash said he expects resolution “relatively soon” on the fate of the four-game preseason, which appears to be in doubt, particularly after the HOF Game was called off earlier today because of the pandemic.
  
  
• The league has not given up on having large crowds at games this year, but a policy approved by owners today is the first formal acknowledgement that a true “status quo” season isn’t in the cards. All 30 stadiums will have their first few seating rows covered to create a safety buffer to protect players, coaches and other on-field staff from coronavirus exposure, Exec VP/Partnerships & CRO Renie Anderson said. Those coverings will be available for advertising, as SBD reported first on Wednesday.
  
  
• Teams will be asked to follow local public health regulations and CDC guidelines on venue capacity, the NFL also confirmed today, opening up the door to potentially wide variations in crowd size around the league. Exec VP Peter O’Reilly said teams will decide how to distribute limited ticket supply, but said season-ticket and PSL holders will presumably be given priority.
  
  
• The next major project for the NFL’s pandemic response is coming to terms with the NFLPA on a COVID-19 testing, screening and treatment protocol.

NIKE REPORTS 38% SALES DECLINE YEAR-OVER-YEAR

• Nike late this afternoon "reported an unexpected quarterly net loss and a sales decline of 38% year-over-year," per CNBC, proving even one of the "strongest global brands in the retail industry" has taken a hit from the pandemic. 
  
  
• Nike's business was "hurt from its stores being shut temporarily, and online revenue was not enough to make up for that." The retail giant reported a loss of $790 million during the period ended May 31. Shares were "down around 4% in after-hours trading." 
  
  
• Total revenue was down 38% to $6.31 billion from $10.18 billion a year ago. Sales in North America were "down 46%, while sales in China were down just 3%, with many of Nike’s stores in that region reopening sooner during the pandemic than in the U.S." CNBC producer Robert Hum noted this was "just the second time in eight years that Nike has missed earnings estimates."
  
  
• On a positive note, Nike President & CEO John Donahoe said Jordan Brand "resonated deeply this quarter" thanks to "The Last Dance." The brand "grew more than 50%" in FY '20, "approaching a billion dollars in revenue." Donahoe said women "played a key role in that growth."

On a positive note, Jordan Brand grew more than 50% in FY '20, approaching a billion dollars in revenue

NHL SEATTLE CONFIRMS ARENA NAMING-RIGHTS PACT WITH AMAZON

• Amazon has secured naming rights to the future home of the NHL Seattle expansion team, but the name of the online retail giant will not be part of the venue’s moniker. The $900 million-plus building will be called Climate Pledge Arena. The name refers to an initiative that Amazon co-founded in 2019 committing to be net zero carbon across its business by 2040. SBD in January first reported that Amazon was seen as the leading contender.
  
  
• “Amazon reminded us that they don’t need branding, but if they found a cause, that they’d rally around the cause,” said Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke, whose company operates the arena. He called this the hardest deal he has ever had to pull together in his career.
  
  
• Read more here.

IS NOW THE TIME FOR ATP AND WTA TO PLAY DOUBLES?

• ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi first laid out his vision for closer commercial collaboration with the WTA while interviewing for his job in the fall of 2019. Once he started the new role on Jan. 1, Gaudenzi began sharing that vision more widely behind closed doors, first to the WTA, then with players at the Australian Open in late January and again with other major stakeholders in the following weeks. Then the pandemic shut down tennis in March and shifted his focus to salvaging the 2020 season.
  
  
• Combining the forward-facing aspects of the ATP and WTA’s business operations is an intriguing idea that both sides support. Click here to get an early look at Bret McCormick's story for next week's SBJ on why the timing makes sense for tennis' top tours.

HEAT EXEC ERIC WOOLWORTH ON NBA'S OPPORTUNITY IN ORLANDO

• For 22 NBA franchises, there is now a date, and a place, to look forward to. Beyond that, much remains to sort out. Who will get what from local broadcast inventory? What can franchises do to engage fans and sponsors from afar? And, perhaps most importantly, should the focus of this salvage mission shift from blunting financial losses to creating a platform to promote social change? 
  
  
• Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth discussed that, and more, with SBJ’s Bill King on the latest episode of the SBJ Unpacks podcast.
  
  
• “The world over the past … three weeks or a month has been going through a lot of turmoil,” Woolworth said. “And I think having the platform that we’re going to have while the team plays in Orlando puts us in a position to not only think about our sponsors and our fans but also to think about our community. And to use that platform ... to try to make our community a better place."
  
  
• “Those are things that are front of mind right now. I would actually say that the mindset has somewhat shifted from business opportunities to social responsibility opportunities.”

MANFRED: FANS DESERVE BETTER FROM MLB, PLAYERS' UNION

• MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred admitted the league and union "owe it to our fans to be better than we've been the last three months," according to the AP's Ronald Blum. Meanwhile, MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark "would not directly respond when asked whether lasting damage had been inflicted." Clark said, "There is an opportunity to move forward, move our game forward. And as it relates to the atmosphere in general, the lines of communication remain open, and we’ll count that as a positive in the days ahead."
  
  
• Bob Costas on HBO's "Real Sports" said of the negotiations between the league and union, "There's going to be a price to pay here much larger than whatever they could win or lose at the negotiating table.” But former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent added, "You can beat baseball with a stick, and you could trash the fans and you could do all sorts of things that are really stupid and yet, over time, the baseball fan comes back.” 

PGA TOUR RETURN GARNERS GAMBLING INTEREST

• Sports bettors have taken a keen interest in the PGA Tour’s return to play, as golf is one of the few things on the board right now at sportsbooks. Westgate Las Vegas SportsBook VP/Risk Management & Oddsmaking Jeff Sherman said for the Tour’s return in Ft. Worth, his outfit took in “about twice what we normally do on a weekly event." Sherman, appearing on the "Golf Digest" podcast, added: "Last week at the (RBC) Heritage it went up to about three times what we normally do, and already this week at the Travelers we’re on pace to do better than that. .... We’re putting up more match-ups, a few more props than we normally do."
  
  
• Sherman expressed confidence that interest in golf will stay steady as other sports resume play later. "We’ll get a lot of repeat customers after this,” he said. Another positive Sherman is paying attention to? The emergence of lesser-known players. "The new people that are in this space betting it are now familiar with someone like Abraham Ancer. These other golfers are getting introduced to non-traditional golf followers. Now when you get to a tournament that doesn’t quite have the field that we’ve seen over the last few weeks, some of these names will be more recognizable."

STATE OF THINGS: HOPE FOR NEW BEGINNINGS 

• As July approaches, its go-time for a number of America’s top sports leagues, writes SBJ's Bret McCormick. The NWSL’s quarantined tournament in Utah begins this weekend, the first look at how a bubble concept could work for team sports, ahead of similar attempts coming for the NBA, MLS, WNBA and NHL next month. 
  
  
• Check out SBJ's website for a rundown of major sports leagues/organizations and where they currently stand on the resumption of play. 

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

• Athletes "returning to their old social lives is becoming a problem in the new world of sports," according to the Wall Street Journal. As teams "reconvene for practice, they face a common foe: a night at the bar that results in a virus outbreak." Between the LSU football team, the NWSL Orlando Pride and tennis world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, trips out on the town are providing the "worst hangover in sports." Incoming UCLA AD Martin Jarmond, on the difficulty of enforcing a bubble on a college campus, "The issue is not the two hours at practice. It’s the other 22 hours of the day.”
  
  
• From SBJ's Ben Fischer & Chris Smith: Visa Chief Brand & Innovation Marketing Officer Chris Curtin is stepping down from his role at the end of the summer. In his position, Curtin has overseen the brand’s NFL and Olympic sponsorships, in addition to other high-profile marketing initiatives.
  
  
• In tonight’s SBJ College, Michael Smith takes a look at the legacy of John Swofford, as well as potential candidates to be the next ACC commissioner.
  
  
• Univision networks starting next Friday will see Liga MX soccer return to the  airwaves for the first time in three months, per SBJ’s Austin Karp. The Spanish-language networks will air the first-ever Copa por Mexico preseason tourney. Eight teams will play 15 matches in Guadalajara and Mexico City ahead of the start of the fall (Apertura) season in August. There are no plans right now for English-language carriage of the preseason tourney games. 
  
  
• Australia and New Zealand won a joint bid to host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, writes SBJ’s Mark J. Burns. The two countries beat out Colombia in a 22-13 vote by the FIFA Council. At a news conference afterwards, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed the event will expand to 32 teams.

• Attention heavy binge-watchers: What’s better than "The Last Dance" or "Ozark"?  Let us know in our new feature "Binge Watching With..." that debuted today with Legends Global Sales VP & GM Todd Fleming.

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:
  
  
  • Positive Tests Among NBA Players Increasing As More Workouts Begin
  • Vancouver May Have Hit "Snag" In NHL Hub City Efforts
  • MLS Preps For Return As First Club Arrives In Orlando Bubble
  • Sources: Concern Around WNBA About Restart, Opt-Out Deadline

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth on the NBA’s return plan, the league’s role in promoting social justice and much more.
  • Michael Smith on the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases at some of the country’s top football programs.
  • Eric Prisbell sheds light on the months of negotiations between MLB and the union that failed to produce a deal.

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.

The coronavirus is surging across the south, particularly in Florida, as the NBA, WNBA and MLS plan their restarts in the Sunshine State beginning next month.

But the impact is being felt elsewhere with today’s cancellation of the New York City Marathon, the latest victim of the virus on the sports calendar.

The PGA Tour is also seeing the challenge of playing in the bubble as more players and caddies tested positive this week prior to the upcoming Travelers Championship. The surge also comes as MLB today released its stringent list of protocols as the league looks to begin play next month. One provision: pitchers may carry a small wet rag in their back pocket to be used for moisture instead of licking their fingers.

-- John Lombardo

PGA TOUR TO STRENGTHEN PROTOCOLS AFTER POSITIVE TESTS

• The PGA Tour is making adjustments to its safety protocols after three positive tests this week in advance of the Travelers Championship, reports SBJ's John Lombardo. 
  
  
• The Tour announced today that golfer Cameron Champ, Ken Comboy (caddie for Graeme McDowell) and Ricky Elliott (caddie for Brooks Koepka), tested positive for COVID-19, with Koepka and McDowell withdrawing from the tournament as preventive measures. Webb Simpson also withdrew out of an abundance of caution after a family member tested positive. Chase Koepka, who qualified on Monday for the tournament, also withdrew after he played a practice round with his brother and McDowell.
  
  
• “I haven’t tested positive for COVID-19, but as I’ve said all along, I’m taking this very seriously,” Koepka said. “I don’t want to do anything that might jeopardize the health of any player in the field or his ability to compete.”
  
  
• One takeaway from a hectic day on Tour? How challenging it is to mitigate the risks, despite strict protocols.
  
  
• “While we have been thorough in building and implementing a program that mitigates as much risk as possible, we knew it would be impossible to eliminate all risk -- as evidenced by the three positive tests this week,” the Tour said in a statement released this afternoon. “We need to use these developments as a stark reminder for everyone involved as we continue to learn from an operational standpoint."
  
  
• PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan this afternoon on Golf Channel said, "We're all learning to live with this virus and we all need to learn to live with this virus. ... It's pretty clear that this virus isn't going anywhere." He added that there will be "serious repercussions" for any player or other Tour individual not following the safety protocols.

Brooks Koepka withdrew from the event today after his caddy Ricky Elliott tested positive for COVID-19

TURNER OPTING OUT OF REMAINDER OF UEFA DEAL

• Turner Sports told UEFA that it has opted out of its Champions League contract -- a move that probably means that Turner will not carry any more matches, according to multiple sources. SBJ’s John Ourand & Mark J. Burns have been pursuing this story for the past couple of days and learned that Turner execs called UEFA last week to say that it will exercise a clause in its contract to get out of carrying league games when it starts up again this summer and for all of next season. Univision still holds Spanish-language rights to the UCL through 2024.
  
  
• UEFA will look to re-sell English-language rights for the next two seasons over the next several weeks. Sources said that UEFA has not held any discussions with potential U.S. media companies for the rights this year and next. CBS is the most logical partner, given that last November the network agreed to buy the rights to the event from the fall of 2021 to the spring of 2024. ESPN, NBC, Fox, Amazon and DAZN also should expect calls. A possibility still exists that UEFA will ask Turner to carry the games this August, completing the season that Turner already started until play was suspended in March.
  
  
• The big question will come down to price, particularly this year. In August, the UCL will be staged as a single-elimination tournament in Portugal. UCL play was suspended in mid-March due to COVID-19. CBS and Univision will pay a combined $150 million per year; Turner and Univision’s current deal is valued at close to $100 million per year, with Turner paying more than $60 million per year. It is not known how much CBS committed to pay as part of the new deal.
  
  
• Turner shocked the business in 2017 when it grabbed the UCL rights, partially as a way to build a subscriber base for its streaming service B/R Live. During its only full season with tournament, Turner carried marquee games on TNT and streamed the rest of the event. The decision to opt out makes business sense for Turner, given that it already knows that it’s losing rights to CBS in 2021 -- combined with the prolonged stoppage of play this season due to COVID-19. 

MLB OPERATIONS MANUAL OUTLINES STRICT IN-GAME PROTOCOLS

• MLB's 101-page operations manual, a copy of which was obtained by SBJ's Eric Prisbell, includes comprehensive protocols for diagnostic and antibody testing as well as a host of procedures for teams to follow if a player, coach or staff member tests positive for the virus.
  
  
• The document also includes more nuanced in-game protocols in hopes of minimizing the chance of contagion. Among them:
  
  
  • Players, umpires and on-field personnel should stand at least six feet apart during the singing of the National Anthem and God Bless America. When the ball is out of play, fielders are encouraged to retreat several steps away from the baserunner. Firstand third-base coaches should remain in or behind the coach's box and shall not approach a baserunner, fielder or umpire on-field. And players on opposite teams should not socialize, fraternize or come within six feet of each other before the game, during warm-ups, in-between innings or after the game.
    
    
  • All non-playing personnel must wear face coverings at all times in the dugout and bullpen. Players and all on-field personnel must make every effort to avoid touching their face with their hands. Spitting is prohibited at all times in team facilities (including on the field). Chewing gum is permitted.
    
    
  • All pitchers may carry a small wet rag in their back pocket to be used for moisture in lieu of licking their fingers. Water is the only substance allowed on the rag. Pitchers may not access the rag while on the pitching rubber and must clearly wipe the fingers of his pitching hand dry before touching the ball or the pitcher’s plate.

Players will have to stand at least six feet apart during the singing of the National Anthem

KIA TOPS AD SPENDS FOR PREMIER LEAGUE'S RETURN

• Kia was the biggest advertiser during the EPL’s return to action this past week, according to iSpot.tv, spending $158,000 during coverage on NBC Sports, NBC, Telemundo and NBC Universo. Overall, 90 brands spent $2.1 million and generated 148.4 million impressions from Wednesday-Sunday, per SBJ's David Broughton.
  
  
• Approximately 1,829 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19 during that period and one person tested positive. In 10 rounds of testing dating back to mid-May, 12,057 tests have detected just 18 positive tests, a rate of less than 0.2%. The EPL spend was Jim Beam’s second-highest commitment in June, just behind Discovery Channel’s ‘Naked and Afraid.’
  
  

Download the EPL TV advertiser spend

NFL TO TARP OFF LOWER SEATS, ALLOW TEAMS TO SELL SIGNAGE

• NFL teams have been told they will be able to sell camera-visible signage to local sponsors for the first time during the 2020 season, sources told SBJ's Ben Fischer, a step one sales exec said would “significantly” defray pandemic-related revenue losses.
  
  
• Under a plan shared with team presidents yesterday, the first six to eight rows of seating in every stadium -- including on-field suites -- will be off limits to fans this season. That move is officially to protect players, coaches and team staff from coronavirus exposure, but it would also free up that space to become lucrative sponsorship assets.
  
  
• Sources said those seats will be covered by tarps that could include sponsor logos, similar to how EPL teams repurposed empty seating sections for ads during that league's return to play last week. The plan will be presented to owners at a meeting tomorrow. 
  
  
• Read more here.

ATLANTA-BASED TENNIS EXHIBITION TO ALLOW FANS NEXT WEEKEND

• The DraftKings All-American Team Cup will be held July 3-5 in Atlanta, the latest in a series of tennis exhibition events that have filled the calendar while the ATP and WTA are suspended, writes SBJ's Bret McCormick.
  
  
• GF Sports is organizing the event, which splits the top-eight-ranked American men’s tennis players into two squads for a team competition over three days at the Life Time Athletic & Tennis facility. GF Sports owns two ATP Tour tournaments, including the Truist Atlanta Open, which was canceled due to the pandemic. 
  
  
• The event will allow ticketed fans into the stadium court at 30% total capacity, with social distancing in place. That means room for 450 fans in addition to 25 VIP tables, which also will be socially distanced.

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: FUTURE OF MOBILE VIEWING

• Tonight's op-ed is from Portland-based consumer engagement platform Airship Senior VP Mike Herrick, who writes under the header, "Mobile Viewing Propels New Era Of Tech And Marketing Innovation."
• "While sports marketing and fandom were already changing due to second-screen experiences, they are about to be changed at a much greater pace due to COVID-19-based realities. ... Because of this odd situation, sports teams and their broadcast TV/radio network partners will be experimenting with creative, technology-driven ways to keep fans at home engaged with not only the game but the entire production."
• To read Herrick's 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

• Even in the midst of a pandemic, MLB is scheduled to see a healthy increase in its media rights fees. So, too, is the NHL. All sources predict that the NFL will break the bank. What, then, should we make of the Bundesliga, which signed a new deal with Sky and DAZN for 2021-25 at a slight decrease? John Ourand breaks it down tonight in SBJ Media.
  
  
• A virtual workshop meeting with U.S. host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled for July 7, FIFA confirmed to SBJ's Mark J. Burns. Sources have described next month’s rescheduled meeting, which follows FIFA’s postponement of a workshop in Dallas on March 16-18, as a way to re-ignite discussions amid the global pandemic and proceed toward outlining next steps in the host site bidding process. 
  
  
• What will NBA games look like in Orlando after a nearly four-month layoff for the players? Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd: "My prediction? It’s going to be choppy, at times it’s going to be bad. It’s going to be unpredictable. It’s going to be uneven. And what you saw with Avery Bradley is just the first little domino to fall.”
  
  

• Obstacle race organizer Tough Mudder has announced a new virtual race series called Tough Mudder Challenges, reports SBJ’s Chris Smith. The series of three-week events, which will run monthly from July through the end of the year, will be live-tracked on a new digital platform that will allow participants to sync wearable fitness devices. Each month, participants will have to complete four event-long challenges, like total distance or elevation, as well as weekly “flash obstacles.” Registration opens tomorrow and the first event, the Grand Canyon Challenge, begins on July 9. 
  
  
• NBCSN and the Olympic Channel are rolling out two-plus weeks of Paralympic programming. Tonight and tomorrow night, NBCSN will carry rebroadcasts of the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, including Gold-Medal games in wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball and wheelchair rugby. Mike Tirico and Ahmed Fareed will co-host. Fareed will also host Instagram Live broadcasts featuring American Paralympians from the NBC Olympics account for a half hour before NBCSN programming begins. Starting Monday, the Olympic Channel will air two full weeks of primetime rebroadcasts of the 2019 World Para Swimming and World Para Track & Field championships. 

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:
  
  
  • MLB Set To Play Ball In July, But Has Too Much Damage Been Done?
  • Sources: MLB Could Have Pool Of Free Agents Playing In Nashville
  • N.Y. Marathon Latest Event To Be Canceled Due To Pandemic
  • Around 175,000 Tickets Sold For Indy 500, But Can They All Attend?
  • Blue Jays Face Questions About Where They Will Play In '20

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Michael Smith on the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases at some of the country’s top football programs.
  • Eric Prisbell sheds light on the months of negotiations between MLB and the union that failed to produce a deal.
  • California Assemblymember Adam Gray joins Bill King to discuss the sports betting bill he co-authored, which reaches a pivotal point this week.

