Top Stories

  • The Indianapolis Colts this morning announced the temporary closure of their practice facility after several people in the organization tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of their scheduled home game Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. The news comes the morning after the Atlanta Falcons shut down their facility due to a new positive COVID-19 test. (Indianapolis Star)
  • Flávio Augusto da Silva, owner of Orlando City Soccer Club, is nearing a sale of the MLS club to an unknown buyer believed to be based in North America, according to sources. Da Silva in 2018 sold an 8.63 percent stake in Orlando Soccer Holdings — which in addition to Orlando City includes the Orlando Pride of the NWSL, Orlando City B of USL League One and Exploria Stadium — in a deal that valued the entire portfolio at $490.5 million, but It is unclear whether a potential sale would include the other OSH assets. (Sports Business Journal)
  • Daryl Morey is stepping down as general manager of the Houston Rockets, effective Nov. 1, after running the organization’s basketball operations for 13 seasons, and the Rockets are promoting Rafael Stone to fill the position. Sources said that Morey, whose October 2019 tweet in support of Hong Kong prompted the Chinese government to suspend its business relationship with the NBA, isn’t ruling out a return to the league with another club, but he has become increasingly interested in exploring other professional opportunities and cited personal reasons for his departure. (ESPN)
  • The NFL Players Association sent a note to its membership discouraging player endorsements of “cannabinoid products,” an edict that a source said came in response to inquiries from agents and marketing representatives about Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield’s signing on as an endorser for CBD brand Beam earlier in the week. The union’s collective bargaining agreement with the NFL prohibits players from endorsing or appearing in ads “for alcoholic beverages, tobacco, or cannabinoid products,” but a source said the league didn’t raise the issue with the union in the wake of Mayfield’s endorsement deal, and it remains unclear what sort of punishment, if any, a player would face for endorsing a CBD product. (Front Office Sports)

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Events Calendar (All Times Local)

10/19/2020
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New Report: What Consumers Want Companies to Say and Do in a Year Like No Other

Driven by a dwindling economy, an unfolding pandemic, significant social unrest around racial injustice and an imminent election, 2020 has been defined by a quickly changing consumer environment.

Our new report, What Consumers Want Companies to Say and Do in a Year Like No Other, brings together our latest insights to help brands strike the right tone in messages and communications. Download the report.

Media

Regional Sports Networks Likely to Face Longer Stretches of Overlapping Seasons in 2021
Alex Silverman, Morning Consult

Depending on when the NHL and NBA schedule their next seasons, there will almost certainly be more overlap than usual with the MLB season. For many RSNs, this would mean juggling telecasts for the three sports — plus the local MLS and WNBA clubs, in some cases — for several months, as opposed to a few weeks in a normal year.

Turner Sports Divvies Up Sports Betting Rights Between Draftkings, Fanduel
Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico

DraftKings is partnering with Turner Sports on a new multi-year deal that, among other immediate rights, puts it in position to be featured on NCAA tournament broadcasts should the college sports governing body someday further embrace sports betting. For now, the deal will see DraftKings odds, marketing and content featured across Turner Sports and Bleacher Report properties, including MLB games and PGA Tour events. The two notable exceptions: Turner’s NBA programming, which went to FanDuel in a separate deal, and its March Madness broadcasts, which are restricted because the NCAA has maintained a hard line against wagering.

NFL Network Brings on Longtime Pac-12 Networks Host Mike Yam
Torrey Hart, Front Office Sports

Sports media veteran Mike Yam is joining the NFL Network as a news anchor, he announced. Yam will join the network’s rotation of news anchors, providing NFL Now news updates.

NFL

Falcons shut down facilities after one new positive COVID-19 test
D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

After one new positive COVID-19 test, the Falcons, who have had nine players placed on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list, shut down their facility Thursday. The Falcons expect to return to the building Friday and expect to play their game against the Minnesota Vikings at 1 p.m. Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Sick NFL players must isolate even if negative
Kevin Seifert, ESPN

The NFL is following a policy that requires players and team staff members to isolate if they experience COVID-19 symptoms, even if their most recent test result was negative, chief medical officer Allen Sills said Thursday. As a result, there likely will be an uptick in missed practices and perhaps games as the team medical staffs work to determine the source of the symptoms. 

LA Rams strike partnership with 1800 Tequila
SportBusiness

The Los Angeles Rams have named Proximo Spirits’ 1800 Tequila the team’s official tequila. The deal marks the tequila brand’s first partnership with an NFL team. As part of the partnership, 1800 Tequila will gain digital branding within SoFi Stadium during Rams home games.