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.

Today is Olympic Day, commemorated annually since 1948.

The IOC celebrated on Instagram with a livestreamed 24-hour, Olympian-led workout, in addition to other digital promotions. IOC global partners Coca-Cola, Samsung and Toyota supported the initiative, and the Japanese automaker also partnered with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, as it has since 2017, on its newly renamed Olympic and Paralympic Day celebration. USOPC digital and social channels pushed athlete reactions and offered live content. 

Though joyous, it’s also hard to see the many at-home broadcasts and not wonder how the Tokyo Olympics will even be possible in 2021 if there’s no vaccine. American pro leagues approaching hyper-restricted returns are already contending with a flood of positive tests, and today brought news of the highest-profile confirmed case yet in Novak Djokovic. If training camps and tennis tournaments are being hit this hard, how in the world can the IOC safely organize such a massive international event?

-- Chris Smith

NFL EXPECTS ATTENDANCE INCONSISTENCIES ACROSS THE BOARD

• The NFL is prepared to accept a season in which the Cowboys play in front of 40,000 fans at AT&T Stadium while their division rival Giants play in an empty MetLife -- if that’s what the guidelines of local authorities permit, multiple team sources tell SBJ’s Ben Fischer. With the league generally insisting on competitive equity among the 32 teams, most teams originally assumed the league would attempt to standardize attendance even though cities and states vary widely in how aggressively they regulate social distancing.
  
  
• If local rules are the only barrier to attendance, then it raises new questions about NFL rules on sharing ticketing revenue with the visiting team, and competitive issues around crowd noise and home-field advantage. The NFL declined to comment. One exception to the hands-off approach could be seats that are blocked off across the league to create new camera-visible sponsor signage, sources said, but nothing is final on that front.
  
  
• With less than three months until the season, the exact regulations facing NFL clubs is still difficult to predict. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said earlier this month that the Cowboys and Texans could have up to 50% capacity, while political leaders in California, Ohio and several Northeast states have cast doubt on any large crowds this year. But with COVID-19 case counts rising rapidly in regions originally not hit hard, the situation could evolve again by the fall.

MLB PLAYERS READY TO REPORT ON JULY 1

• The MLBPA has informed MLB that players will report to training camps by July 1 and play a 60-game season, writes SBJ's Eric Prisbell. The union's agreement on when spring training 2.0 would start was expected. The length of the season will be mandated by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred because both sides failed to reach an agreement over player salaries. Players will be paid full prorated salaries for 60 games.
  
  
• The two sides have also been in discussions over finalizing health and safety protocols. Those protocols are likely to evolve as circumstances with the virus in various states warrant. As of late this afternoon, no significant hurdle on the health and safety front has emerged. The season will likely begin around July 24. 

DJOKOVIC NEWS CASTS SHADOW OVER TENNIS' RETURN PLANS

• It’s only Tuesday and it has already been a chastening week for tennis, particularly its No. 1 ranked men’s player, Novak Djokovic. The Serbian helped organize the Adria Tour, a multi-stop exhibition through the Balkans that raised eyebrows last week when images of a full stadium and fans with no masks -- followed later by video of some of tennis’ top players partying shirtless at a nightclub -- made their way onto social media.
  
  
• This week, four Adria Tour players tested positive for COVID-19, including Djokovic and his wife, and the backlash was instant and severe. “Congratulations. Such leadership,” ATP pro Nick Kyrgios tweeted, followed by the face-palm emoji. The public reaction is likely exacerbated by Djokovic’s previous comments that he wasn’t sure he would get vaccinated if a cure for COVID-19 is created.
  
  
• Attention now turns to the ATP, WTA and U.S. Open, which last week unveiled plans to go forward with their respective competitions later this summer. Some view those decisions as reckless, but keep in mind that dozens of tennis exhibitions have taken place across the globe in the past three months, with plenty of social distancing, no fans and off-site quarantining, including events starting this week in Charleston, S.C., and London. 
  
  
• While there is still immense risk for the tours and the Grand Slams to play this fall, the Adria Tour, which has been canceled, appears to be a case of hubris getting the best of event organizers, including the leader of the ATP Players Council in Djokovic. 

Members of the tennis community have criticized the lack of social distancing on the Adria Tour in recent weeks

NBA, NBPA AGREE ON INSURANCE PLAN FOR RESTART

• The NBA and NBPA "have agreed to put into place an enhanced insurance plan for players" in the Orlando restart bubble that "would cover career-ending injuries related to COVID-19 or conventional basketball injuries," according to sources cited by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. A potential group policy "would cover players for several million dollars." 
  
  
• This comes as testing for players heading to Disney World started today, and teams are "bracing for significant numbers of positive tests." Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic reportedly "tested positive for the coronavirus in Serbia and his return to the U.S. is temporarily delayed." He has been "asymptomatic since testing positive last week." Jokic is "expected to be cleared to travel to Denver within a week."
  
  
• SI's Chris Mannix writes the NBA should "probably" relocate to a different state to resume the season as the coronavirus "continues to rage through Florida." Mannix: "The NBA’s bubble has holes in it, with Disney employees preparing to slip in and out without being subject to the same testing as team and league personnel. ... Positive tests will wreak havoc on the NBA postseason, and positive tests are inevitable."

SURVEY: HYGIENE, SAFETY IMPORTANT TO SPORTS FANS

• Sports fans remain wary about attending live events -- crowd controls or not -- and tend to prioritize hygiene and safety significantly more than non-sports fans, according to a recent survey by Kantar Sports Monitor.
  
  
• The survey of 3,000 respondents over age 12 was taken between June 8-12. It revealed that nearly three-quarters of fans view going to a sporting event, concert or other live events without crowd controls as the least safe activity among the 10 measured. Overall, 71% of sports fans indicate that going to a game without crowd controls would be either extremely (46%) or somewhat unsafe (25%).
  
  
• Other activities sports fans view as being comparable to a sporting event, concert, or other live event in regard to safety include: Going to a restaurant or bar without any crowd control measures (70%), shopping in a store that doesn’t maintain strict social distancing and cleanliness guidelines (68%), and shopping in store while not wearing facemask (62%).
  
  
• Sports fans indicate a strong commitment to social distancing and prefer businesses that strictly enforce guidelines: 83% of fans (and 87% of avid fans) indicate that they follow social distancing rules either “completely” or “most of the time,” versus 79% of non-fans. A full 90% of sports fans agree: “Businesses that strictly enforce social distancing guidelines in their stores during the coronavirus pandemic make me more likely to shop there.”
  
  
• For more survey results, go to www.sportsatlas.com. 

PGA TOUR REVERSES COURSE, ADJUSTS SAFETY PLAN

• The PGA Tour has confirmed a second player has tested positive for the coronavirus. Cameron Champ tested positive in Hartford during a screening ahead of the Travelers Championship. Champ has withdrawn from the event and entered a self-isolation period under CDC guidelines.
  
  

• News of Champ's test came after Jordan Spieth earlier today confirmed the Tour this week "will make adjustments to health & safety protocols" in wake of Nick Watney's positive test last week in Hilton Head, per Golf Digest's Brian Wacker. Spieth hinted at "extra testing, mandatory test(s) for anyone within 6 feet of someone who tests positive, and more." Earlier this week it was reported the Tour would not revamp its protocols following Watney's test. 
  
  
• Tournament director Nathan Grube took Golf Channel through how Travelers Insurance influenced the staff with safety procedures for the week. "They look at it from a client standpoint, like, ‘What does our client need this tournament to be? Our clients are the caddies, the players, the families, everyone.’ When we go into this environment where health and safety is the No. 1 priority, we looked at it from that standpoint. ... Next week after the tournament we want to be able to look back and say, ‘We did everything the right way. We did it as safe as we possibly could.'"
  
  
  

Players at the Travelers Championship this week will see adjustments to the Tour's health & safety protocols

LAFC PARTNERS WITH CROWD-DATA SOFTWARE STARTUP

• On the heels of raising $7 million from investors, crowd-data software startup Armored Things inked a deal with LAFC to provide software to manage the eventual return of fans to Banc of California Stadium, reports SBJ's Karn Dhingra. LAFC will use Armored Things software to monitor in real-time fan flow and make decisions on manage crowd density, space utilization, security, concession staffing and sanitation decisions at the 22,000-seat venue.
• Armored Things’ software will also provide LAFC with granular data on the stadium’s space occupancy, alerts for anomalies and overcrowding to ensure compliance with new state regulations brought on by the pandemic. LAFC plans to use Armored Things’ software throughout the venue, including at surrounding entry and exit points, along with leveraging the stadium’s existing video cameras and Wi-Fi with other data collection resources.  

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

• Atlanta Dream G Renee Montgomery, who will sit out the coming WNBA season to fight for social justice, hinted at plans for coordinated protests among NBA and WNBA players from their respective bubbles this summer. Appearing on "The Lowe Post" podcast, Montgomery said, "You will see in the bubble that people will be doing demonstrations and that will circle back to the players outside of the bubble maybe. ... There's a lot of stuff I can't say but I think there will be some continuity. ... A lot of people think that I'm giving up my platform. ... My platform is still here and I think that this will be a conversation that will continue because some athletes inside the bubble want to make sure that people know that they're fighting the cause, too."
  
  
• The L.A. Times' Jack Harris writes under the header, "Mid-Major Conferences Brace For Inevitable Cuts In Sports Budgets Because Of Pandemic." Unlike their FBS counterparts, most mid-major schools "don’t have massive ticket sales, colossal TV contracts or lucrative sponsorship agreements." The new reality has "left mid-major conference administrators across the nation at the whim of factors beyond their control."
  
  
• The Charlotte athletic department’s rebrand, which came out today, saw the coronavirus pandemic cause at least one hiccup with the planned rollout for the Conference USA program. Michael Smith has details later tonight in the SBJ College newsletter.
  
  
• Spectra is partnering with a parking technology company as it prepares to reopen the 190 venues under its management, reports SBJ's Karn Dhingra. ParkHub will provide Spectra with contactless payments systems for its venues’ parking lots and garages. ParkHub’s mobile point-of-sale devices accepts credit card and mobile payments and authenticates prepaid parking passes. At Subaru Park, the 18,500-seat MLS stadium near Philadelphia, Spectra already uses ParkHub’s real-time integration with Paciolan, the venue’s ticketing partner, to allow fans to purchase prepaid parking along with tickets via smartphone prior to arriving at the stadium.
  
  

• CBS’ Nick Faldo believes the first two fan-less events on the PGA Tour have made players concentrate on their play “just a little bit more.” Faldo, appearing on the “Golf Digest” podcast, said, “The gallery just creates the atmosphere and noise. … Many (players) are not that far removed from playing college golf or amateur golf. When you’re playing in the amateur world, it’s all about winning. … This demands that same concentration.”
  
  
• The Dolphins announced additional movie showings and a dinner-and-a-movie ticket package at The Outdoor Theaters at Hard Rock Stadium starting July 2. The venue also reached a partnership with Tribeca Enterprises and will be showing content curated by Tribeca throughout the month of July with tickets available for purchase on June 24.

The Dolphins announced movie showings at The Outdoor Theaters at Hard Rock Stadium starting July 2

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:
  
  
  • MLB Prepares For Unprecedented Season After Months Of Negotiations
  • NHL Down To Six Hub Candidates; Announcement Could Be This Week
  • MLS Players, Officials Worried About Florida's COVID-19 Spike
  • Belmont Stakes Kicks Off Triple Crown With Lower Viewership

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Eric Prisbell sheds light on the months of negotiations between MLB and the union that failed to produce a deal.
  • California Assemblymember Adam Gray joins Bill King to discuss the sports betting bill he co-authored, which reaches a pivotal point this week.
  • Ashley Keber (WTA) and Milan Cerny (SAP) talk about the tour’s partnership with SAP and how it has helped them get through the pandemic. 

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.

We’re over three months into the stoppage of sports in the U.S., and one question grows louder on the return-to-play front: In light of surges in new COVID-19 cases in several states, are all team sports really coming back this summer?

Just in recent days, a spate of new cases among college football players prompted Kansas State to halt voluntary workouts and Clemson to isolate 23 players who tested positive. Meanwhile, the NFLPA advised stopping private group workouts, and MLB -- ahead of the players executive board voting down the league's latest proposal today -- temporarily closed all spring training sites after multiple teams reported positive tests.

With incremental pausing of workouts and the rise in cases in some states, it feels a little like March again. It's too early to know what looms ahead on that, but this week seems critical.

-- Eric Prisbell

MANFRED EXPECTED TO IMPLEMENT MLB SEASON

• As expected, the MLBPA's 38-member executive board late this afternoon rejected MLB's proposal for a 60-game season, according to a source cited by SBJ's Eric Prisbell. That puts the onus on Commissioner Rob Manfred to implement the length of the season, which is likely to be between 54 and 60 games, a last resort that he has tried to avoid. That announcement could come as soon as tonight.
  
  
• Should Manfred implement a season, the union would retain its right to file a grievance. And the shortened season is not expected to include an expanded postseason. MLB and the MLBPA have not been able to bridge the gap between them during months of contentions negotiations. It remains to be seen how many marquee veterans will choose to sit out rather than play a season amid a pandemic that has been implemented by the commissioner. 
  
  
• One source close to the negotiations said that after months of haggling over players' salary structure, it all may be a moot point, as the virus may well "take care of everything by itself." As the new week started, there was growing pessimism among those close to the negotiations that the surging number of new cases in some states and the rash of positive cases within multiple teams could lead to an interruption of an already shortened season.

NWSL CLUB BACKS OUT OF RETURN-TO-PLAY AFTER POSITIVE TESTS

• Six players and four staffers of the NWSL’s Orlando Pride tested positive for COVID-19, ultimately forcing the team to withdraw from the upcoming Challenge Cup, writes SBJ’s Mark J. Burns.
  
  
• All individuals were asymptomatic, and a second round of testing will be administered to confirm the positive cases. The now eight-team tournament is scheduled to kick off Saturday in Utah. The Pride are the first U.S. pro sports team to voluntarily back out of their league’s return-to-play plans due to the coronavirus.
  
  
• Commissioner Lisa Baird: “The health and safety of our players and staff is our number one priority and our thoughts are with those players and staff fighting this infection, as well as the entire club in Orlando that have been impacted as a result. We’re all obviously disappointed, but in the current environment, this is a situation that we have prepared for and we will now adjust our plans and schedules to reflect the circumstances.”

NFL FURLOUGHS STILL IN EFFECT AS HQ RE-OPENS

• The furloughs affecting NFL, NFL Films and NFL Network employees who can’t work from home are still in force even though the league HQ in Manhattan re-opened today for the first time since the pandemic began, reports SBJ’s Ben Fischer. The Park Ave. office is limited to 25% of the workforce for the time being, and the furloughs disproportionately affected production staff at the NFL offices in L.A. and New Jersey, which have also taken a slow approach to reopening.
  
  
• Commissioner Roger Goodell, Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent Sr. and VP/Communications Brian McCarthy were among the first employees back. All workers had their temperatures taken, answered 14 questions about their health and received a package of items including masks and hand sanitizer. More employees will continue to come back on rotations, and staffing levels will take a couple of weeks to reach the initial 25% cap.
  
  
• The league’s L.A. office, where the network is located, won’t come back until early to mid-July, a spokesperson said. The NFL Films offices in New Jersey have had a small group of production workers on site for the past couple of weeks. The NFL’s furloughs, announced April 29, were part of a package of payroll actions that included wage cuts for some higher-earning staff. 

REPORT: RYDER CUP LIKELY MOVING TO 2021

• It appears that the Ryder Cup, set for late September at Whistling Straits, will be pushed back to 2021, according to an overseas report today by The Guardian.
• PGA of America officials offered no comment this afternoon, per SBJ's John Lombardo. An official announcement is expected by June 30, but the prospect of playing the Ryder Cup without fans or in front of a limited number of fans is not appealing to some players. 
• Should the shift occur, it could create a domino effect for the Presidents Cup that is set to be played in late September next year at Quail Hollow in Charlotte. A PGA Tour official reached late this afternoon said that nothing from the Tour’s side has been resolved related to a shift of the Presidents Cup and that they are very much a key part in the discussions and negotiations.
• There is some history in shifting the two events. After 9/11, the Ryder Cup was moved from odd years to even years with the Presidents Cup moved from even years to odd years. Now, the events could go back to their original host year format.

Several players have voiced opposition to the prospect of a Ryder Cup without fans at Whistling Straits

CALIFORNIA SPORTS BETTING BILL PULLED FROM CONSIDERATION

• Long plagued by the politics of competing gaming interests, a bill to bring sports betting to voter referendum in California reached a critical phase this week, its chances apparently improved by the pressures of a growing budget deficit. But even that wasn’t enough to carry it forward, as its sponsors pulled it from consideration earlier today, unable to overcome opposition of tribal gaming interests.
  
  
• The co-author of that bill, Assemblyman Adam Gray, discussed the particulars, and the chance that it might be embraced as a form of pandemic relief, with Bill King on the latest episode of the SBJ Unpacks podcast.
  
  
• “There are those that follow sports closely and perhaps participate in sports betting, but there’s a much larger segment of the population that maybe isn’t concerned about it or doesn’t see it as a central issue,” said Gray, a Democrat from Merced. “And it’s been hard to get the attention of those folks. But during a COVID economic collapse that we’ve experienced in California and throughout the country, it has gotten people’s attention -- even those that don’t necessarily care about sports or sports betting or the sports economy. But they care about California’s economy, so they want to see that revenue. So it has absolutely increased the visibility of this issue to many of my colleagues in the state legislature.”

CAN NBA WITHSTAND POSITIVE TESTS AMID RETURN?

• With the NBA planning to equip players with an optional wearable device that may help detect COVID-19 symptoms, the league is "set up" to deal with inevitable positive tests from players within the planned Orlando bubble, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. Appearing on the "Hoop Collective" podcast, Windhorst said of positive tests, "They know they’re coming, they are prepared for them. They have a procedure." 
  
  
• But ESPN's Nick Friedell is not convinced the league can withstand a positive test from a star player. "We’re all dealing in hypotheticals. The first time -- whether it’s LeBron, Kawhi, Giannis, Harden -- the first time one of those guys tests positive and they have to sit for a minimum of two weeks … the world is going to go nuts. They’re going to say, this is not on the up-and-up, this is not legit the way it should be to crown a champion."
  
  
• Meanwhile, The Ringer's Haley O'Shaughnessy writes under the header, "What Will Life Look Like Inside the NBA Bubble?" The NBA’s campus site proposal is "under scrutiny as the number of positive COVID-19 tests spikes in Florida." While the league is "taking extensive measures to protect its players, more questions continue to arise." 

WORKING FROM HOME WITH GRABYO’S MIKE KELLEY

• Grabyo President of Americas Mike Kelley has been keeping things going from his Katonah, N.Y., home in upper Westchester, fighting for space around the house with his three kids finishing up their school year remotely. He’s been pleased with the company’s efforts during the pandemic. “Our product is a cloud-based video production platform, so we … work with clients on their remote video production tools and staffing and managing that remotely through the cloud. So, we have to walk the talk,” Kelley said.
  
  
• Grabyo has a long list of sports properties it counts as clients -- Wimbledon, Fox Sports, DAZN, Bellator, National Lacrosse League, MLS and more. The London-based company also has offices in N.Y. and Singapore, so Kelley is used to managing a hectic schedule. “We have to coordinate in terms of global projects and sales calls and marketing calls across every time zone, so that’s something we always did,” he said.
  