Gayle Benson Closes Investment Fund, Eyeing Opportunities In New Orleans
Ben Fischer, Sports Business Journal

Saints Owner Gayle Benson’s new venture capital firm has closed its first fund with external backing from key New Orleans-area companies such as Entergy Corp. and the Raising Cane’s restaurant chain. Benson Capital Partners in a statement said that the $50 million Benson Capital Fund I is the largest locally created venture fund in New Orleans history.

NBA

Clippers reach agreement with Tyronn Lue to be next coach
Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times

For the past year as an assistant to Doc Rivers, who was dismissed as the Clippers’ coach Sept. 28 following a second-round postseason exit that fell well short of the team’s championship goal, Lue had built relationships with Clippers players by amplifying the messages of Rivers, a friend and mentor to whom he was loyal, while trying to bridge gaps between the locker room and sideline when they appeared.

Anthony Davis to opt out of contract with Lakers, re-sign on multi-year deal
Jeff Zillgitt, USA Today

Davis’ decision to opt out of the final season of his deal worth $28.7 million in 2020-21 is not unexpected. He can re-sign with the Lakers at $32.7 million for next season if the salary cap remains at $109 million.

Milwaukee Bucks Making Instagram a One-Stop Merch Shop for Fans
Eddie Moran, Front Office Sports

The Bucks have become the first sports team to onboard Instagram Checkout into their Instagram Shopping, letting fans make purchases directly from the app. They can tap to view a product from a shoppable post and proceed to the payment process.  

WNBA Stars Offer a Glimpse of Life Inside the ‘Wubble’ in New Glossier Campaign
Kathryn Lundstrom, Adweek

In a new campaign launched today, direct-to-consumer personal care brand Glossier has teamed up with several stars of the WNBA to unveil two new products in its Body Hero line: the Exfoliating Bar and Dry-Touch Oil Mist. The campaign revisits the Body Hero concept that Glossier first developed for the launch of the product line in 2017, which explores “what our bodies do for us, and what we do for them,” wrote Glossier’s svp of marketing Ali Weiss in a blog post.

MLB

Braves Playoff Run Unlikely To Please Owners Of Rare Publicly Traded Team
Brendan Coffey, Sportico

For shareholders of the publicly traded club, the season feels like an also-ran. Braves stock is down one-third this year while the rival Mets, who finished in last place, are selling for almost double what Mister Market says the more successful Atlanta nine are worth.

Yankees’ Minor League Insurance Fight Sheds Light On Pandemic Claims
Michael McCann, Sportico

In May, SWB Yankees LLC—a group that owns the New York Yankees’ Triple A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders—sued three insurance companies (CNA Financial, Continental Insurance and Continental Casualty) in Lackawanna County court. The insurers’ refusal to pay a business interruption policy, SWB Yankees LLC insists, constitutes breach of contract and bad faith.

NHL

The NHL got through the summer, but the winter is going to be another challenge
Damien Cox, The Toronto Star

While NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has been talking confidently of starting up again Jan. 1, Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley says he can’t see it happening before February. Even then, Foley says, it would have to be a reduced schedule that must be finished by the end of June, playoffs and all, because rightsholder NBC has the Summer Olympics in July.

College Sports

Sources: Multiple SEC schools to lose conference revenue for not following COVID-19 protocols
Alex Scarborough, ESPN

Multiple SEC schools will have revenue from the conference deducted as a result of not following proper COVID-19 protocols, sources told ESPN. According to a memo sent by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey last week, schools will have their conference revenue distribution cut by $100,000 for each week that they do not follow protocols.

D-I Council’s NIL Approval Represents Historic Shift
Michael Smith, Sports Business Journal

I was surprised by how many agencies told me they never knew about the NCAA’s RFP for a third party to manage the name, image and likeness marketplace. The RFP documents weren’t accessible through the NCAA’s website or any other public portal, and some agencies said they left as many as a dozen messages with the NCAA that were not returned.

University of Cincinnati football game at Tulsa postponed because of COVID-19 cases
Keith Jenkins, Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati’s game Saturday at Tulsa has been postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases within the Bearcats football program. The American Athletic Conference announced Thursday that the game will be postponed to Dec. 5. The game still will be played at Tulsa’s H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Florida International-Charlotte game postponed due to Panthers’ COVID-19 cases
David M. Hale, ESPN

Saturday’s Conference USA game between Charlotte and Florida International has been postponed, the fifth college football game postponed this weekend because of COVID-19 concerns. Positive tests at FIU led to the postponement, which was announced Thursday night.

The college basketball schedule is a bit of a mess as teams scramble to fill dates
Chuck Culpepper, The Washington Post

Contracts remain arranged but unsigned. Schedules look truncated and weird. The season starts Nov. 25, fate willing, and North Carolina’s schedule has three lines: that game against UNLV on Nov. 30, that game against Alabama or Stanford on Dec. 1, and that game against TBA on Dec. 2. That’s it for now.