  
• Grabyo’s revenue and new business were up in Q2 as clients began to rely more on remote production. “The pandemic has really sharply increased the need and desire to use cloud production tools like ours, with everyone being shut out of their offices and their studios where they normally might produce some content in traditional production studios,” Kelley said. He pointed to broadcasters specifically: “They’re realizing the cost-savings you get with a cloud production platform and the efficiencies you get in terms of different teams working in different locations on video production.”
  
  
• Kelley feels Grabyo has adapted well on-the-fly these past few months, one example being an Apex Legends event with EA Sports. Kelley: “It was 10 days before … and they said, ‘Look, we want to do this all on the cloud.’ So, we worked hard … with them over 10 days to stand that up from the get-go in the cloud completely, where they traditionally may have done that in some of their studios.”

Kelley has been keeping Grabyo on track from his Katonah, N.Y., home during the pandemic

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH CARE PARTNERS

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from Jeff Sofka, a former NFL marketing executive who moved into health care a decade ago. He writes under the header, "The Convergence Of Health Care, Sports And COVID-19."
  
  
• "Many sports properties and their health care partners have become more closely aligned during the pandemic. To help sports marketers gain perspective on where things are heading, we’ve seen health care industry experts define the pandemic in three phases: Triage, Transition and Transformation."
  
  
• To read Sofka's 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

• The Stanley Cup tournament’s qualifying rounds are "scheduled to begin on July 30 in hub cities that will be selected 'within the next week or so,' according to a directive sent to NHL clubs Friday" and cited by the N.Y. Post's Larry Brooks.
  
  
• FS1 is "scaling back production on its boxing and WWE shoulder programming," per SBJ's John Ourand, leading to "double digit job losses as a result." SBJ Media will have the full story tonight.
  
  
• Wizards forward Davis Bertans will "sit out the NBA's restart in Orlando, Florida, as a preventive measure" ahead of his looming free agency, according to sources cited by ESPN. Soruces said the Wizards are "fully supportive of his decision to stay back from the league's 22-team restart and remain determined to sign him in free agency." Bertans, 27, is "on the cusp of a lucrative, long-term contract and has had two previous ACL injuries."
  
  
• Golfer Nick Watney’s positive coronavirus test at the RBC Heritage last week "has not triggered a massive revamping" of the PGA Tour's health and safety plan, according to Golf Digest's Joel Beall. The PGA Tour was likely going to have a positive coronavirus test at some point, but Watney’s results coming a “mere 12 days and two tournaments into the tour’s return" has "brought attention to a plan already under heightened observation.” Sources said that while the Tour "will continue to improve and refine its protocols, it remains confident in the guidelines set forth." 
  
  
• The Univ. of Nebraska athletic department announced "sweeping measures to reduce its budget by 10% for the fiscal year beginning July 1, including cuts in administrative positions across the department," per the Omaha World-Herald. Measures listed include "no increases in any teams' budgets for the upcoming year," and encouraging programs to "build a more regional nonconference road schedule."
  
  

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:
  
  
  • NHL Moves On With Return Phases As 11 Players Get COVID-19
  • Administrators Fearful For CFB Season After Recent Case Surges
  • NFL Teams To Institute "Tiered" COVID-Prevention Plans At Facilities
  • Belmont Stakes Broadcast Focuses On Return Of Sports In New York
  • Patriots Say Ticket Holders Can Skip '20 Season, Come Back In '21

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • California Assemblymember Adam Gray joins Bill King to discuss the sports betting bill he co-authored, which reaches a pivotal point this week.
  • Ashley Keber (WTA) and Milan Cerny (SAP) talk about the tour’s partnership with SAP and how it has helped them get through the pandemic. 
  • Bill King and Eric Prisbell discuss the latest MLB labor negotiations and what could be next for America’s Pastime. 

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.

This afternoon brought a striking reminder of the risk of gathering for workouts in areas experiencing COVID-19 spikes, as news broke that the Phillies, Blue Jays and Lightning all have closed down facilities in the Tampa area after players and staff tested positive for the virus. The PGA Tour also dealt with their first positive test from a player earlier today. 

This is the first flirtation with the “what happens when” phase of resumption. Teams all will follow extensive protocols, but there still is a risk of infection, especially when players are not restricted to a quarantined “bubble” of facilities and hotels. With infection comes the risk of spread.

Florida reported a record 3,822 new cases Friday morning, one day after reporting 3,204 new cases.

NBA players are due in Orlando in less than three weeks.

-- Bill King

PGA TOUR DEALS WITH FIRST POSITIVE TEST SINCE RETURN

• Late Friday afternoon, the PGA Tour announced golfer Nick Watney has "withdrawn from the RBC Heritage" after testing positive for COVID-19.
  
  
• Watney traveled privately to Hilton Head Island for the tournament and was not on the Tour-provided charter flight, per the Tour's statement. He is the first Tour member to test positive and has entered self-isolation. The tour said it will give Watney "full support throughout his self-isolation and recovery period under CDC guidelines."
  
  
• Golf Digest's Brian Wacker cites sources as saying that contact tracing "has begun on the PGA Tour after the positive coronavirus test."

PHILLIES, BLUE JAYS FACILITY CLOSURES COMPLICATE MLB'S RETURN

• News that the Phillies are closing their facility in Clearwater, Fla. after five players and three staff members tested positive for COVID-19 sent a jolt through the baseball world today, writes SBJ's Eric Prisbell. It serves as a reminder of the growing concern that the virus is not under control in some states even as social distancing measures have been relaxed in recent weeks.
  
  
• Soon after the Phillies news broke, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the Blue Jays on Thursday "shut down their spring training facility in Dunedin, Fla., after a player exhibited COVID-19 symptoms." MLB told SBJ earlier this week that the league is closely monitoring the surges in new cases in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California, where a total of 10 teams reside. 
  
  
• Even when MLB and the MLBPA finally figure out the thorny economic return-to-play issue, which could come this weekend, there remains a sizable question of how to stage baseball games without a so-called bubble city like the NBA will have in Orlando. The league and union have been working on additional revisions to the league's original draft of health and safety protocols. MLB has requested that players sign an "acknowledgement of risk" waiver to address liability issues.
  
  
• What also caught MLB's attention was Dr. Anthony Fauci telling the L.A. Times on Tuesday that the league should avoid play in the month of October. As of now, MLB has been adamant that the regular season must end at the close of September but that the postseason would still be staged in October, perhaps with as many as 16 teams. The union has proposed a neutral site and quarantine plan for at least the World Series, if the threat of the virus mounts in the fall. 
  
  
• As we head into the weekend, get an early look at next week's SBJ cover story on the MLB-MLBPA saga.

ATP CHAIR ANDREA GAUDENZI ADDRESSES WTA MERGER TALK

• ATP Chair Andrea Gaudenzi hopes the ATP and WTA can collaborate better in the future, he told SBJ'S Bret McCormick, after the idea of the tours merging gained increased traction in April when Roger Federer tweeted his support. "In business there are many ways of calling a better collaboration," Gaudenzi said. "I wouldn’t call it a merger for now. Our main focus in the future should be toward the fan, providing a better and richer fan experience is key, in my opinion, to elevating our sport. We are really competing for the time and attention of consumers."
  
  
• The former Italian player, who started as ATP chairman on Jan. 1, didn’t say a full merger was out of the question. But in his vision, the first step would be combining forward-facing aspects of the WTA and ATP tours as much as possible to decrease competition between the tours and present a better product to the commercial marketplace, limit fan confusion, and save money on redundant efforts.
  
  
• In Gaudenzi’s mind, combined efforts could include ticketing, social media, sponsorship, broadcasting, OTT platforms, data and websites. “If I could summarize it,” he said, “I would love the tennis fan to have a sort of single sign-on experience into the world of tennis.”
  
  
• Gaudenzi said he laid out his goals for closer collaboration with the WTA to the ATP board when he was interviewing for the job, and again in January to players at the Australian Open. The WTA has been very receptive to the idea and the topic has often come up during the regular discussions the tours have had in the last few months about salvaging their suspended seasons. “Definitely, we are in talks,” Gaudenzi said. “Do we have a solution to every problem? No. Have we made the decisions? No. And honestly, it’s also been slowed down a little bit because we have to deal with emergencies. But the intention and the willingness is definitely there and will continue to go on.”

NBA WEIGHS SIGNAGE OPTIONS IN ORLANDO TO APPEASE TEAM SPONSORS

• The NBA is considering a plan to offer virtual signage to help teams meet obligations of significant team sponsors when the league restarts next month in Orlando, reports SBJ's John Lombardo. While league and team execs stress that nothing has been finalized, discussions between the league, its TV networks and teams are focusing on a plan that would allow teams to use on-court virtual signage for their arena naming-rights partners for games played at the Disney campus in Orlando.
  
  
• The virtual signage likely would appear on local game broadcasts for teams in their respective markets and on national broadcasts. The plan is also expected to include league inventory, but no final decisions have been made. In addition, the league is looking to give teams virtual signage inventory for the floor apron in front of their respective team benches during broadcasts, and to allow teams to use rotational signage for games. There is also talk of allowing virtual signage near player tunnels or any other highly visible areas of the three courts at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex that will be utilized for play.

DAKTRONICS ROLLS OUT BIG STREAM HOME PRODUCT

• Daktronics, which has video boards in college venues across the country, has created an innovative tech to share video board content beyond the walls of the stadium. The Big Stream, as it’s being called, takes the live action and dead-ball content, much of which is sponsored, from the video board inside the stadium and makes it available to be streamed.
• The new product, which feeds a venue’s videoboard into a TV or computer screen, is a play to help teams keep their sponsor dollars during the pandemic. Big Stream also aims to bring the gameday experience to fans at home who might not be able to make it to the game because of a venue’s capacity restrictions or health reasons, Daktronics Head of Professional Services Mark Eisenstadt told SBJ's Karn Dhingra.
• Fans accessing the Big Stream will see the ads that are on display during the game and that will give sponsors an incentive to stay on aboard, Eisenstadt said. Any venue with a Daktronics scoring system can push the Big Stream to fans for sports or other events, he added. When it comes to games at the collegiate or pro level, the stream can be integrated into existing apps for a different multicast experience, Eisenstadt said.

Big Stream also aims to bring the gameday experience to fans at home who might not be able to make it to the game

STATE OF THINGS: OUTBREAKS SLOW RECENT MOMENTUM

• Reported outbreaks of COVID-19 among the Phillies and Lightning organizations and multiple college football programs were just the most recent bits of bad news in a rough week for sports leagues and organizations, as they try to find a pathway to safely completing seasons and competitions amid a pandemic, writes SBJ's Bret McCormick. Meanwhile, the independent Atlantic League canceled its 2020 season today, which does not portend well for Minor League Baseball's chances for a 2020 season.
  
  
• Check out SBJ's website for a rundown of major sports leagues/organizations and where they currently stand on the resumption of play.

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: RISING TO THE OCCASION

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from Cath Bishop, a former world champion and Silver Medal-winning Olympic rower who now works as a coach and consultant in leadership and team development. She writes under the header. "Applying A Performance Mindset To Business Challenges And Opportunities."
  
  
• "Just as elite athletes are mourning the postponement of the Olympics and cancellation of competitions, so sports businesses are aching at the massive loss of events, audiences and income. The immediate reaction from business has often been to work harder, shift logistics processes, reduce expenses and search for new income streams, focusing on digitalization. All of these are reasonable responses and ones that our organizational processes and habits have taught us to do."
  
  
• To read Bishop's 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

• In celebrating Juneteenth today, NHL Network is airing “NHL Tonight: A Conversation” at 6:00pm ET, which will be hosted by analyst Kevin Weekes. The one-hour special will feature a discussion around racial injustices and inequalities in society and hockey, notes SBJ’s Mark J. Burns. Guests will include Golden Knights RW Ryan Reaves, NHL Senior Exec VP/Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs Kim Davis and veteran St. Louis broadcaster Mike Claiborne, among others. See today's issue of Morning Buzz for more on how teams, leagues and other properties observed Juneteenth.
  
  
• USA Volleyball became the latest Olympic sport NGB to make deep personnel cuts as the pandemic continues, reports SBJ's Ben Fischer & Chris Smith. The NGB declined to say how many were affected, but the Orange County Register reported that 19 people were either laid off or forced to retire and another 13 were indefinitely furloughed. There are now 56 employees remaining at the Colorado Springs-based nonprofit, a rep confirmed.

• TIME’s Sean Gregory is out with a new piece under the header: “College Athletes Are Realizing Their Power Amid The George Floyd Protests And COVID-19.” With football players returning to campus in the midst of a pandemic and economic turmoil that has surely impacted some of their families, the “least the NCAA could do is allow athletes to receive benefits if any local or national sponsors, or boosters, or neighbors want to offer them.” Kenneth Shropshire, CEO of the Global Sport Institute at Arizona State, said in the piece: “If there’s a reason to accelerate the transition to a system where kids can legitimately capitalize on who they are, this would be it.”

• Dick's Sporting Goods is “introducing the new temporary clearance warehouse stores in the industry-disrupting wake” of the pandemic, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times. The company “declined to comment on whether the circumstances of the pandemic emergency helped to motivate the new discount stores” in six locations across the U.S. The new stores “feature sporting goods apparel and footwear by brands that include Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and others” at up to 90% off.

• Former NBA All-Star Baron Davis continues to put his money to work during the pandemic. Fortune notes that Davis was recently part of a $9 million funding round for California-based UNest, a mobile app that makes it easier for people to manage 529 college savings plans. This time last year, Davis talked with SBJ about his business plans in retirement.
  
  

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:
  
  
  • Time Now Working Against MLB, MLBPA In Reaching Agreement
  • Dr. Fauci's Comments On NFL Viability In '20 Minimize Optimism
  • Canadian Government Order Clears Way For NHL Hub City In Canada
  • Angels Reverse Course On Scout Furloughs As MLB Lifts Ban

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Ashley Keber (WTA) and Milan Cerny (SAP) talk about the tour’s partnership with SAP and how it has helped them get through the pandemic. 
  • Bill King and Eric Prisbell discuss the latest MLB labor negotiations and what could be next for America’s Pastime. 
  • POV Sports Marketing founder Molly Arbogast discusses about how sports marketing will evolve and develop during, and after, the pandemic.

LAST WEEK TO NOMINATE FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS

Now is the time to nominate a change agent within your organization for Game Changers. The deadline of midnight June 21 is fast approaching. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue, recognizing women who are pushing forward and changing the 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.

One step forward, one step back. Then another half step forward.

That’s how the past 36 hours have felt watching MLB and the union’s talks unfold, a feeling that sometimes seeps into other sports, too. In short, there’s a lot of good ideas and optimistic plans, but precious few hard commitments, as the N.Y. Times noted in a pessimistic piece today.

Meanwhile, concerns from the medical community resonate anew with COVID cases creeping up in many states. Dr. Anthony Fauci caught everyone’s attention when he cast doubt on an NFL season without a “bubble”-style quarantine, and researchers from West Virginia Univ. found evidence tying increased flu deaths to major league sporting events over 54 years of CDC data. It’s a sobering reminder of the stakes for getting this right.

-- Ben Fischer

MLB, UNION STILL IN SEARCH OF MIDDLE GROUND

• One day after MLB offered the MLBPA a 60-game proposal, the union countered in an expected move by calling for a regular season of 70 games with players receiving full prorated salaries, writes SBJ's Eric Prisbell. The union has maintained that players want to play as many games as possible -- they will get paid by the game -- and its previous two proposals called for 114 games and 89 games. Owners are not expected to accept this proposal.
  
  
• The two sides remain separated by some $250 million. In MLB's plan, players would receive a total of $1.51 billion to play a 60-game regular season that would end in late September. In the union's plan, players would receive about $1.76 billion in total salaries. The league projects to generate about $2.9 billion in revenue during a shortened season played in empty ballparks.
  
  
• Nothing is a sure thing when so much distrust exists between two parties. The owners believed they had the framework of a deal in place after Commissioner Rob Manfred met face-to-face in an hours-long Tuesday meeting with union chief Tony Clark in Arizona, but a source close to the union told SBJ that no agreement was made even in principle.
  
  
• The league and the union should be able to find middle ground by this weekend on the length of the season, perhaps settling on 65 games and $1.63 billion for player salaries. If baseball starts its regular season by July 19, which would follow three weeks of spring training, there is ample time to stage a 65-game season before the end of September.

BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY TAKING ALL PRECAUTIONS

• Bristol Motor Speedway’s ticket sales website offers a hint at how some sports properties and facilities will indemnify themselves from COVID-related lawsuits when fans come back to their venues, writes SBJ's Adam Stern.
  
  
• The Speedway Motorsports-owned track is planning to host up to 30,000 fans for next month’s NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, making it one of the largest single-site gatherings anywhere in the U.S. since the pandemic began. Track GM Jerry Caldwell told the Bristol Herald Courier that there has been a “tremendous response” to tickets being put on sale earlier this week, after NASCAR announced that the race was unexpectedly being moved from Charlotte in part because of rising coronavirus cases there.
  
  
• Those who are buying tickets on Bristol’s website are being greeted with a message that reads: “Please Note: By purchasing tickets you acknowledge and agree to the notice, assumption of risk, and waiver.” That waiver notes that Bristol is taking enhanced measures to protect fan safety, but also adds this towards the end: “You acknowledge and agree that you are voluntarily assuming all risks of exposure to COVID-19 and agree to release, waive and discharge the facility, its parent entities, and all related and affiliated individuals and entities, and all individuals and entities involved in the event at Bristol Motor Speedway which you are attending, from all claims directly or indirectly arising from your visit to Bristol.”
  
  
• Among the safety measures, masks will be highly encouraged but not required, and there will be temperature checks and increased sanitation, plus special seating arrangements to encourage distancing in the 160,000-seat venue.

ORACLE PULLS OUT OF PRO TENNIS SERIES

• Oracle has pulled its financial support of the Pro Series and Challenger Series, a pair of lower-level pro tennis series backed by the tech giant, a spokesperson confirmed today to SBJ’s Bret McCormick. 

• Oracle’s Challenger Series was part of the ATP Challenger Series, one rung below the ATP; Oracle’s four Challenger tournaments had a combined $1.3 million prize pool in 2019. The last Oracle Challenger event finished on March 8 at Indian Wells, the day before the BNP Paribas Open was called off.
  
  
• Oracle said the company is continuing its financial support of ITA college tennis, the Universal Tennis Rating system and the BNP Paribas Open, whose owner Larry Ellison is a co-founder of Oracle. It’s not clear if the pandemic’s economic impacts figured into Oracle’s decision; former CEO Mark Hurd, a college tennis player and a leading figure in Oracle’s tennis involvement, passed away last fall after a fight with cancer. 

Oracle’s four Challenger tournaments had a combined $1.3 million prize pool in 2019

PGA TOUR RETURN GOING SMOOTHLY WITH NO POSITIVE TESTS

• ESPN’s Bob Harig said it is a "great sign" that there has not been a single positive test on the PGA Tour among players, caddies, or support personnel as the tour began its second event back today in South Carolina. Harig: “These guys come from all over country to get to these events, not all of them came directly here from Dallas last week so it's really good news, obviously. ... No positive tests is great, but (the Tour) needs to continue the diligence on that aspect. Nobody wants to test positive. It means getting shut down for two weeks.”
  
  
• With the RBC Heritage getting underway today, the Hilton Head Island Packet notes that in typical years, the Heritage Classic Foundation “distributes around $3.3 million to charities” around the state. When the tournament was originally postponed, the foundation “gave ticket holders the option to donate their ticket costs, defer the tickets to next year or receive a full refund.” Some 75% “chose to get a refund.”
  
  
• Meanwhile, Jim Nantz took the "No Laying Up" podcast through the difficulties around the Tour's return last week in Ft. Worth, saying CBS' team was functioning with about "40-50% of our usual man-power." Nantz: "I went into it saying it might be the greatest challenge I’ve seen in my 35 years -- and I was taking about the whole crew -- primarily the technical and production teams. It was really difficult. It’s going to be this week, it’s going to be for awhile until we have the ability to have our full man-power." 

This week's RBC Heritage at Harbour Town marks the PGA Tour's second event of the post-COVID schedule

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN PREPARES FOR TEMPORARY HOME

• The Western & Southern Open will be held at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center from Aug. 19-28, an unusual solution to an incredibly challenging set of circumstances for the Cincinnati-based combined ATP/WTA tournament. W&S Open COO Katie Haas told SBJ’s Bret McCormick that the plan to play in Queens came together “literally, in the last 30 days.” 
  
  
• She said that the tournament will be treated like a made-for-TV event. It’s bittersweet for W&S Open staff that the tournament wouldn’t be held at its longtime home, but the event at least avoided the fate of nine other American ATP and/or WTA tournaments that have been scrapped for pandemic-related reasons. “The alternative would have been to cancel, right? This is the best option,” said Haas. 
  
  
• Haas confirmed that USTA Managing Director of Major Events J. Wayne Richmond will be this year’s interim tournament director after Andre Silva left his W&S Open posts for the PGA Tour, just one of the challenges with organizing this year’s event. The W&S Open will lean heavily on the USTA during the next few months, including in the search for Silva’s full-time replacement once the tournament concludes.
  
  
• The USTA will also take on many of the logistical duties of putting on the tournament in N.Y., but Haas still has plenty to sort out with the tournament’s sponsors, many of whom have contracts that feature tickets, hospitality and other on-site opportunities that won’t be available at a fan-less tournament more than 600 miles away.

SURVEY: SECOND WAVE TOP THREAT TO U.S. COMPANIES' RECOVERY

• Around 59% of financial leaders at U.S. companies said that a new wave of COVID-19 infections is the top threat to their business’s ability to recover from the economic downturn of the past few months, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ most recent CFO Pulse Survey.
  
  
• PwC surveyed 330 U.S.-based CFOs and finance leaders from June 8-11, the sixth such study conducted since early March, writes SBJ's David Broughton. The financial impacts of the pandemic, including on liquidity and capital resources, remain a concern for 42%, although that is down from 75% in April.
  
  
• The shift to remote working opened a window to potential security concerns, and although less than one in five CFOs are worried about cybersecurity risks, that rate is more than three times what they expressed in the April survey (6%). On the other hand, concerns about employee productivity eased significantly (just 14% of executives are worried about it now, compared to 41% in March) as companies ironed out issues with remote work capabilities and employees acclimated to new ways of working.

Download the PwC Report

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

• SBJ's Ben Fischer reports the question of whether or not HBO’s “Hard Knocks” shows NFL players being tested for COVID-19 -- or the results -- remains part of talks between the league and the NFLPA. HBO VP & Senior Coordinating Producer Ken Rodgers: "It’s one of many things that are still to be decided, but from a storytelling standpoint, I can tell you I'm interested in the process,” said Rodgers. Despite the many unknowns surrounding the NFL’s upcoming training camp and preseason, NFL Media and HBO committed today to an Aug. 11 debut of this season’s installment of the documentary series. For the first time, it will feature two teams -- the Rams and Chargers -- both undergoing rebranding ahead of their move into SoFi Stadium.
  
  
• Just like the NBA, MLS has not released its broadcast schedule yet for when it resumes games next month in Orlando, but a source told SBJ’s Mark J. Burns that further details on where matches will be aired could be announced as early as next week. ESPN is handling production for the 26-team tournament at the Walt Disney World Resort, with all three league broadcast partners-- ESPN, Fox and Univision -- in addition to MLS, sharing in those costs, the source said. 

• Two months after Quibi's launch, things "are not going well," writes Yahoo Finance's Daniel Roberts, and the short-form video service "cannot blame all of its many problems" on coronavirus. Aside from asking top execs to take 10% pay cuts, Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman "are at odds." Quibi also faces a patent lawsuit from video startup Eko and overall downloads "have severely disappointed."
  
  
• The Wall Street Journal's Jared Diamond writes under the header. "Baseball’s Newest Market Inefficiency: Treating People Like People." With MLB shortening the draft from 40 rounds to just five and capping the earning potential of undrafted players, the Royals positioned themselves to attract those passed-over players simply by not treating their "lowest-paid employees like garbage." Royals GM Dayton Moore: "We shouldn’t be applauded for that. ... If you accept the responsibility of a leadership position, it begins with putting others first, and if you can’t do that, you don’t deserve the privilege to lead.”
  
  
• Allied Esports' flagship venue HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas will reopen to the public on June 25 with a modified schedule for daily play and weekly tournaments. The venue has implemented physical distancing and sanitization guidelines throughout, which includes having masks, hand sanitizer and gloves available upon arrival. There will also be six-feet of separation between gaming stations. 

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:
  
  
  • U.S. Open Gets Big Boost With Serena Williams' Commitment
  • Ontario Premier Defers To Trudeau On Toronto As NHL Hub City
  • Twins Owner Jim Pohlad Says Team Can Survive Any Type Of '20 Season
  • Adam Silver Reiterates NBA's Opportunity To Effect Social Change
    
     

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Bill King and Eric Prisbell discuss the latest MLB labor negotiations and what could be next for America’s Pastime. 
  • POV Sports Marketing founder Molly Arbogast discusses about how sports marketing will evolve and develop during, and after, the pandemic.
  • MIT's Ben Shields discusses how the sports industry can survive the pandemic and in what ways innovation can reshape the sports industry.

LAST WEEK TO NOMINATE FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS

Now is the time to nominate a change agent within your organization for Game Changers. The deadline of midnight June 21 is fast approaching. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue, recognizing women who are pushing forward and changing the 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.

It was only on Monday that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred sat glum-faced as he cast doubt on a 2020 season during an ESPN interview. But a face-to-face meeting this week in Arizona between Manfred and union chief Tony Clark has brought optimism -- while perhaps diminishing the deep-seated acrimony between the owners and players.

Manfred submitted a new offer for a 60-game season to the players, bringing both sides closer to a deal to play a truncated 2020 season. The discussions signal newfound traction to play this year while moving toward an end to the bitter labor dispute between the players and owners.

-- John Lombardo

MANFRED-CLARK MEETING BRINGS OPTIMISM FOR MLB SEASON

• There is now renewed and significant hope that MLB and the MLBPA are closing in on a deal to stage a truncated season, reports SBJ's Eric Prisbell. After MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem and MLBPA lead negotiator Bruce Meyer found themselves at an impasse following the exchange of sternly-worded letters and a series of counter-proposals in recent weeks, Commissioner Rob Manfred made the dramatic move yesterday in flying to Arizona to meet one-on-one with union chief Tony Clark.
  
  
• MLB also sent a new 60-game economic proposal to the union today, the first from the league that offers full prorated salaries for players, a source familiar with the offer told SBJ. The union has been adamant that players receive full prorated salaries because it feels that issue was settled in a March 26 agreement.
  
  
• Manfred in a statement said that he and Clark met at Manfred's request and that they left the meeting with a "jointly developed framework that we agreed could form the basis of an agreement and subject to conversations with our respective constituents." The Manfred-Clark meeting was significant not only because it represents a climatic turning point in the process, but also because dialogue had been virtually nonexistent recently in this process. MLB has viewed this as the most unusual labor negotiating process it can recall because of the lack of phone calls and overall communication. The process has been defined by mutual distrust.
  
  
• Also included in the latest MLB offer is an expanded postseason, which could include as many as 16 teams. An expanded postseason is important for the league because it is expected to generate nearly $1 billion in TV revenue. Without an expanded postseason, the league would lose out on some $200 million in media revenue. The regular season is expected to conclude in late September, as MLB has maintained must occur because of the risk of a second wave of the coronavirus.
  
  
• It wouldn't be a surprise if the number of games grows or shrinks a little from 60, but the framework of a deal is on the negotiating table, finally. And baseball fans can now see the prospects of a 2020 season growing much brighter after weeks of acrimony.

NBA GAMEDAY AT DISNEY HAS TIGHT CONSTRAINTS

• The NBA has sent highly detailed health and safety protocols for teams set to restart the season at Disney next month, and little is left to chance in the 108-page document, notes SBJ's John Lombardo. The league also sent out a 100-plus page document for the restart that offers players everything from virtual chaplain services to ping pong. It’s a comprehensive approach that likely will serve as a template for other leagues as they head toward restarts of their own. But it’s impossible to eliminate all risk of the virus. "This virus is one that keeps fooling us," said Dr. Anthony Fauci in the L.A. Times.
  
  
• Below is a sampling from the NBA Players Handbook that outlines a typical gameday schedule for 7:00pm ET games at Disney, with strict controls in place.
  
  
  • 4:30-5:00pm: Pregame transportation to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. 15-minute commute, teams go to locker room upon arrival
  • 5:00-6:15pm: Court access for warmup -- most likely not on game court. Players will most likely not have access to the court prior to 120-minute pregame window
  • 6:15-6:40pm: Pregame meeting in locker room. No pregame media availability with players
  • 6:40-7:00pm: Pregame warmups on game court
  • 7:02-7:10pm: Pregame introductions. Player introductions will be pre-recorded
  • 9:40-9:50pm: Postgame team meeting. Maximum of 10 minutes allowed
  • 9:50-10:20pm: Postgame media availability Following head coach, minimum two players available in press conference room, additional two players available for virtual “locker room availability” if requested. Limited to 30 minutes
  • 10:25-10:40pm: Transportation to hotel 15-minute commute
  • 11:00pm: Showers and meals available at hotel

CITI OPEN LOOKS TO CAPITALIZE WITH RETURN OF ATP

• The Citi Open in D.C. will be the ATP's first tournament back, running Aug. 13-21, following a five-month suspension of play. The current plan to play without fans, which could be modified, is a win for tournament operator Mark Ein, writes SBJ’s Bret McCormick. Ein was worried that his event might get scrapped, not only by the pandemic and/or tour suspensions, but the tours’ schedule reshuffling, which, for example, saw the ATP Winston-Salem Open make way so that the Western & Southern Open could be moved from Cincinnati to Flushing Meadows from Aug. 20-28, the week prior to the U.S. Open.

• "Many points along the road, the tournament was in doubt,” Ein said. “To get to the point where we could be the start of the pro tour, it took incredible collaboration amongst all our stakeholders.” The Citi Open has been a combined event in recent years, but it wasn’t ready to be included on the WTA’s 20-tournament schedule released today. Ein said the decision centered on logistics. “It just didn’t get to the point of being final today,” he said. “I’m optimistic. We’re committed to showcasing women that week and we want to do it through a tournament, we just have to get all the details worked out.”

• Ein and Citi Open organizers have been working with sponsors to find ways to deliver on their agreements despite the likely absence of spectators and hospitality opportunities. Ein said that there will probably be virtual hospitality events with players, more cars parked on courts promoting automotive partners, and novel sponsor signage in the empty stands.

• Ein and Tennis Channel expect strong viewership for the ATP's return. “There is a whole other set of sponsors who are really interested in the media exposure that’s going to come with being associated with this,” said Ein. “We’ve had a lot of existing sponsors who have stepped up and we’re grateful, and a whole new set of conversations we’ve never had before.”

EPL GETS BACK ON THE FIELD AFTER 100-DAY ABSENCE

• The English Premier League returned to the pitch today with Aston Villa-Sheffield United, and NBCSN’s Robbie Earle said the “clubs, the teams, the players have all been united,” in that they “feel it’s the right time” to return after a 100-day absence. NBCSN’s Robbie Mustoe noted the return to play has been “driven and guided by the U.K. government.” Mustoe added there had been a “little bit of encouragement … gained from the Bundesliga coming back."
  
  
• All players in the two matches held today “took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement at kick-off in their matches.” Sky Sports dedicated the opening 45 minutes of Aston Villa-Sheffield United to addressing issues of racial inequality in society and in soccer. Both matches also saw sides “perform a minute’s silence” in honor of England's National Health Service workers. Players had the NHS symbol “printed in a love heart on the front of their jerseys."
  
  
• U.K. Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston has warned that the prospect of staging EPL games at neutral venues "would be back on the agenda if fans ignore pleas to remain away from grounds" as the season resumes. 

EPL players in the two matches held today took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement at kick off

TECH ISSUES MAR VIRTUAL 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

• An attempt at a virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans over the weekend ran into a host of technical snags, including the race having to be red-flagged at one point due to server stability issues, according to The Esports Observer's Tobias Seck. The event, held in lieu of the actual race which has been postponed until September, was run on the rFactor2 platform, which has been hosting virtual Formula E esports initiatives. rFactor2 is a competitor with iRacing, which has hosted virtual races for NASCAR, IndyCar and the W Series.
  
  

• Several well-known participants experienced issues during the race. Simon Pagenaud, the 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner, was forced to swap his entire rig mid-race, while two-time F1 champ and reigning 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Fernando Alonso saw his FA/RB Allinsports team get eliminated from the race due to a tech issue around refueling. Team Redline, which was favored to win, was eliminated in a crash caused by a bug in the game while leading the race, prompting its two real-world drivers -- F1's Lando Norris and Max Verstappen -- to express their frustrations.
  
  

• Not all drivers were as frustrated with the bugs. Former F1 champ Jenson Button tweeted: "Virtual 24hrs of Le Mans was pretty epic. We had good pace but a couple of incidents in the race cost us quite a bit of time so we came home P9. Big thanks to @zanshosimsport for all their work behind the scenes."

Some drivers were calling for future virtual endurance races to switch from the rFactor2 platform to iRacing

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: EVOLVING SPONSORSHIP STRATEGIES

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from Kevin Nathanson, who is set to join Wasserman Media Group's brands and properties team this summer. Nathanson, a graduate of Columbia’s Masters in Sports Management program, writes under the header, "Evolving sponsorship strategies will be permanent fixtures."
  
  
• "When the sports world does resume play, there will be changes that will create a new normal. One aspect that will inevitably change is the role of sponsorships. Some sponsorship changes will be temporary while others may be long-lasting. One short-term change is that early sponsorship and ad placement during games will be relatively more expensive than in years past, despite media spend in the industry being down due to COVID-19."

• To read Nathanson's 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

• New York Arena Partners named its five-person exec team for Belmont Park Arena today, including Tom Pistore as President of Commercial Operations and Hank Abate as President of Arena Operations. Pistore previously worked for more than 20 years at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment while Abate, who is also president of OVG Facilities, spent prior time at MSG. Others rounding out the Belmont exec team are Charles Groneman (CFO), Zachary Klein (General Counsel) and Lea del Rosario (Senior VP/HR). Belmont Park is scheduled to open for the 2021-22 NHL season.
  
  
• TikTok will see a big boost in revenue in 2020, but that growth will be tempered by advertisers slashing spending amid the pandemic. The Information cites sources as saying that the social media platform "aims to generate $500 million in revenue from the U.S. alone." Last year, TikTok "brought in about $200 million to $300 million in revenue worldwide." 
  
  
• With Patrick Kraft headed to Boston College early next month, Fran Dunphy, the former men's basketball coach at Temple, has been named interim AD for the Owls, effective July 1. The Philadelphia Inquirer cites a source as saying that Dunphy is "not expected to be a candidate" for the position on a permanent basis, "but that could change." The source added that Temple "hopes to have an athletic director named within 90 days."
  
  
• Minnesota-based Comet Clothing, which holds the trademark on Zubaz, has “filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection as it continues operations.” The pandemic “played at least a partial role in the company’s June 12 bankruptcy filing, hampering its ability to fulfill orders -- and get paid for them” -- during Q2. It also caused Comet to pull the planned March launch of a “co-branded line with Adidas” that would have included cleats, gloves and training apparel. The company has licensing agreements with MLB, the NFL, WWE and nearly 50 colleges. 

Zubaz has licensing agreements with MLB, the NFL, WWE and nearly 50 colleges

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:
  
  
  • Pegulas Downplay COVID's Financial Impact On Bills' Future
  • Report: Some MLB Team Owners Prefer Not Playing This Season
  • Trudeau Backs Three Canadian Cities Vying To Be NHL Hubs
  •  AVP Plans Return With Three-Event Series In Long Beach
     

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • POV Sports Marketing founder Molly Arbogast discusses about how sports marketing will evolve and develop during, and after, the pandemic.
  • MIT's Ben Shields discusses how the sports industry can survive the pandemic and in what ways innovation can reshape the sports industry.
    
  • Bill King is joined by Adam Stern and they discuss the impact of NASCAR banning the confederate flag at its events and properties.

LAST WEEK TO NOMINATE FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS

Now is the time to nominate a change agent within your organization for Game Changers. The deadline of midnight June 21 is fast approaching. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue, recognizing women who are pushing forward and changing the 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.

On a positive note for sports today, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave the green light for the U.S. Open tennis to be held on time in Queens later this summer. The LPGA announced it’s returning to play in late July for two Ohio tournaments, while NASCAR is aiming for 30,000 fans at next month’s All-Star race at Bristol Motor Speedway. I’m cautiously optimistic about how the latter plays out.

Meanwhile, MLB is no closer to beginning the 2020 season following last evening’s ESPN “The Return of Sports” special, after Commissioner Rob Manfred’s comments only exacerbated fan sentiment toward a league that could’ve been the first of the Big Five to play. Manfred stated that the current situation between the league and union is a “disaster.”

Stay safe and be kind to one another.

-- Mark J. Burns

QUEENS SET FOR FALL TENNIS DOUBLEHEADER

• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo broke the news today that tennis' U.S. Open will go forward -- without fans. That was followed by a statement from USTA CEO Mike Dowse, confirming that the Western & Southern Open will also shift east from Cincinnati to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, creating a doubleheader in Queens. The W&S Open has been played in Ohio since 1899. That news today also gives the first hint at a fall schedule that is supposed to be announced more fully on Wednesday by the ATP and WTA, writes SBJ's Bret McCormick.

• “We recognize the tremendous responsibility of hosting one of the first global sporting events in these challenging times, and we will do so in the safest manner possible, mitigating all potential risks,” Dowse wrote in the USTA statement. “We now can give fans around the world the chance to watch tennis' top athletes compete for a U.S. Open title, and we can showcase tennis as the ideal social distancing sport. Being able to hold these events in 2020 is a boost for the City of New York and the entire tennis landscape.”

• The W&S Open’s move will allow players to set up camp in the New York area for close to a month, reducing cross-country travel, COVID-19 exposure and making any quarantine efforts more worth their while. The week-long W&S Open will likely start Aug. 24, followed by the start of the U.S. Open on Aug. 31. Not all players appear interested in doing that, with WTA No. 2 Simona Halep already professing doubt that she’ll feel comfortable traveling. Other top players, like Novak Djokovic, have also voiced concerns about the restrictive conditions under which both tournaments will be held.

MLB STILL HAS TIME FOR SHORTENED SEASON

• The number to watch in MLB in the coming days is eight, writes SBJ's Eric Prisbell. If 75% of owners (at least 23 of 30) do not approve of a return-to-play schedule plan, that could nix a truncated season. SNY's Andy Martino cited sources as saying that that there are currently six owners who don't want to play this year. As the window continues to narrow for the staging of any season to occur beyond 65-some games, gauging the will of the owners -- especially if such a season would require total player salaries beyond $1.5 billion -- will be critical in determining what type of season, if any, will occur.

• After the union on Saturday dared MLB to mandate a 50-game season, Commissioner Rob Manfred could have moved forward with that unilateral plan, but has not. Instead, MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem essentially told the union in a letter that no season would start unless the MLBPA waived its right to file a grievance, a source familiar with the letter told SBJ. So the only practical next step, in addition to reaching an agreement on all health and safety protocols, is to go back to the negotiating table to try to find common ground on a salary structure.