Soccer

Juventus report losses of 89.7m euros
AFP

Juventus recorded losses of 89.7 million euros ($105 million) for the financial year to June 30, the Italian league champions announced on Thursday. The nine-time reigning Serie A champions reported a deficit which included the 39.9m euro shortfall from the previous financial year.

Racing

Marquardt to step down from BMW Motorsport
Sven Haidinger, Motorsport.com

Jens Marquardt is set to step down from his role as the director of BMW Motorsport, with an official announcement expected later on Friday. This could prelude to a major overhaul within BMW that could see all its factory and customer racing programmes being transferred under its high-performance M division.

Golf and Tennis

Barkley Replaces Tiger While Steph Curry Joins The Match 3 As Turner Tees Up Golf In November
Anthony Crupi and Scott Soshnick, Sportico

Turner Sports has rounded up a foursome for its third incarnation of The Match, a charity golf event the programmer first introduced back in 2018. Teeing off on Friday, Nov. 27 are three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson and trash-talking pro-am habitué/Nationwide spokesman Peyton Manning, both of whom played in last spring’s round. Joining the two Match veterans are thrice-crowned NBA champ and scratch golfer Steph Curry and … Charles Barkley.

Tiburón adds Chubb Classic in 2021, will host all 3 Naples pro events
Greg Hardwig, Naples Daily News

Tiburón will be pulling off a trifecta for Southwest Florida professional golf. The North Naples golf club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort will host the 2021 Chubb Classic, Naples’ PGA Tour Champions event, from Feb. 8-14, the tournament announced Thursday.

Esports

Inside Houston Outlaws’ energising Reliant partnership
H.B. Duran, Esports Insider

Overwatch League team Houston Outlaws continues to forge ahead despite the pandemic—making several key hires and strategic partnerships since its acquisition by Beasley Media Group in December. One notable sponsorship deal was made with North American energy giant NRG and its Reliant Energy brand. Esports Insider caught up with Lori Burgess, Chief Operating Officer of Beasley Esports to discuss the “powerful” alliance.

General

Angela Ruggiero Joins TheScore’s Board of Directors
Brian Steinberg, Variety

Angela Ruggiero, a sports-business entrepreneur and a four-time Olympic ice-hockey player, will join the board of directors of TheScore, the mobile-focused sports-media company that has placed emphasis on both sports content and sports betting. Ruggiero is CEO and co-founder of Sports Innovation Lab, a market-research firm and a medal winner in four successive Winter Olympics as a member of theUnited States Women’s National Ice Hockey Team.

Redbird Grabs Andy Gordon From Goldman Sachs to Open L.A. Office
Brendan Coffey, Sportico

RedBird Capital is opening a Los Angeles office headed by Andy Gordon, a Goldman Sachs veteran who will join the investment firm in February. Gordon has spent 35 years at Goldman, recently balancing the multiple responsibilities of Global Chairman of Investment Banking Services, head of the Investment Banking Division’s West Region and global head of media and telecommunications for the Technology, Media and Telecom Group.

Yahoo Sportsbook, BetMGM Streamlining User Process With New Features
Andrew Levin, Sports Business Journal

The Yahoo Sportsbook has rolled out two new features designed to enhance the betting experience powered by BetMGM. These include streamlining the registration and onboarding experience between the Yahoo Sports app and BetMGM, and adding player-prop odds to Yahoo Fantasy.

Giro d’Italia Faces Uphill Battle to Finish After Riders Test Positive
Joshua Robinson, The Wall Street Journal

Two teams have already gone home and a third has suggested the Giro be stopped after Sunday’s stage, one week ahead of schedule. Mornings at the race have now turned into discussions between riders about whether they should be competing at all.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

Sports TV ratings are a lot healthier than the critics are likely to point out
Daniel Kaplan and Bill Shea, The Athletic

The fact is that overall sports TV consumption is up year over year, according to Nielsen, and compared to all other TV programming – except news – sports is easily in a league of its own. There are just more sports on TV than usual, and so the audience fragments.

The Red Sox and Liverpool Are Smart to Ride the SPAC Wave
Alex Webb, Bloomberg

It would be a very canny move for John W. Henry II, the billionaire who is Fenway’s biggest shareholder. In one fell swoop he would likely make back all the capital he spent acquiring the Red Sox and Liverpool, in return for selling a minority stake.

How the Most Socially Progressive Pro League Got That Way
Jonathan Abrams and Natalie Weiner, The New York Times

From the beginning of their more than two decades on the court, the players in the W.N.B.A. have defied society’s expectations. Sheryl Swoopes, a marquee founding member of the league, found out she was pregnant just before the league’s inaugural season in 1997 — and started playing six weeks after giving birth, setting a precedent for many female athletes who didn’t want to put their careers on hold to have children.

Morning Consult