• Now, any proposal MLB presents that does not entail a fully prorated salary structure would prove futile. The union says its players are unified, unwilling on principle to accept any other deal. What the league insists on is an expanded lucrative postseason that would include as many as 16 teams and a regular season that concludes no later than Sept. 27. There should be a middle ground both can find that involves somewhere between 57 and 67 games. But they need to find that spot soon because the calendar is not in their favor.

LPGA RESTARTING SEASON NEXT MONTH IN OHIO

• The LPGA today announced that it will resume its season next month with back-to-back tournaments in Northwest Ohio, one of them a new event. The Drive On Championship will be played at Inverness July 31-Aug. 2, the tour's first event since February. It will be televised on Golf Channel, and fans "will not be permitted to attend."

• The Marathon LPGA Classic will take place Aug. 6-9 at Highland Meadows Golf Club. At that event, moved from its original July 23-26 dates, there will be fans but "no grandstands," with thermal scanning and social distancing "in effect."

MIT SLOAN PROFESSOR: "RISKIER TO NOT INNOVATE DURING THIS TIME"

• The rapid adoption of video conferencing and the popularity of curbside pickup are two examples of necessity driving innovation as businesses have responded to the pandemic. MIT Sloan School of Management Senior Lecturer Ben Shields and SBJ’s Bill King discuss innovations that could reshape the sports industry as it resumes play in the latest episode of the SBJ Unpacks: The Road Ahead podcast, available now.

• "Certainly, there are a number of short-term challenges that the industry is facing and working through," said Shields, who hosts the first installment of a three-part webcast series that debuts today on the MIT Sloan web site. "But from where I sit I would suggest that this is also an opportunity to think about the future. No doubt we are in a period of re-invention in the industry. ... In many respects, it is riskier not to innovate during this time."

• For more of Shields observations, many of which focus on the essential pivot to digital, check out the latest episode of SBJ Unpacks: The Road Ahead.

• Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker couldn’t be happier to be back at work, after the museum reopened to fans in Canton last Wednesday at a reduced capacity. “You don't know how much you miss all these kids and families until you've been without them,” Baker said. “The Hall of Fame had never been closed in its history two consecutive days.” A little over 100 people were in the building its first day back, with that number rising to about 300 by Sunday. The max capacity for the time being is 800.

• Baker made sure the HOF’s time closed to the public was well spent. “We had a whole lot of work that was done during the three months we were closed,” he said. “Everything from cleaning up boilers and shampooing carpets to re-painting everything.” Away from the museum, the HOF worked with several HOFers on social messaging and partnered with nonprofit Project Isaiah to provide over two million meals to families in NFL cities.

• It is “strongly recommended” that fans visiting the HOF right now wear a mask, Baker said. They will even be provided with one if they don’t bring their own. Other health protocols include touchless hand sanitation stations and deep cleans every night. Most exhibits are still open, with visitors using styluses for interactive/touch stations and theaters reducing capacity from about 50 to 10. Baker said the only things fans won’t be able to do right now are activities like trying on a helmet or shoulder pads.

• Moving forward, the HOF is following the NFL’s lead and operating as if the HOF Game and enshrinement ceremony will take place as planned. While Baker hasn’t ruled any audible out, including a TV-only event, he feels having friends and family in attendance is what the ceremony is about. “I'm not a big fan,” he said of not having spectators. “We can certainly provide virtual content that we think can be inspirational but I'm not sure of using that method to honor our enshrinees.” Baker: “There's contingencies that go all the way through to next year and really combining the Centennial 2020 class with the class of 2021,” Baker said.

Baker (left center) and the Pro Football Hall of Fame welcomed about 100 visitors its first day back open

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

• NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the Cowboys and Texans both “followed proper protocol for a player testing positive for the coronavirus." Because of privacy laws “they are unable to provide information regarding the personal health of one of their employees.” NFL Net's Judy Battista said “positive tests are not a surprise to the league” which is “why the testing protocol is going to be so important.” She added the “priority is going to be limiting the spread, that’s why getting the testing protocol nailed down is so important."

• MLS Commissioner Don Garber said on an ESPN special the league's return tournament in Orlando will have more cameras and audio than there would be normally. "There will be unique virtual insertion technology," he said. "We’re thinking about and talking with our supporters about how to include them in the process and can we do Zoom live interactions in our end zones. We have a unique open palette ... that does give us the opportunity to use technology in ways that we’ve been contemplating."

• The latest ESPN documentary, “Long Gone Summer,” averaged 775,000 viewers on Sunday night, per SBJ’s Austin Karp. The premiere, which chronicled Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa’s home-run chase in 1998, was just below the 780,000 viewers that ESPN averaged for “Unmatched” in 2010, which looked at the relationship between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. “Long Gone Summer” was just above the 771,000 viewers for the premiere of “Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau” in 2013.

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:
  
  
  • NASCAR All-Star Race Leaving Charlotte For Only The Second Time
  • Rose Bowl Faces Uncertain Financial Future Amid Pandemic Revenue Loss
  • Sources: NBA, Players Expected To Find Common Ground For Restart
  • NFLPA Estimates $3B In Losses If Games Forced To Be Fan-Less

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • MIT's Ben Shields discusses how the sports industry can survive the pandemic and in what ways innovation can reshape the sports industry.
    
  • SBJ's Bill King and Adam Stern discuss the impact of NASCAR banning the confederate flag at its events and properties.
  • PGA Tour Senior VP Andy Levinson shares insight into the Tour's return to the links and what lies ahead.

LAST WEEK TO NOMINATE FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS

Now is the time to nominate a change agent within your organization for Game Changers. The deadline of midnight June 21 is fast approaching. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue, recognizing women who are pushing forward and changing the 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.

The reality that the pandemic's impact -- financially, socially and, of course, heath-wise -- will last beyond 2020 has become increasingly clear in the past few weeks. Sports is not exempt. While leagues are slowly finding short-term solutions enabling a return to action, the long-term impacts of these situations will be felt for many years, especially in relations between leagues and their players.

Already, the NBA’s return-to-play plan appears to be meeting resistance as star players express concerns over safety protocols and worry that playing basketball could undermine the Black Lives Matter movement. Murmurs of discontent are stirring from MLS players too, who will be right across the street from the NBA at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, and who were handled roughly by owners during recent CBA negotiations.

And as MLB struggles to get back on the field, the mistrust between the players’ union and ownership seems to be only worsening. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says is unsure of what's next and signs are pointing to him likely unilaterally salvaging a 50-game season.

MANFRED NOW UNSURE MLB SEASON HAPPENS

• MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred today said he's "not confident" there will be a 2020 baseball season, while speaking to ESPN for the net's "The Return of Sports" special that airs tonight. Manfred walked back comments made last week, when he said "unequivocally we are going to play Major League Baseball this year" and pegged the likelihood at "100 percent." After a weekend of bad news for the league, Manfred today said that "as long as there's no dialogue" with the MLBPA, "that real risk is going to continue."

• Manfred: "I'm not confident. I think there's real risk; and as long as there's no dialogue, that real risk is gonna continue." He added, "The owners are 100 percent committed to getting baseball back on the field. Unfortunately, I can't tell you that I'm 100 percent certain that's gonna happen."

• The MLBA released a statement this evening, in which Executive Director Tony Clark said any implication the union has delayed progress is "completely false." Clark said Manfred has "recently acknowledged the parties are 'very, very close.'" He went on to call Manfred's comments just the "latest threat" from MLB, which he claimed have "always been about extracting additional pay cuts" form the players.

NFLPA EXPECTS FAN-LESS SEASON TO COST AT LEAST $3 BILLION

• NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith on a call today with agents reportedly said that the union has "had preliminary calls with the NFL on projections for the 2021 salary cap and it’s safe to say a season without fans would have at least a $3 billion impact on revenue." NFL Network's Tom Pelissero notes the CBA states that the NFL and NFLPA "must bargain in good faith if there’s a significant revenue shortfall." However, bargaining "hasn’t started, per Smith."

• On that same call, NFLPA Medical Dir Thom Mayer said that the current plan for this season is to "test players for COVID-19 about 3 times a week, isolating those who test positive." Per Mayer, there is a "90% chance reliable saliva testing is available before players return to facilities." Smith said that the union "expects to make headway on overall protocols going forward in the next 30 days or so."

WNBA IN GOOD SHAPE WITH RESTART PLANS

• Today’s announcement that the WNBA’s 2020 season is planned to be played at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., beginning in late July is a huge win for Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who is in her first full season running the league, writes SBJ's John Lombardo. The plan calls for each of the league’s 12 teams to play a modified 22-game season at the IMG complex in front of no fans, to be followed by its traditional eight-team playoff format. Players will receive their full salaries and benefits for the season that originally called for a 36-game schedule that was supposed to start on May 15.

• The deal helps maintain some of the league’s hard-won traction it gained with a new eight-year labor deal signed in January that increases the average WNBA player salary to $130,000 while providing increased travel and health benefits, including paid maternity leave for the players. The WNBA is also coming off its 2019 season that brought a rebranding and a major marquee sponsorship deal with AT&T that puts the company’s name on team jerseys. The reformatted season will give the WNBA a platform for social issues, a critical component for the league and its players

• WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike in a statement said, "In our discussions with the league, we emphasized and they agreed that a strong commitment to a 2020 season will give the WNBA the chance to show the world that it's taking the steps needed to secure our livelihood and well-being, while also providing the opportunity to amplify our collective voice. We have always been at the forefront of (social justice) initiatives.. ... This is not only necessary from a humanitarian perspective, but it may be one of the biggest opportunities that this league has and will ever have.”

NASCAR MOVES ALL-STAR RACE TO BRISTOL

• NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports are moving next month’s All-Star Race from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Bristol Motor Speedway, in part because of rising coronavirus cases in North Carolina -- marking just the second time the event won’t be held in the Queen City. SBJ's Adam Stern notes news of the impending announcement started leaking out this afternoon, and Speedway Motorsports President & CEO Marcus Smith later confirmed it on FS1’s "Race Hub." Smith revealed that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has green-lit up to 30,000 fans for the race on July 15th. That may sound like a lot of people, but it’s slightly under 20% of capacity of the massive venue that can seat 160,000.

• Meanwhile, NASCAR is considering moving numbers to the rear quarter panel of the car for next month's race, as a first-time experiment for the Cup Series, per sources. NASCAR's minor-league K&N Series started experimenting with this in 2017 to see if it gives sponsors better branding. SBJ's initial report of this possibility tonight on Twitter immediately generated a massive response from NASCAR’s hardcore fanbase, which largely appears to want to keep the traditional style of the number in the middle of the side of the car.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR FAN-LESS TOURNAMENT

• S.F. public health officials have "approved plans to hold the PGA Championship in early August at Harding Park" and the S.F. Chronicle is reporting the event "will take place without spectators." The PGA of America is "expected to make an official announcement" tomorrow.

• The event, scheduled for Aug. 6-9, will be the "first major championship in Harding’s 95-year history." This year’s PGA also will serve as the first major of the reshaped '20 golf season. Spectators who "bought tickets to the tournament will be given refunds."

SPARTAN RACE RETURNS TO ACTION IN U.S.

• Spartan Race on Saturday held its first U.S. event since putting race operations on hold three months ago at Jacksonville’s WW Motocross Park, marking the first mass-participation competition since the beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns. The return required strict safety regulations, which Spartan Founder & CEO Joe De Sena, who drove to the event from his home in Vermont, told SBJ's Chris Smith stack up against anything else he’s seen. “All the places I saw going down, they were not even close to the proper procedures and protocol compared to what we did," he said. "Not even close.”

• Organizers capped active racing to a maximum of 300 racers on the course at any one time, and all water obstacles were removed. Around half of the course was expanded in width. Participants could only be in the venue within 30 minutes before and after the race, and all were temperature screened (nobody registered high enough to be denied entry). De Sena estimates that some 35 race organizers were on hand to examine Spartan’s safety procedures, and that three times that many have since reached out.

• Overall, the race weekend hosted around 2,000 participants, down from a typical headcount of over 7,000. De Sena said the restrictions made the event a money loser, with severely reduced revenues from registrations, merchandise sales and sponsorships. “The economics just don’t work,” said De Sena. “If it wasn’t for PPP, there’s no way we could have done this.” He suggested raceday revenues were down as much as 70%, but that it was important to demonstrate that racing can safely return. De Sena: “Somebody had to step off the ledge and say, ‘Hey guys, we have to come back as an industry.’”

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: GUIDING LIGHT

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from sports marketing agency 4Front co-Founder Dan Migala, who writes, "In a post-COVID world ... adaptable sports executives will be wise to embrace a new parallel to ROI and layer on a focus for Return on Inspiration."
  
  
• "Those executives that can look to inspire their fans during this tumultuous time will be rewarded for years to come for the positive impact they had on their communities. Looking to generate both a Return on Inspiration and a Return on Investment is defined as the 'Double Bottom Line' and it’s never a more relevant strategy than it is right now."
  
  
• To read Migala's 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

• Kyrie Irving’s push to not resume the NBA season was no doubt a hot topic for popular sports podcasts today. Brian Windhorst, on “ESPN Daily,” said: “It’s turned off some players that the union worked for weeks very diligently and under a lot of pressure to put together a deal that really does benefit many of the players and Kyrie was a part of that, ratified it and then so quickly changed his track.” Bill Simmons said, “I think the prevailing wisdom will be that the stage that they’ll be able to have for nine to ten straight weeks … is the best possible use of their platform.”

• News of the MLB-Turner deal has inflamed tensions as MLB tries to negotiate return-to-play scenarios with the MLBPA, reports John Ourand in tonight’s SBJ Media newsletter. In a statement released over the weekend, the association cited the Turner deal in rejecting “hundreds of millions in further concessions.” The MLBPA’s lead negotiator Bruce Meyer, in a letter on Saturday to MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem, wrote, “We ask again that you provide us with details on this and other negotiations.”

• The 2020 Vans US Open of Surfing presented by Swatch has been canceled and will return in 2021. The annual event at the Huntington Beach Pier -- sanctioned and operated by the World Surf League under license from IMG, the event owner -- was originally scheduled to run in early August.

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:
  
  
  • Roberts: NBA Players Debating How Best To Further Movement
  • NBA Will Test Players, Staff Every Other Day Starting June 23
  • PGA Tour To Share Lessons Learned From Return Event With Leagues
  • NHL Urges Players Needing Extended Work Visas To Return
  • Mets, Yankees Lose Millions In Potential Ballpark Revenue

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Bill King is joined by Adam Stern and they discuss the impact of NASCAR banning the confederate flag at its events and properties.
  • PGA Tour Senior VP Andy Levinson shares insight into the Tour's return to the links and what lies ahead.
  • Food services consultant Chris Bigelow on how social distancing policies and other aspects of a changed world will impact sports venues.

LAST WEEK TO NOMINATE FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS

Now is the time to nominate a change agent within your organization for Game Changers. The deadline of midnight June 21 is fast approaching. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue, recognizing women who are pushing forward and changing the 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.

NBA players are asking pointed questions today about the terms of the league’s restart in Orlando, and it seems likely that at least some stars will opt out. Yesterday, Wall Street remembered there’s a pandemic on and stocks plummeted.

Combined with reports of rising COVID-19 cases in some states, this week has brought stark reminders that nobody flipped the "off" switch. It's still out there, and still dangerous. There's been an undeniable sense of momentum around sports coming back lately, but it will be difficult and frustrating at times.

LATEST MLB OWNERSHIP PROPOSAL CALLS FOR 72-GAME SEASON

• The MLBPA late this afternoon received the latest formal proposal from owners calling for a 72-game season. The regular season would start on July 14 and end on Sept. 27, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
  
  
• Players would "receive a 80% guarantee of their prorated salaries with a postseason, 70% with no postseason." 
  
  
• The deadline for the MLBPA to agree to the proposal is Sunday night. However, Nightengale reports the union is "expected to formally reject the proposal" before then. This represents the third exchange of proposals between the two sides this week.

OPTIMISM WANING OVER NBA RESTART?

• Hours after the report that a significant number of NBA players are "disappointed that everyone wasn’t given the opportunity to vote on whether to restart" the season, Bleacher Report's Howard Beck cites an agent saying that two-thirds of the top 40 players invited to Orlando would "refuse to play under the proposed restrictions."
  
  
• According to Beck, Nets guard Kyrie Irving has been a "driving force" in organizing calls between players and voicing concern.
  
  
• Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reports some players have been "reluctant to express their views in fear of opposing the superstars who are adamant about playing if proper safety measures are in place."

Irving reportedly has been a "driving force" in organizing calls between players and voicing concern over the restart

PREMIER LEAGUE ALL-IN ON VIRTUAL WATCH PARTIES, FAKE CROWD NOISE

• When the EPL resumes play on Wednesday, virtual watch parties will now be part of the experience, writes SBJ’s Mark J. Burns.
  
  
• NBC Coordinating Producer Pierre Moossa said those feeds will be “fed into (stadiums’) JumboTron” so fans can view matches, albeit virtually. Moossa also said that teams may also “use some very specific customization of the stadium experience,” too. He added that tarps, which will be customized based on the home team, will cover the first tiers that fans will see on television.
  
  
• Moossa: “All the different sports are trying to find ways to cover the game behind closed doors, but as you get down to it, certain sports are more tied or associated with certain experiences than others. Ultimately, we felt strongly that the Premier League experience needed to have -- and was a better experience -- with the enhanced atmospheric audience.” That will include fake crowd noise provided by EA Sports. 

HEAT SEASON-TICKET RENEWALS HOLDING STEADY AMID PANDEMIC

• One of the few positives of business being frozen for the past three months is that America’s absolute need for sports has never been more apparent, writes SBJ's Terry Lefton. What was a longing is now a craving. A recent manifestation of this are the season-ticket sales of the Heat, renewing at around 95%. 
  
  
• Exec VP & Chief Commercial Officer John Vidalin said that’s about the same level as the prior year, but considering the pandemic, the highest U.S. unemployment rates since the 1930s, and that no one knows when the Heat or any NBA team will again have fans at their games, it's a hopeful reminder that fan is short for fanatic.
  
  
• “We started early, we were having a good year on court, and consistently selling, even recently, with our entire season-ticket group working remotely,” Vidalin said. “You never expect to be in the kind of position everyone is, but their training is showing now,” Vidalin said. 

UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES CREATE OPPORTUNITY FOR NEW TENNIS COMPETITION

• With the ATP and WTA tours suspended, tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglu put his free time to use. He concocted the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, which begins Saturday at his tennis academy in southern France, playing each weekend (with no fans in attendance) until a July 12 final. 
• UTS is not an exhibition, rather a competition that Mouratoglu hopes will continue beyond the pandemic, growing to coexist alongside the tours. Mouratoglu, who coaches Serena Williams and Coco Gauff, thinks UTS’ rules and format will differentiate it from traditional tennis, leading to shorter matches and more emphasis on players’ personalities and interactions.
• “It would great for the whole industry to find space for us,” Mouratoglu told SBJ’s Bret McCormick. “But we are far from there, yet. We don’t know how tennis is going to look in the future, how the calendar is going to look in the future. There are a lot of question marks."

BASS ANGLER CIRCUIT BACK IN ACTION

• They’re weighing their catches while wearing masks, but multiple tours of the American Bass Anglers are back on the water, after the coronavirus caused it to miss between 50-75 events in April and May, writes SBJ's Terry Lefton. Longtime ABA President & Owner Morris Sheehan said that most of the events missed were in Virginia, Maryland and the Northeast. ABA sanctions a remarkable 900 events across multiple divisions this year and still will hold 80 -85% of them, Sheehan said.
   
• Like many medical workers, Sheehan said one of the most difficult things was acquiring supplies. He ended up making his own hand sanitizer after a fruitless three-week search.
• ABA returns to the Northeast for the first time on June 27 on Lake Champlain in upstate New York. On land, fans and participants are required to stand six feet apart. Sheehan: "The thing more people need to know is that fishing from a boat is the ultimate form of social distancing. The next person is half a mile down the lake.’’  

WORKING FROM HOME WITH GOLFNOW’S JEFF FOSTER

• GolfNow Senior VP Jeff Foster has been overseeing the NBC Sports Group-owned online tee time service remotely from his recently moved-into Orlando home since March. “I did not set up a house with a personal office ... and so I'm literally bouncing around from room to room,” Foster told SBJ's David Rumsey. And naturally, observing action on the neighborhood golf course from his backyard has provided Foster with some workday entertainment.
  
  
• At the peak of pandemic closures in March, about 50% of courses GolfNow works with temporarily shut down, but the service still saw an uptick in rounds booked and new golfers, as the sport was one of the few activities still allowed in many places. “We had to operate like we're running the day-to-day business, yet do it from home and then try and figure out how to help golfers and operators work through all various restrictions and asks by the local governments,” Foster said.
  
  
• Foster has been so impressed with how the 500 or so GolfNow employees have managed working remotely that he is in no rush to get back into the office. “One of the biggest learnings we’ve had, besides the productivity, is that we can work remotely and be as effective,” he said. Foster: “What we used to do, do you need to do it that way anymore?”
  
  
• Besides a few weekend golf rounds and spending time with his kids, Foster has enjoyed walking in his neighborhood as much as he can. "I'm trying to do as any calls as I can while I'm moving. … I’m trying to encourage everyone: ‘get outside, you need it.’ You can still do what you're doing.” 

Foster enjoys working from his back porch with a view of the neighborhood golf course

• Want to share what your work-from-home setup is like? Reach out to SBJ's David Rumsey.

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: GUIDING LIGHT

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from Attention Span Media CEO Josh McHugh, who asks, "What will be the 'new normal' of the sports experience, and what does the path look like between now and then?"
  
  
• "Creating plausible scenarios even a few weeks out is extremely difficult amid the flood of fragmented signals. But stadium design is a long game, and we can start envisioning the post-pandemic landscape by looking at COVID-19’s impact on several of the technological and sociological forces of change giving shape to the present, the near-term future and long-term future of sports."
  
  
• To read McHugh's 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

• The NHL is hoping to restart play “in or around August 1” after announcing training camps will open on July 10, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. It was “important” for the NHL to announce the date for the opening of training camps because there is a large number of players “overseas that have to make travel plans.” The July 10 date “could still change if negotiations drag on in Phase 3 and Phase 4, and those negotiations are just in their infancy right now.”
  
  

• Wake Forest AD John Currie tells the Winston-Salem Journal that his school “isn’t interested in nor has it been approached about moving its September football game against Notre Dame away from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte” amid the pandemic. Currie: “Candidly, the demand for tickets would far exceed what we can fill at BB&T Field, especially if we have to take -- as we would assume now -- some sort of social distancing parameters. … Obviously with a stadium like Bank of America Stadium, you’ve got a lot more room to spread people out if you need to.”
  
  
• “I’ve never been to the state of Illinois in my life.” That was an interesting line from Ashton Washington, the Fighting Illini football program's new director of high school relations. Appearing on the “BTN Take Ten Podcast,” Washington, who was hired on May 19, said getting a job during the pandemic was a “blessing in disguise.” Washington, who was previously with the XFL before it folded, will be the first woman on the Illini staff. 
  
  

• Members of the executive council of the WNBPA spoke with team representatives Thursday night, which means the league and the player's union "could be near an agreement on the season," according to a source cited by ESPN. The league is "projected to have a 22-game regular season, starting July 24, with play at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla." 
  
  
• The CFL may be the latest league to embrace the "bubble" concept to salvage a 2020 season. Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said a "potential hub approach" is "being discussed" with the CFLPA. But Ambrosie cautioned the outlook is still not great for the gate-driven league. "We are a bums-in-seats league. That is the driving force that makes our league special and what makes it great. It won't be easy." 

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:
  
  
  • NFL's $250M Pledge To Bolster League's Social Justice Platforms
  • PGA Tour Returns With Quiet, Fan-Less Charles Schwab Challenge
  • Blue Jays Still Hopeful Of Playing In Toronto, But Issues Remain
  • Source: Seahawks Consider Half-Filled CenturyLink Field Amid Virus
  • Texas AD Chris Del Conte Leaning On Task Force To Navigate Pandemic

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • PGA Tour Senior VP Andy Levinson shares insight into the Tour's return to the links and what lies ahead.
  • Food services consultant Chris Bigelow on how social distancing policies and other aspects of a changed world will impact sports venues.
  • Turnkey Search Chairman & Founder Len Perna on the state of the sports job market.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS!

Online nominations for Game Changers are now open. We’ll be accepting nominations through midnight June 21. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue.

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.

When I spoke with Andy Levinson from his home near the PGA Tour’s Ponta Vedra, Fla., headquarters this morning, he’d just returned from Ft. Worth, where the Tour today resumed its 2020 schedule at Colonial Country Club after a three-month pause.

Each sport has certain hurdles associated with returning to play during a pandemic. Like auto racing, golf benefits from the solitary nature of the competition. But that doesn’t mean resuming safely wasn’t a complicated task.

"There’s been so much time and effort on the part of so many people to get us back to this point,” said Levinson, the Tour’s Senior VP/Tournament Administration. “When we finally got to the golf course, there was certainly a sense of relief. Not the relief that we’ll feel on Sunday when the tournament is completed. But certainly a sense of relief that we’re here, we’ve done the preparation and the stage is set. We’re ready to go. It certainly felt like a long time coming, even though it was only three months. It really felt like a long time coming, so we’re very excited.”

More on golf's return in the newsletter.

PGA TOUR SENIOR VP ON GOLF'S OFFICIAL RETURN

• While golf is, by its nature, a lower risk activity during a pandemic, bringing players spread across the globe back together, and then moving them from place to place each week, is not. Add in piecing together an event schedule in states with varied approaches to re-opening, re-vamping tournament operations to protect not only players, but hundreds of event workers, and developing a testing protocol appropriate for four days of competition, and you have a complex path to resumption. 
  
  
• PGA Tour Senior VP/Tournament Administration Andy Levinson joined SBJ’s Bill King to discuss how golf made its way back to Ft. Worth this week, and where it goes from here, on the latest episode of the SBJ Unpacks: The Road Ahead podcast. 
  
  
• “You had to look at the tournaments that were missed and whether or not there’s an opportunity to play those tournaments,” Levinson said. “The schedule in a normal year is always a complex puzzle. And in this case it was even moreso. But we spoke with our medical advisors and marked a date on the calendar and said ‘This is when we’re going to try to come back,’ and then built the schedule around that, trying to accommodate everybody as best as we can. It was a big endeavor to make everything fit and work, but we announced the schedule, and from there all the focus became strictly on the how.”

Phil Mickelson and Gary Woodland walk to the 14th tee box at a fan-less Colonial Country Club

LAFC ADDS TO EXPANSIVE OWNERSHIP GROUP

• LAFC has added two new minority owners, the club confirmed to SBJ’s Mark J. Burns. The new investors are Bruce Karsh, co-founder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management, and Mike Arougheti, co-founder and CEO & President of Ares Management, an investment firm he co-founded with Hawks Owner Tony Ressler and LAFC investor Bennett Rosenthal. LAFC now counts 32 individuals as part of its expansive ownership group. 
  
  
• Industry sources suggested to SBJ’s Chris Smith that cashflow issues caused by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis may lead to a wave of minority stake sales across the major sports leagues. Last week, MLS commissioner Don Garber said the league will lose $1 billion in revenue as a result of the pandemic.
  
  
• SBJ also reported last week that Kevin Durant is now a part-owner in the Union. In becoming an MLS investor, Durant joined Rockets guard James Harden, who last year took a minority stake in the group that owns the Dynamo, NWSL Dash and BBVA Stadium. 

SPRING TRAINING LOCALES TOP OF MIND FOR MLB CLUBS

• It will be interesting to watch if spikes in new COVID-19 cases in Arizona and Florida will dissuade some MLB teams from staging an anticipated three-week Spring Training 2.0 in those states, writes SBJ's Eric Prisbell. Teams have the choice of holding spring training in their markets, as the Rangers and Astros have been planning to do, or in their traditional locations in Arizona or Florida. 
  
  
• After reaching out to a dozen sources today, plans across the league vary greatly.
  
  
  • The Padres and Rockies are expected to remain in their markets rather than stage spring training in Arizona.
  • The Dodgers are planning to remain in L.A.
  • The Mariners are still discussing options.
  • The Royals are hoping to remain in Kansas City but, until a return-to-play agreement is reached, all options are under consideration.
  • The Mets and Tigers are still planning to train in Florida.
    
    
• All teams are working with various city and state governments in helping to inform these decisions. There are also other factors to consider, including summer weather disparities and players' proximity to families, etc.
  
  
• Meanwhile, despite Commissioner Rob Manfred's promise that baseball will be played in 2020, Newsday's David Lennon writes the MLBPA has "shown zero inclination to budge on the salary issue, which they believe is owed to them from the March agreement, and that could ultimately push Manfred to proceed with a season independent of the union's approval."

The Mets currently are still planning to return to Clover Park in Port St. Lucie for spring training this summer

NBA, UNION PLAN WON'T PUNISH PLAYERS FOR BUBBLE OPT-OUT

• As a faction of NBA players "hold conference calls to discuss uncertainty about restarting the season" in Orlando, the NBA and NBPA are "agreeing on a plan that would allow players to stay home without consequences," according to sources cited by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 
  
  
• Wojnarowski, appearing on "SportsCenter" earlier today, shed light on the development. "In the last week or 10 days, it has really started to hit home with a lot of players, coaches, and members of organizations how isolating and restrictive this bubble environment is going to be. ... There are certainly concerns about COVID. There are concerns about a number of issues built around having to go inside that bubble. ... You hear it more and more among the teams who know and certainly believe they’re not really going there to win a championship.”
  
  
• SI's Rohan Nadkarni wrote the "results of the NBA’s comeback will ultimately define" how Commissioner Adam Silver is "viewed for years to come." When Silver has been tested in the past, the risks "were never this severe." 

SURVEY: SEASON-TICKET HOLDERS WANT MORE FLEXIBLE TERMS 

• The COVID-19 era may usher in more favorable ticketing policies for fans. A majority of fans who owned season tickets this past year are expecting their favorite teams to offer more flexible terms, according to a survey conducted by Experience, an Atlanta-based ticketing inventory technology company. 
  
  
• Interestingly, 55% of fans of the more than 800 that were surveyed are ready to return to live events today. The demographics on those fans wanting live events to return immediately cut across all age, race and sex cohorts, Experience CEO Junior Gaspard told SBJ's Karn Dhingra.
  
  
• From April 24-May 3, Experience surveyed fans ranging in ages 18-65 and older, who had confirmed attendance at a professional or NCAA sporting event in the past 12 months. 
  
  
  • 60% of season-ticket holders will require investment guarantees to return such as refundable tickets and generous return policies.
  • Around 43% want the option to return tickets in exchange for credits to future events in case their cancellation becomes necessary.
  • Nearly 1 in 3 fans will actively seek cheaper seats, with the purchase of single-event tickets expected to be higher than in prior seasons, indicating that venues can expect an overall decline in revenue in the coming year.  
    
    
• Gaspard, a 2018 SBJ "Forty Under 40" honoree, said the new normal for teams’ season-ticket policies will be very fluid as teams adjust to the economic impact COVID will have on their business. But he does think teams will offer more flexible terms on season tickets once there’s a vaccine and venues can be filled to capacity. 

STATE OF THINGS: STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

• Viewing options are slowly accruing for sports fans, as IndyCar, Top Rank Boxing and the PGA Tour have resumed their stalled competitions -- without fans of course, writes SBJ's Bret McCormick.
  
  
• There were plenty more developments this week, led by more details of MLS' Disney bubble plan and news that Premier League Lacrosse settled on Salt Lake City as the host city for its summer competition. There was even good news for The Basketball Tournament, which reached a multiyear extension with ESPN and picked Columbus, Ohio, to host this year’s tournament from July 4-14.
  
  
• Check out SBJ's website for a rundown of major sports leagues/organizations and where they currently stand on the resumption of play. 

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

• ESPN's Jason Reid cites sources as saying the NFL "plans to increase its social justice footprint by pledging to donate $250 million over a 10-year period" to “combat systemic racism and support the battle against the ongoing and historic injustices faced by African Americans." The commitment "extends and expands the initial deal owners struck with the Players Coalition that likely would have surpassed $100 million during its term." NFL.com's Judy Battista reports the NFL "would be willing to work with Colin Kaepernick on these initiatives," according to a source.
  
  
• COVID-19 safety plans typically include some type of health screening, including temperature checks, before fans are allowed to enter the stadium. Might that be a waste of time? Russ Simons from Venue Solutions Group raised the question yesterday on a webinar with college officials. “In an honest conversation, I would tell you temperature checks are more theater than effective,” Simons said, because so many people with the virus are asymptomatic and don’t show an elevated fever. Read more in Michael Smith's SBJ College newsletter.
  
  

• The NHL and NHLPA  have agreed on July 10 as the date for formal training camps to open for the 24 teams slated to participate when games restart, writes SBJ's Mark J. Burns. This would be Phase 3 of the league’s return-to-play protocol and will occur “provided that medical and safety conditions allow and the parties have reached an overall agreement on resuming play,” according to a joint statement. The length of training camp and a start date for games, or Phase 4, is to be determined.
  
  
• The Korn Ferry Tour completed the first round of its return event at TPC Sawgrass today following four positive coronavirus tests from one player and three caddies. All four of the positive results were from tests the players and caddies took before traveling to Ponte Vedra.
  
  
• The Red Bulls held their first Virtual Marketing Partner Summit earlier this week hosted by GM Marc de Grandpre, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Joe Stetson and Senior Director of Marketing Partnerships Darren Meyer. Thirty-seven different companies took part in the hour-long summit which addressed topics and answered questions related to the pandemic and future safety guidelines.   

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: MLB Prefers To Negotiate New MLBPA Agreement On Restart
  • NASCAR's Confederate Regalia Ban Will Require Drivers' Support
  • MLS Commish Garber Confident In Safety Of Orlando Tourney
  • USTA Campaign Promotes Tennis As Social Distancing-Friendly Activity
  • NFL, Players' Union Discussing Shortening Preseason By Two Weeks

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • PGA Tour Senior VP Andy Levinson shares insight into the Tour's return to the links and what lies ahead.
  • Food services consultant Chris Bigelow on how social distancing policies and other aspects of a changed world will impact sports venues.
  • Turnkey Search Chairman & Founder Len Perna on the state of the sports job market.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS!

Online nominations for Game Changers are now open. We’ll be accepting nominations through midnight June 21. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue.

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.

Soccer fans learned today they have only one more month to wait until players hit the pitch again in the U.S. SBJ’s Mark J. Burns reports that MLS is officially coming back early next month.

Beginning on July 8, all 26 MLS teams will compete in a spectator-less tournament played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. The event will make MLS the nation’s first major team sport to retake the field following COVID-19 lockdowns (the NBA is slated for a July 31 return at the same facility). It could be a saving grace for the league, which shut down just two weeks into the season and is facing a potential $1 billion revenue hit, according to commissioner Don Garber.

But beyond getting back in action, the league’s new plans raise an interesting question: Will airing a World Cup-style tournament in the midst of an empty sports calendar be enough to catapult MLS into the national spotlight? We’ll see.

Meanwhile, NASCAR continues moving forward -- particularly in the stands and on the grounds at its tracks.

NASCAR LOOKING TO BRING BACK HOSPITALITY GUESTS THIS MONTH

• NASCAR is working with industry partners to start allowing hospitality guests back at races this month, reports SBJ’s Adam Stern, at the same time that the sanctioning body is bringing fans back to the grandstands.
  
  
• NASCAR yesterday confirmed that it will have 1,000 military guests at this weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, to be followed by 5,000 regular fans at Talladega next weekend. While details on hospitality guests weren’t noted in that announcement, NASCAR Exec VP and Chief Operations & Sales Officer Daryl Wolfe confirmed to SBJ that the series is also starting to get some VIPs, sponsors and other guests back into suites.
  
  
• Wolfe indicated that the plan for hospitality guests at Talladega is “more expansive” than for Homestead, and, “consistent with how we’re approaching fans, we’re taking a very slow, measured and methodical approach.” But he said, “We understand that, like our fans, our partners want to come back, too -- they’re just as passionate about the sport and want to be at the track.”
  
  
• Getting sponsors and their guests back to the track is important not just for the sanctioning body but also for teams, many of whom use at-track hosting programs as a key asset in the packages they sell. Wolfe was also asked about whether team merchandise haulers will be back at any of the races, and said the series is talking with some teams about that possibility.

MLB, UNION FACE INCREASED SENSE OF URGENCY

• MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred appeared on both MLB Network and "SportsCenter" early this evening where he again promised that there would be baseball in 2020. Manfred said the league will soon make a counter-proposal “in the players’ direction” and added that he hopes players “get off of the 100% salary demand.”
  
  

• SBJ's Eric Prisbell writes that two positions have emerged in these contentious negotiations:
  
  
  • MLB is adamant that no postseason games will be played beyond October.
    
    
  • Players remain adamant that they will not budge from their contention that they should receive the full prorated salaries. 

• Unless those parameters unexpectedly change, baseball will go one of two ways:
  
  
  • Manfred mandates in the next week or so a 50-game mini-season. That would likely result in the union filing a grievance and opposing an expanded postseason in addition to exacerbating the distrust and tensions between the two sides in advance of the CBA negotiations in 2021.
    
    
  • The two sides finally reach a negotiated return-to-play deal (a scenario preferred by both sides).
    
    
• One of the positives from the union's latest counter-proposal, which calls for players to receive full prorated salaries in an 89-game season, is that it came just one day after MLB offered its 76-game proposal. An increased sense of urgency to reach an accord exists because the window for a shortened season is narrowing by the day. July 10 is viewed as the earliest the season can now begin, and that may be optimistic.
  
  
• Two elements to watch: Will the league remain steadfast that players share in some risk of staging the postseason, which could include as many as 16 teams? And how will the two sides reconcile the league calling for players to sign an "acknowledgement of risk" waiver before they play? 

CONCESSIONAIRES PREPARE FOR NEW REALITY

• Social distancing and other now standard restrictions and expectations will greatly alter the experience for sports fans when they’re allowed to return to stadiums and arenas -- especially when it comes to what they encounter when buying concessions. Longtime food service consultant Chris Bigelow joined SBJ’s Bill King to discuss what those changes likely will be, and what it all might cost, on the latest episode of the SBJ Unpacks: The Road Ahead podcast.
  
  
• “You’re going to see a lot more packaged soda, packaged beer, no more refills.” Bigelow said. “Keep the menu simple and try to move the people through. And then as it gets going and people get used to the procedures, I’m sure you can expand. But I think you’re going to try to keep it pretty simple, at least at first."
  
  
• While modeling is early and estimates vary, concessionaires could see costs increase by 30-40%, Bigelow said. 
  
  
• “I tell (teams), be prepared, because concessionaires are going to want to come in and renegotiate their deals,” Bigelow said. “It’s a combination of not only additional cost, but I think there’s going to be reduced revenues. I don’t think people are going to spend as much when they come to a stadium. I want to go see the event, but I think I’ll just stay in my seat. Not get up. Not walk around and by that additional ice cream cone -- at least until I get comfortable again.”

MLS ROUNDUP: PLANS FOR RETURN-TO-PLAY IN ORLANDO

• MLS' tournament-style return will feature matches almost every day starting at 9:00am, 8:00pm and 10:30pm ET to avoid playing in the summer heat, writes SBJ's Mark J. Burns. MLS Commissioner Don Garber said the opportunity to have all 26 clubs in a controlled environment in Orlando "enables us to help protect the health of our players, coaches and staff."
  
  
• Clubs will begin arriving in Florida on June 24 for preseason training. Teams that are able to have full team training in their home markets must arrive no later than seven days prior to their first match. There will be an exhaustive COVID-19 testing plan for players and other personnel in attendance. MLS has also left the door open to other possible play beyond the tournament this season, but nothing has been decided.
  
  
• When play resumes, Garber does not expect much in terms of new revenue opportunities, but he did say MLS will be testing some virtual ad tech within broadcasts. Beyond that, Garber, on a conference call this afternoon, said the main focus is to “retain some of the revenue that we planned for in our agreements with sponsors and broadcasters.”

JONATHAN KRAFT AT FOREFRONT OF REVOLUTION'S RETURN

• The Revolution on Monday in Foxboro held the first, full-contact pro sports practice in the U.S. since mid-March. While many other MLS teams followed suit later in the day, the “fact that the first practice happened in Massachusetts -- possibly the most cautious state in the country in terms of reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic -- makes it a bit of a milestone,” per NBC Sports’ Tom Curran.
  
  
• Curran, on his “Patriots Talk” podcast, credited Revolution Owner/Operator Jonathan Kraft, who also serves as the Board of Trustees Chair for Massachusetts General Hospital, for the club’s safe return. Curran: “Jonathan has been really attuned to the intricacies of this pandemic. … His insight and his ability to get the Revs up and running and put together a plan that the state and local officials would sign off on? Indispensable. It’s also going to put the Patriots in a prime position to be able to start up.” 
  
  
• More Curran: “The Krafts are often scrutinized for their relationships … but it’s really hard to overstate how much their relationships have benefited the commonwealth. They’re benefiting again because of (Jonathan Kraft’s) involvement with MGH. They’re bringing back soccer, and the Patriots are going to learn from what MLS does.”

The Revolution under Kraft held the first, full-contact pro sports practice in the U.S. since mid-March

WTA/ATP CINCINNATI EVENT LOOKS TO FILL LEADERSHIP VOID

• The Western & Southern Open, one of the top tennis events in the world, is just 65 days from its scheduled start and now must bring a new exec to run the Cincinnati event. CEO & Tournament Director Andre Silva is leaving his position event next week, meaning any exec brought on will have to navigate a new position just as pro tennis looks to get back on track amid a pandemic. The N.Y. Times reported last week that there are discussions about moving this year’s W&S Open to N.Y., where it would be played prior to the U.S. Open. The ATP and WTA are expected to announce updates to their calendars later this week.
  
  
• The USTA is majority owner of the 121-year old W&S Open, which drew close to 200,000 fans last year, so expect the tournament to lean heavily on internal expertise, especially if it moves temporarily to Flushing Meadows. Sources tell SBJ’s Bret McCormick that USTA Managing Director for Major Events J. Wayne Richmond is a likely interim candidate, but needs approval from the ATP and WTA. Richmond has overseen the U.S. Open Series, which includes Cincinnati, since its inception in 2004. W&S Open COO Katie Haas, who was hired from the Red Sox in 2018, could also be considered for a bigger role. 
  
  
• In other tennis leadership news, USTA Chief Exec of Professional Tennis Stacey Allaster was named the new tournament director of the U.S. Open this week.

GETTING BACK TO WORK WITH ESPN’s DAVID ROBERTS

• Despite a dearth of live sports, ESPN studio shows have had plenty of news to follow, whether it be various league restart plans or the sports world's reaction to the death of George Floyd. That means ESPN Senior VP/Production David Roberts has been in Bristol to oversee what have been mostly remote productions of “Get Up,” “First Take,” “Highly Questionable,” “Around the Horn,” “PTI” and “SportsCenter” (6:00pm edition). Roberts also oversees ESPN Radio's national talk shows.
  
  
• Roberts told SBJ's David Rumsey, “Every day presents new challenges and new opportunities to provide our viewers with comprehensive, smart, contextual coverage. ... While they might not be the normal sports highlights, these are critically important times."

• Roberts is one of only a few hundred working from the Bristol campus right now. He said, “Normally there may be several thousand. ... The biggest challenge has been dealing with all of the ebbs and flows of what's going on. It's an enormous responsibility for all of us to get this right.”
  
  
• This year's fall sports calendar could be a bit crowded, and Roberts is excited for the challenge. “We’ll have the culmination of the World Series and the NBA Finals and the start of college football and NFL and the major golf tournaments and U.S. Open (tennis) all at the same time. ... It’ll be a nice challenge to have, especially given what we’ve had to deal since the beginning of this year.”
  
  
• With the sensitive nature of recent current events, Roberts felt it was necessary for him to be on site more often. “Being in one location where all various programs and the leaders of the programs can reach me instantly was important,” he said. And of course, the news never stops. Example? While Roberts was on the phone with SBJ last week, Drew Brees issued an apology for his kneeling comments and Roberts was already figuring out what coverage would look like for the rest of the day.

Roberts is one of only a few hundred ESPN employees working from the Bristol campus right now

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: SPONSORSHIP DYNAMICS

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from Marquette professor Jim Pokrywczynski, who writes under the header, "Sports Sponsorship In The COVID-19 World: Impact, Strategies And Tactics."

• "The pandemic-related changes to sports create a number of implications for sponsor relationships. The biggest impact is not having large gatherings of fans on-site for brands to interact with, see the sponsors’ signage, experience the sponsored areas within the facility, partake in the food, drink and other hospitality options. Sponsors will not have opportunities to utilize sampling, product demonstrations and other on-site activations. Media coverage when sports resumes will deliver some brand exposure, but the lack of engagement will limit the impact."
  
  
• To read Pokrywczynski's 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

• NASCAR late this afternoon banned the Confederate flag from its races and properties. The move comes amid social unrest around the globe following the death in police custody of George Floyd.
  
  

• NBA team personnel are "expected to be asked to submit personal medical histories to a panel of physicians who would review the individual risk of serious illness due to any spread of the coronavirus in the NBA's bubble environment in Orlando," sources told ESPN. It is "unclear what authority, if any, that panel might have in prohibiting any personnel from attending the league's restart -- or placing limitations upon them -- but there is some anxiety about such limitations among teams, sources said."
  
  
• Bitten by the COVID-19 crunch, Allied Esports has refinanced $14 million worth of debt obligations and gotten extensions on payments in a bid to stay solvent, reports SBJ's Adam Stern. Allied Esports CEO Frank Ng: “This refinancing will provide the company with additional financial flexibility over the next 18-24 months as we continue to look for ways to optimize our capital in a manner that allows us to better navigate economic uncertainties ... while creating value and growth for the future.”
  
  
• PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed today that "virtually every player and caddie" traveling to Ft. Worth for the Charles Schwab Challenge was tested for the coronavirus, with no positive tests as-of-yet before tomorrow's first round. Monahan told CNBC, "We're executing our testing plan, but then an on-site safety plan and our sport lends itself to social distancing. ... It's about returning this week and doing so in great fashion, but it's also about a sustained return."

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:
  
  
  • Garber Goes In Depth On MLS Return, Sport's Response To Injustice
  • Inside MLB Network's Plans For Two-Day Coverage Of Virtual Draft
  • Tokyo Games To Be Scaled Down To Cut Costs, Protect Fans
  • D-backs Owner Says MLB Could Benefit From Revenue Sharing
  • Notre Dame's Pac-12, Neutral-Site Games Still Up In The Air

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Food services consultant Chris Bigelow on how social distancing policies and other aspects of a changed world will impact sports venues.
  • Turnkey Search Chairman & Founder Len Perna on the state of the sports job market.
  • Bucks President Peter Feigin joins Bill King to discuss the team’s path back to basketball, and through civil unrest.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS!

Online nominations for Game Changers are now open. We’ll be accepting nominations through midnight June 21. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue.

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.

There is a theory among some baseball insiders that MLB is squandering public goodwill by bickering over money during a pandemic, but seeing someone outside the sports industry adopt that same position drove the notion home for me.

CNN anchor Jim Sciutto quote-tweeted a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan over the deadlock with this message over the weekend: “Dear baseball, We are a baseball-loving family but you’ve had cheating problems, ongoing PED questions & now a money fight in the midst of a crippling pandemic. I already had trouble explaining the first 2 to my kids. The latest makes it all close to impossible. Please find a way.”

As SBJ’s Eric Prisbell reports tonight, it’s still quite possible that MLB will end up with at least a 50-game season. But as the sport’s players and leaders continue to try to hash out an agreeable plan, let's hope they can do so before fan sentiment turns overwhelmingly negative.

TURNKEY FOUNDER: JOB MARKET "WILL CHANGE FOREVER"

• While the job market remains frozen across much of sports, there are some positions that simply can’t be left vacant -- even if it means hiring candidates you’ve never met in person; at least not as “in-person” was defined only a few months ago.
  
  

• SBJ’s Bill King discusses the sports job market, the hiring process, and the ways in which both may be forever changed with Turnkey Search Chair & Founder Len Perna on the latest episode of the SBJ Unpacks: The Road Ahead podcast.
  
  

• “I actually do think it will change forever,” Perna said. “The discovery is actually something that we’ve had the technology to do for some time. But it was reflexive for these interviews to always take place in person -- certainly the second and third round interviews."
  
  

• “Shortly, we’ll be announcing another hire -- a chief business officer of an NBA team. All of those interviews took place as video calls. So I don’t see any reason to go back to the old days where you have to hop on a plane every time you want to do a one-hour interview. I think a lot more of this can be done with new technology. It’s cheaper. It’s faster. It’s greener. And really you don’t lose a lot in the translation.”

MANDATED MINI-SEASON LOOKING MORE LIKELY FOR MLB

• With each passing day, the chances increase that MLB will stage a mini-season in the vicinity of 50-some games, writes SBJ's Eric Prisbell. As the league and union remain deadlocked on economic issues, both sides may wind up unintentionally running out the clock in these negotiations. That would leave Commissioner Rob Manfred no alternative but to mandate a 50-game season with players receiving full prorated salaries.
  
  

• In the coming days, the union is expected to respond to MLB's new proposal, which calls for players to be paid 75% of prorated salaries if a postseason is played following a 76-game regular season. But it remains to be seen if that response will include a formal counter-proposal. It would be unexpected if the union budges at this point on its stance of players receiving full prorated salaries. So then the question becomes how many games will the union focus its response on. 
  
  
• Owners are offering players a maximum of $1.43 billion in salaries in their new proposal. If that amount was used in a full prorated salary structure, it would translate into a 57-game regular season. Perhaps 57 games would be a middle ground compromise to avoid the scenario of Manfred mandating the season's length. 
  
  
• Shapiro Negotiations Institute CEO Andres Lares, who has advised pro sports teams for more than a decade on player contracts, trades and sponsorships, told SBJ that a mandate is "likely not what Manfred wants to do, but instead a flexing of his and the league’s muscles based on the March agreement."
  
  
• Lares: "Many feel that the result will be determined by who has more leverage, referring to their legal probability of success. However, based on our experience one should not underestimate the impact of other factors, such as public opinion, internal pressure and the ability for each side to stay unified. The more public this situation gets, the more unpredictable it will become."

NASCAR TO ALLOW SOME FANS AT HOMESTEAD/TALLADEGA EVENTS

• Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of this weekend’s NASCAR races, will invite up to 1,000 guests of the military, while Talladega Superspeedway will allow up to 5,000 fans for its event weekend later this month, reports SBJ's Adam Stern. All fans will have to be screened before entering, wear a mask, keep six feet between one another and will not have access to the infield.
  
  
• The military will help pick those who attend the Homestead race, while the 5,000 who attend the Talladega race will be chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis for those who already had a ticket to the track’s spring race. NASCAR Exec VP and Chief Operations & Sales Officer Daryl Wolfe: “We have tremendous respect and appreciation for the responsibility that comes with integrating guests back into our events. We believe implementing this methodical process is an important step forward for the sport and the future of live sporting events."

HAWKS GM: NBA 2020-21 SEASON COULD BE CONDENSED

• Hawks GM Travis Schlenk on a conference call with reporters this afternoon said that the NBA has told the league's general managers that the 2020-21  schedule "could be condensed in order to allow the league to remain as close as possible to its current schedule format."
  
  
• Schlenk: "There's a lot of different reasons for that -- the college season, the draft and how all of that plays out. So that's why they've laid out a timeline where it would be a very quick turnaround from the NBA Finals to the start of the season."
  
  
• ESPN's Tim Bontemps notes the potential Dec. 1 start date is "less than two months after the potential final day of the NBA Finals -- Oct. 12 -- making for an extraordinarily short offseason." Starting that quickly, however, "would at least give the NBA the possibility of finishing its regular season and playoffs before the Olympics in Tokyo." 

PGA TOUR "PREPARED TO EVOLVE" UPON RETURN

• The PGA Tour officially returns this week in Ft. Worth, a culmination of over three months of detailed planning by tour Senior VP and Chief of Operations Tyler Dennis and his team. Dennis, appearing on the “Golf Digest Podcast,” stressed that the Tour is “prepared to evolve” as it navigates its return at several courses across the country in the coming weeks. Dennis: “We know we’re going to learn things each week, and we’re going to apply those to the next week and really iterate in real time. … I’m excited. I’ll be happy to see that first tee shot hit on Thursday.”
  
  

• The Tour will not allow spectators for the first few events back, with fans tentatively returning in mid-July at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio. Dennis: “We want to get the fans back. We want to have spectators on site. … But we’ve just kept front and center this notion that we’re not going to do anything if we can’t do it in a healthy and safe manner. We’re trying to look at how each of our tournament markets are progressing and the thinking that governors and mayors and whatnot have. … We’re going to get there, just like everything else in the country, and we’re going to do it in a thoughtful way.”
  
  
• Meanwhile, an anonymous caddie took ESPN's Michael Collins through his concerns with the Tour's return to play: "I'm not nervous about traveling per se, in the sense that I may get sick. Clearly I don't wanna to get sick. But I'm nervous about contracting the virus and being told, hey, you're out again for another two or three weeks. I mean, I've had, like all of us, three months of zero income. And I don't want to extend that another few weeks."

ABU DHABI'S YAS ISLAND SET TO HOUSE UFC FACILITY

• UFC President Dana White revealed that his "mysterious Fight Island is located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi."The emirate will "help the company promote some of its international athletes who have a hard time entering" the U.S. due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic. 

• The UFC will "host four events on Fight Island next month," starting with the UFC 251 PPV on July 11. UFC Fight Night cards will "take place on July 15, 18 and 25." The island facility "includes an arena, hotel, training facilities and dining establishments."
  
  
• White told ESPN, "If I can continue to do fights in the United States, I'm going to burn out all of my American talent. So now we've got Yas Island ready to go, it's set up. ... And yes, there is an octagon on the beach."

The island facility includes an arena, hotel, training facilities and dining establishments

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

• Boxing returns tonight in the U.S. for the first time since the coronavirus struck the nation, with Shakur Stevenson and Felix Caraballo headlining Top Rank's five-fight card in Las Vegas. ESPN's Michael Rothstein reports the card took "months of planning." The study of "over 20 different protocols from sports leagues to movie studios to large corporations led to the creation of a 20-page, five-pronged plan, which Top Rank delivered to the Nevada State Athletic Commission" to receive the green light. Top Rank COO Brad Jacobs: "I've been in this business way longer than I want to admit. And this has been, by far, the most difficult process I've been through."
  
  
• Cardboard cutout fans "are set to be a significant feature" of the EPL when the league returns behind closed doors later this month. Eight clubs are reportedly "in discussions" with organizations to supply them with replica supporters. Meanwhile, LaLiga -- which is returning Thursday -- "will use virtual images of stands" in TV broadcasts with added "fan audio" produced by the makers of the FIFA video game.
  
  
• Cardinals Chair & CEO Bill DeWitt today said baseball "isn’t very profitable" while discussing the economics of MLB's return-to-play talks with the MLBPA. DeWitt told St. Louis-based  KFNS-AM, “This could be a great opportunity for us to help bring the country back. On the other hand, we’ve had difficulty making an agreement with the union." He added that MLB players have “by far the best deal of any players in any sport." DeWitt: "The industry isn’t very profitable, to be quite honest, and I think they understand that.”
  
  

• The American Junior Golf Association hit the restart button today with the AJGA Invitational at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, a tournament for golfers ages 12-19. The new health and safety protocols in effect this week will take some getting used to, as the AJGA is not messing around, writes Michael Smith in tonight's SBJ College newsletter.
  
  

• The futures for both Trey Wingo and Wendi Nix at ESPN are "unclear," per Andrew Marchand of the N.Y. Post. Both Wingo and Nix' respective deals are up at a time when Disney and ESPN are "struggling as a result of the pandemic," making it a "difficult time for the company to make deals." Prior to the pandemic, plans to change up the ESPN Radio lineup and “NFL Live” were "in place," but executives in recent months "have been focused on trying to figure out what to put on the air and deal with the impact of the coronavirus."

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Turnkey Search Chairman & Founder Len Perna on the state of the sports job market.
  • Bucks President Peter Feigin joins Bill King to discuss the team’s path back to basketball, and through civil unrest.
  • Bill King and John Lombardo discuss the NBA’s restart plan in July.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS!

Online nominations for Game Changers are now open. We’ll be accepting nominations through midnight June 21. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue.

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.

Tough news today out of the USTA, where 110 national positions are being cut. Some losses are a product of the pandemic, while others result from shifting priorities, a process that began two years ago under previous leadership.

On a more positive note, this is a big week for pro tennis, as the suspended ATP and WTA are expected to make their next calendar updates, which could possibly include details about the U.S. Open. By late August -- when/if the U.S. Open begins -- the NBA’s Orlando bubble experiment will be a month old and a likely altered NFL season will be about to commence.

A bigger question may be how many games MLB will have played by then. Today’s news of another offer from the league -- which players are expected to bat away -- doesn’t raise anyone’s hopes.

MLB, UNION STILL NOT ON SAME PAGE FOR PARTIAL SEASON

• The MLBPA is not in favor of owners' latest proposal because it believes MLB is asking players to share in the risk of staging the postseason, writes SBJ's Eric Prisbell. The league has been adamant that the postseason does not extend beyond October because of risk that a second wave of the virus could shut down the playoffs. A source close to the union said that the proposal is "worse than the league's previous plan."

• The union believes the new proposal represents a step backwards in these contentious negotiations. MLB also calls for an expanded playoffs that includes 16 teams, the source said, and, in a revision of MLB's 67-page health and safety protocols draft, calls for players to sign an "acknowledgment of risk" agreement before playing. The proposal also entails eliminating draft pick compensation in free agency.

• Baseball now appears to be on a path toward a 50-game mini-season that may not include an expanded postseason. MLB has been working toward building consensus among owners for Commissioner Rob Manfred to mandate between 48-60 regular-season games. MLB believes Manfred has the power to do so if players are paid prorated salaries. However, players could oppose an expanded postseason in a move reflecting their displeasure with the mandate.

• The chances of starting the season on July 4 are virtually gone. From the time the two sides reach a deal, MLB would need about a month, which includes a week for players to return to markets or Spring Training sites and for teams to ready facilities for medical protocols and then three weeks for Spring Training 2.0, before a rebooted Opening Day. The true hard deadline for a 50-game season is around Aug. 1.

PANDEMIC SLOWS DOWN COYOTES' ARENA TALKS

• Coyotes Owner Alex Meruelo this afternoon discussed the club’s arena lease, saying the coronavirus has pushed back conversations about the team's future in Arizona by at least six to nine months, writes SBJ’s Mark J. Burns. Meruelo said that the city of Glendale has “expressed a tremendous amount of interest" in the team staying. Since 2016, the Coyotes have operated on a year-to-year lease of Gila River Arena, a venue the Coyotes probably have to remain at for “a couple more years,” according to Meruelo. Still, the team has received a couple of “extremely attractive” offers from the East Valley around Phoenix. Meruelo is hopeful for an announcement in the coming months. “My goal is to have something done by the end of the year,” he said.

• Meruelo was speaking to media after the Coyotes introduced new President & CEO Xavier Gutierrez. Formerly the Managing Director at Clearlake Capital Group, Gutierrez is now the first Latino to lead an NHL club in league history. Gutierrez, on connecting with Coyotes fans, said: “We want to be present in this community. We want to be present with our fans. ... It’s a strategic plan that utilizes technology, utilizes digital platforms. We want to be a vanguard ... between sports, media, entertainment and technology. And we will.”

CBS TAKING CARE WITH PGA TOUR TELECAST LOGISTICS

• When CBS comes on air with the Charles Schwab Challenge on Saturday -- the first PGA Tour event in more than three months -- Jim Nantz will voice an intro that will try to lend perspective to the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd murder and the global Black Lives Matter protests. CBS hopes that Nantz’ open, which usually is a couple of minutes long, will set the right tone for the rest of the tournament. “We have to get on the air and have the appropriate tone at the top about where golf fits at this moment in time,” Nantz said. “Then we’re there to cover a golf tournament. This is not going to be a three-hour news program.”
  
  
• CBS Sports execs have spent the past two months planning how they will produce a golf event during a pandemic, using social distancing norms, Chair Sean McManus said. CBS, which will produce the rounds that Golf Channel carries Thursday and Friday, will bring half of the number of people to the course that it typically does. For example, there are usually 22 people on site for a main production unit; this weekend, nine people will make up that unit. “We reconfigured our trucks so that we have more trucks,” McManus said. “More mobile units and more social distancing will really help.”
  
  
• Other changes: Nantz typically is in the tower at the 18th hole with five other people. This weekend, he will be alone, with just a robotic camera to keep him company. His broadcast partners Nick Faldo, Ian Baker Finch and Frank Nobilo will be calling the action from Golf Channel’s Orlando studios. CBS will keep one production contingent in New York and another in Stamford, Conn. The graphics and video tape replay teams will be based in Los Angeles.
  
  
• CBS plans to use drone coverage (it still hasn’t decided whether to make it live), and it will mic up more players than usual. It will debut a feature called “Inside the Ropes,” where golfers will walk into a small tent during their round and answer a question that has been written down. It plans to use “Eye on the Course” tech that lets viewers see golf action in one on-screen box as ads run in another on-screen box. “It’s a complicated production,” McManus said. "It’s different than any one we’ve ever done."

BUCKS PRESIDENT PETER FEIGIN READY FOR ORLANDO

• The Bucks are now deep in plans for Orlando, the resumption of a season that was shaping up to be historical for the club. On the team's agenda: what these Orlando broadcasts might look like, how sponsors can be integrated, ways to engage fans and logistics of a Disney World trip that they hope will carry into October. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Bucks coordinated a protest march in Milwaukee of about 7,500 people that included most of the roster and almost all their full and part-time team and arena employees.

• Bucks President Peter Feigin on the latest SBJ Unpacks podcast discussed with SBJ's Bill King the franchise’s path back to basketball amid civil unrest and a pandemic. “When you do something with an NBA team, it becomes much larger very quickly,” Feigin said. “We announced it at about 9:00pm the night before for a 1:00pm march. Every one of our players in town was there early and ready. ... When you talk about what are great elements of teams and organizations -- that’s it. Everybody comes together.”

WOMEN'S TENNIS LOOKS TO GET BACK ON THE COURT WITH CHARLESTON EVENT

• Player health checks will be at the center of anexhibition featuring several WTA stars set for Charleston, S.C., later this month. After the annual Volvo Car Open in Charleston was canceled earlier this spring, women's tennis is now looking to jump start large-scale events with many of its best players coming to the Family Circle Tennis Center -- albeit without fans. The Credit One Bank Invitational starts June 23, and event director  Bob Moran told SBJ’s Bret McCormick that he leaned heavily on partner Medical University of South Carolina to develop safety protocols. Moran said MUSC's involvement has “given us a whole different set of eyes and recommendations on how to do things to create a safe atmosphere.”

• Every player will be tested before traveling, and on arrival, with roughly 100 tests provided by MUSC. Anyone entering the facility will receive a temperature check and a symptom survey. Meals at the venue will be grab-and-go and all locker room activities will be done at a hotel less than a mile away where everyone will stay. Moran said there would never be more than 100 people at the venue, and masks will be worn by everyone not playing. Anyone testing positive will immediately be quarantined. The event has several players on standby as well.

• Other pro tennis tournaments will be keeping an eye on what happens in Charleston, especially the USTA, which is working on similar COVID contingency plans for the U.S. Open. “This is us trying to be a really good partner in the tennis world,” Moran said. "To show that we can come out of it, to show that there is a way to do it, a right way.”

• Read more about Credit One Bank’s foray into tennis sponsorship in this week’s SBJ.

WORKING FROM HOME WITH PANINI AMERICA’S JASON HOWARTH

• Panini America VP/Marketing Jason Howarth has been impressed with the health of the trading card category while sports has been mostly shut down. He said, “We're so heavily reliant on player autographs … and with a lot of these guys staying at home, we were able to ship the cards to them to get them to sign the products and get them back to us, all via FedEx.” Howarth: “Their time off, if they weren't finding ways to train, they were signing out cards.”

• Panini’s print facility in Plano, Texas, was shut down for five weeks during the pandemic and is now back to operating at about 70% capacity. “(It is) running two 12-hour shifts, so they're just playing catch-up. We can design, build the product and then it’s just a matter of the printers catching up with where we're at.” Howarth says Panini’s sales have stayed strong, acknowledging the company has benefitted from stores like Walmart and Target remaining open while many other businesses had to shut down.

• Looking ahead, Panini is certainly pivoting during a very unique year in sports, learning more information by the day. After seeing some success during the virtual NFL Draft, Panini is ready for the NBA Draft, which would normally be taking place this month, but will now likely land in October. “Things we can't control, we just have to adapt to it, and our team has been phenomenal,” Howarth said.

• At home, Howarth had the foresight to start building a CrossFit-style gym back in November, something he has greatly benefitted from over the past few months. “I've been fortunate that I’ve been able to keep that routine every morning, 5-6 days a week, of just going into the garage and doing my workout and getting it in. That's been a good balance and a good time to release from keeping a sanity point of view,” he said.

• Want to share what your work-from-home setup is like? Reach out to SBJ's David Rumsey.

Howarth has been making use of his at-home CrossFit gym during the pandemic

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: HOW SPORTS CAN SAFELY RETURN

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from three execs from professional services firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP -- Scott Pearson, Dr. Emily Carrier and Robert Rebitzer -- who write under the header, "Careful, Complicated Planning Will Bring Fans Back."

• "The virus is still out there: Cases have plateaued but generally not declined much outside of hard-hit New York and New Jersey. “Herd Immunity,” when enough people have sufficient antibodies to prevent the spread of the disease, is months or possibly years away whether it is achieved through vaccines or through community spread. Effective treatment is still a glimmer on the horizon."

• To read the entire 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

• ESPN’s Zach Lowe isn’t surprised NBA owners decided to resume the season with 22 teams, even if he doesn’t agree with the strategy. “It’s mostly about ‘how can we maximize money?’ That’s why they didn’t just take the 16 playoff teams,” he said on Mina Kimes’ podcast today. The Wizards are 5.5 games back in the Eastern Conference and the Suns 6 back in the West. Lowe: “It should have been 20. There’s a hard quality gap after 20. I see no reason why these teams that have essentially a 0% chance of making the playoffs are … adding 70 or 80 bodies (to the restart).”

• The USTA is making "significant job cuts," and its player development program was "hit particularly hard with numerous coaches dismissed." Some of the cuts are "pandemic related, some a philosophical shift" under new CEO Michael Dowse. A total of 110 national positions will be eliminated. There are significant cuts in various business units, including facilities, along with lowering meeting and travel expenses.

• The NFL today outlined protocols and procedures for the "eventual return of players to team facilities." Among the items agreed upon by the league and NFLPA are a "three-tiered system for personnel and their access to parts of each building, the implementation of an Infection Disease Emergency Response (IDER) Plan by each team on how to deal with an outbreak of COVID-19," as well as social distancing requirements.

SBJ UNPACKS -- THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Bucks President Peter Feigin joins Bill King to discuss the team’s path back to basketball, and through civil unrest.
  • Bill King and John Lombardo discuss the NBA’s restart plan in July.
  • EA Sports' Todd Sitrin on the window that esports has opened for sports video game publishers during the pandemic.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS!

Online nominations for Game Changers are now open. We’ll be accepting nominations through midnight June 21. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue.

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.

This week gave reason to celebrate: Confirmation that major league sports are indeed coming back next month, courtesy of MLS and the NBA finalizing their return-to-play plans.

Then this morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed an unexpected decline in the national unemployment rate.

But today's big story in the sports industry is the dark staff news at The Athletic, which announced 46 layoffs -- a sad reminder that we're just beginning to pay the long-term price for this extended sports hiatus.

--- Ben Fischer

NASCAR/INDYCAR TURN TO AIR TRAVEL FOR WEEKEND DESTINATIONS

• NASCAR and IndyCar teams are both getting ready to get back on planes for the first time since the pandemic started, sources tell SBJ's Adam Stern, and they’ll face the new standards for air travel when they do.
  
  
• IndyCar is starting its revised season at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, while NASCAR will be at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NASCAR only visited tracks within close driving distance of its Charlotte hub for the first weekends back, but Atlanta is far enough that several teams will fly this weekend for the first time since the sport re-started.
  
  
• Sources say that measures on the private planes that teams travel on will largely resemble what many Americans will face as they return to air travel: Extra sanitation, temperature checks and masks. Teams in NASCAR travel on their own planes, though many pool together to save costs.
  
  
• In IndyCar’s case, the series is flying two planes down from Indianapolis to Ft. Worth, with drivers and other crew onboard to help minimize the amount of exposure participants will have with other people. The planes and buses that will transport drivers to the track will all be sanitized before and after each use. 

MICHAEL JORDAN PLEDGES $100 MILLION TO SOCIAL JUSTICE CAUSES

• At deadline: Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand will make a $100 million donation over the next decade to causes that will ensure racial equality, social justice and greater access to education.
  
  
• Jordan Brand in a statement said, "Jordan Brand is more than one man. It has always been a family. We represent a proud family that has overcome obstacles, fought against discrimination in communities worldwide and that works every day to erase the stain of racism and the damage of injustice. .. Black lives matter. This isn't a controversial statement. Until the ingrained racism that allows our country’s institutions to fail is completely eradicated, we will remain committed to protecting and improving the lives of Black people."

MLB REALITY: SOME MARKETS UNLIKELY TO ALLOW FANS

• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's plan to allow pro sports teams to admit up to 50% attendance capacity in stadiums serves as especially good news for the Rangers, who are opening up the $1.2 billion Globe Life Field this season. MLB is expected to lean on health and government officials in local markets in determining when and if mass gatherings of fans will be permitted should a season come together, a source told SBJ's Eric Prisbell.
  
  
• When recently pressed on how to reconcile that some markets may allow gatherings of fans while others may not this season, the source added, "For markets that can't have fans, then they can't have fans. It really depends on the views of local health officials and circumstances at the time with the infection curve of the virus in certain places." 
  
  
• Even while adhering to social distancing guidelines, the demand for tickets for the Rangers' new ballpark, where some 20,000 of the 40,000-seat capacity may be filled, and for the Astros, whose games at Minute Maid Park were filled to 85.7% capacity in 2019, will likely be high. It remains to be seen if the league and union will discuss any revenue-sharing concepts related to a likely ticket revenue disparity in markets that are and are not allowed to bring fans back yet. 
  
  
• The most important issue of course is minimizing the risk of fans contracting the virus. In hope of smaller gatherings being permitted into ballparks at some point this season, some teams are already working on modeling to address unique seating programming, staggered times to enter the gate, contactless concessions and thermal imaging. All elements will be critical because the spread of COVID-19 remains on the rise in some parts of Texas. The Rangers play in Arlington in Tarrant County. But nearby Dallas County reported 285 new cases Thursday, its highest single-day total yet.

If MLB salvages a 2020 season, some 20,000 of the 40,000-seat capacity at the Rangers' Globe Life Field may be filled

NBA RESTART TOP OF MIND HEADING INTO WEEKEND

• With the NBA set to return in late July in Orlando, Commissioner Adam Silver said he believes the league "would not have to shut down if a single player tested positive." Appearing Thursday on TNT's "Inside the NBA," Silver said, "We've been dealing with a group of experts plus public health authorities down in Florida and the view is if we were testing every day and we're able to trace in essence the contacts that player has had, we are able to contain that player and separate him from the team."
  
  
• Amid the excitement over the league's return, NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts expressed "concern over the NBA's tentative timeline to open training camps for the 2020-21 season on Nov. 10 -- less than a month after the proposed end of the NBA Finals." Roberts told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, "I was surprised to see it." Looming negotiations on a long list of 2020-2021 financial and competitive issues "will include the league's hopes of starting next season with such a tight turnaround." 
  
   

NEW NHL CBA COULD COME BEFORE PLAY RESUMES

• There is speculation that the NHL and NHLPA are “working hard on a CBA extension, with multiple sources indicating there is a legit attempt to get something done by the time play resumes,” according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
  
  
• While the league “wants long-term stability,” the players “want a cap on escrow, and word is that it is being considered.” That cap could be around 20%. A “flat salary cap of $81.5 million for a few seasons” also is possible.
  
  
• Both NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr “will have constituents feeling very differently about these solutions,” and fans “do not want to hear about disputes right now.” But the two sides are looking “to see if there is common ground.”

FANS GET GO-AHEAD TO ATTEND PGA TOUR EVENT IN OHIO

• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine late Friday afternoon announced that fans will be allowed to attend the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament, which is scheduled to run July 16-19 at Muirfield Village. The event will be the first Tour event to host fans since The Players was canceled in early March.
  
  
• The announcement comes after DeWine said the tournament "submitted an activation plan for safe practices, which has since been approved," per WKYC.com's Ben Axelrod.

STATE OF THINGS: NBA/MLS HIGHLIGHT WEEK OF PROGRESS

• Pro bowling and the PGA Tour are set to return, as the list of sports returning to action steadily grows. The NBA, MLS and USL Championship announced plans to get back to action this week, but the biggest outlier still sidelined -- with no positive end in sight -- is MLB.
  
  
• Check out SBJ's website for a rundown of major sports leagues/organizations and where they currently stand on the resumption of play. The UFC, PBR and NASCAR are not listed, as they have returned. Also not listed are the XFL (folded), IOC (Olympics postponed until 2021), NBA G League, NLL, AHL and ECHL, which had their seasons canceled.

GETTING BACK TO WORK WITH ACL COMMISSIONER STACEY MOORE

• The American Cornhole League has been able to take advantage of the lack of live sports content right now, finding its way onto ESPN the past four weekends with fan-less events in Rock Hill, S.C., Houston, Phoenix and Las Vegas. For ACL Commissioner Stacey Moore, it was all about making sure ESPN -- which extended its ACL rights deal to 2022 earlier this year -- had confidence the events could go off without a hitch. “To get through the first couple, it was really pretty strict and stringent,” he said. “Then once we got the format down, they were comfortable with everything we were doing."
  
  
• Health precautions are top of mind for the ACL, with players competing in the Pro Invitational Qualifiers required to fill out medical history forms, sign waivers, undergo temperature checks, and answer additional questions on-site. Moore would love to have fans attend ACL events this year, potentially by the World Championships in August, but is keeping his expectations realistic. “I’m assuming that we're not going to be able to but I'm going to push for it.”
  
  
• Looking ahead, the ACL will be back on ESPN from South Bend, Ind., on Saturday and will hold two more events later this month, as well as the league’s annual July 4 telecast that follows the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Moore is hopeful the football season plays out as planned, so the ACL can continue its college mobile marketing tour this fall. “We’re going to be tweaking some of our formats for next season based on what we’ve learned and what we've been able to accomplish by doing these back-to-back weeks,” Moore said of potential changes on the horizon. “We're going to plan to do more linear programming.”
  
  
• Want to share what your work-from-home setup is like? Reach out to SBJ's David Rumsey. 

ESPN has produced ACL events the past four weekends while following safety protocols

OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS: STAYING FLEXIBLE

• Tonight's op-ed contribution is from Centerplate/Sodexo Sports & Leisure PR & Communications Director Paul Pettas, who writes under the header, "Hospitality Industry Has Shown Empathy, Agility, And Preparedness."
  
  
• "This entire crisis has been concerning. A silver lining though -- this has meant breaking down silos, improving how we communicate within our own Centerplate and Sodexo universe and tapping into social media platforms to connect directly with key stakeholders to build a stronger virtual community. Bringing a taste of our venues to our guests and connecting with a new home team, if you will."
  
  
• To read Pettas' 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 

• A construction worker "died after falling at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Friday morning, and work on the $5-billion project has been temporarily stopped." Earlier this morning, three additional construction workers at the stadium "tested positive for COVID-19, increasing the number of known cases among workers on the project to 12."
  
  
• At this time, Columbus, Ohio has emerged as the top destination for The Basketball Tournament, a five-on-five, winner-take-all competition for $2 million, a source tells SBJ’s Mark J. Burns. TBT organizers are nearing an agreement for the quarantined event to be held at Ohio State on July 4-14, the source said. This person cautioned that final details are still being ironed out. An official announcement from TBT is expected in the next 1-2 weeks, he said. 
  
  

• Minnesota United forward Ethan Finlay, who sits on the union's executive board, accused MLS owners and league execs of "bullying" and using "power plays" during the tense, high-stakes negotiations which resulted in the players on Wednesday ratifying a revised CBA, per Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. MLS Commissioner Don Garber's threat on Sunday to lock players out if an agreement was not reached left Finlay "critical of the league after the two sides had reached the February agreement in what he called a 'partnership.'"
  
  

• The field for the PGA Tour's return next week in Ft. Worth was finalized this afternoon, with 16 of the world's top 20 players "listed as commits" for the Charles Schwab Challenge. Holdouts include Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Tommy Fleetwood and Patrick Cantlay.
  
  

• A's President Dave Kaval said that the team is "working with Alameda County to open the Coliseum safely, and approval may come as soon as Monday," according to the S.F. Chronicle's Susan Slusser. Meanwhile, the Padres are utilizing Petco Park for several unique drive-in events this weekend, including three high school graduations, two showings of "Anchorman" and the first concert in California since March shutdown orders.
  
  
• NFL coaches were permitted to return to team training facilities on Friday while adhering to safety protocols. Pictured below is longtime Steelers coach Mike Tomlin reporting for duty.

SBJ UNPACKS --THE ROAD AHEAD

• Check out the most recent editions of our "SBJ Unpacks" podcasts around COVID-19:
  
  
  • Bill King and John Lombardo discuss the NBA’s restart plan in July.
  • EA Sports' Todd Sitrin on the window that esports has opened for sports video game publishers during the pandemic.
  • Dedication to Community Founder Quentin Williams joins Bill King to examine the role of sports in the context of civil unrest.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR SBJ GAME CHANGERS!

Online nominations for Game Changers are now open. We’ll be accepting nominations through midnight June 21. The Game Changers event will be Oct. 27-28, and a special section will run in SBJ in the Oct. 19 issue.

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.