Media
TikTok Taps Disney Executive Kevin Mayer as New CEO
Shan Li and Erich Schwartzel, The Wall Street Journal
Kevin Mayer, who was passed over for the top job at Walt Disney Co is becoming chief executive of TikTok, in a jump from one of the entertainment industry’s most venerable names to one of its buzziest new arrivals. The longtime media executive, recently in charge of the Disney+ streaming service, is joining Chinese tech giant Bytedance Ltd. in newly created roles as chief operating officer and head of its blockbuster short video app TikTok.
ViacomCBS Faces Tricky Path to Super Bowl
Brian Steinberg, Variety
Signing 60 to 70 automakers, snack manufacturers and tech marketers to sponsor the biggest TV event of the year is never an easy task. But doing so will be tougher for the newly-merged media conglomerate, owing to a coronavirus pandemic that has thrown the sports business into disarray and forced advertisers to tighten their purse strings.
NASCAR’s first race since coronavirus pause draws 6.32M viewers
Thomas Barrabi, Fox Business
The Real Heroes 400 drew an average audience of 6.32 million viewers, according to Fox Sports. The total marked a 38 percent increase compared to the last race NASCAR held on March 8, just before it halted operations as the pandemic worsened.
Match play event nets 2.35M average viewers
Tim Schmitt, Golfweek
According to Golf Channel, a total audience of 2.35 average viewers showed up to watch the duo of Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson beat Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in a charity skins match that raised more than $5.5 million for COVID-19 relief efforts. That number includes NBC, GOLF Channel, NBCSN, as well as the NBC Sports and PGA TOUR streaming platforms.
‘Last Dance’: Michael Jordan Series Finishes as Most-Viewed ESPN Documentary Ever
Will Thorne, Variety
Michael Jordan may well be the greatest basketball player of all time (although LeBron James might have something to say about that), and the documentary about his historic career has proven to be the biggest in the history of ESPN. With the ratings for the final two episodes of the docuseries officially in, “The Last Dance” averaged 5.6 million viewers across its 10 episodes, beating all previous numbers put up by ESPN docs.
NFL
NFL testing new protective facemasks with surgical or N95 material
ESPN
NFL engineers and sports-equipment company Oakley are testing prototypes of modified facemasks that might contain surgical or N95 material, the NFL Players Association’s medical director said Monday. Speaking on Monday’s The Adam Schefter Podcast, Thom Mayer said “there will probably be a recommendation” that the NFL use such masks to protect players from the coronavirus when the league returns to play.
Jeff Miller Takes Over NFL’s Top Spot Overseeing PR, Lobbying
Ben Fischer, Sports Business Daily
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has named veteran senior exec Jeff Miller to replace Jocelyn Moore as the top league official overseeing public relations and lobbying. Miller, who has spent the last eight of his 12 years with the NFL as Exec VP/Health & Safety Initiatives, becomes Exec VP/Public Affairs, Communications & Policy.
After spring successes, NFL turns focus to camp
Ben Fischer, Sports Business Journal
With the NFL schedule now published, the league, the players union and teams are all joining a three-pronged push to execute the season as planned if at all possible. The questions are difficult and every day counts — training camps would typically open in July, less than nine weeks away.
NBA
Sources: NBA likely to use same lottery process
Tim Bontemps, ESPN
The NBA’s draft lottery won’t take place Tuesday in Chicago as originally planned, but whenever it does happen, it is likely to look the same as it did last year, league sources told ESPN. Although some will inevitably grumble about the order being determined by an incomplete regular season, the belief among several executives is that the lottery will remain as scheduled before the pandemic.
In meeting with Trump, Rockets owner details financial struggles and NBA’s return plans
Ben Golliver, The Washington Post
During a White House meeting of restaurant industry executives Monday, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta asked President Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to “add a category” to the Paycheck Protection Program for the “larger private restaurateur” and to “do something with lease terminations” to provide his company financial relief during the pandemic.
How escrow and smoothing can help manage the NBA’s salary cap problem
John Hollinger, The Athletic
Since the cap is directly tied to the projected league revenue for the coming season, that portends a huge drop in the cap. That’s the first part, but consider also the longer term. What if this is a one-year problem, we get a vaccine in 2021, and we’re back to full arenas for the 2021-22 season? In that case, the salary cap would sharply snap back upward in response.
MLB
MLB Clubs Exploring Ad Tarps for Empty Seats
Danni Santana, Front Office Sports
The likelihood of playing a shortened 2020 MLB season without fans in attendance is prompting Major League clubs to explore the sale of tarp advertising on empty seats, according to industry sources. The Cincinnati Reds are reportedly one MLB team currently working with data and measurement firm Nielsen to price out the inventory.
Salary staredown: Inside the high-stakes negotiation to restart the MLB season
Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich, The Athletic
Agreeing on safety protocols will be difficult enough, but the more contentious challenge for Major League Baseball and the Players Association might be resolving player salaries for a shortened 2020 season. It seems almost unfathomable that an economic dispute might prevent a season from occurring, but the parties currently are entrenched in their positions.
NHL
NHL discussing restart with 24 teams in two hub cities
TSN
After talks over the weekend, a two hub city concept featuring 12 teams in each city has been discussed and remains one of the possibilities if the NHL is able to resume its 2019-20 season according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. Every option, including the location of play, how many teams return to play or whether or not play returns at all is still to be determined.
Devils’ Schneider: NHL players concerned as pause lingers
Tom Canavan, The Associated Press
Veteran New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider said Monday that a growing number of players are concerned the NHL will announce a “drop-dead” deadline for returning to play as the coronavirus pandemic lingers with summer coming up fast. The 34-year-old Schneider said some Devils are apprehensive because the NHL has said it would take three weeks of training before allowing games.
Source: Resumption of Islanders’ Belmont arena construction ‘on the horizon’
Joe Pantorno, amNewYork Metro
The resumption of on-site construction on the New York Islanders’ new arena located at Belmont Park on the Queens/Long Island border is “on the horizon,” a source with knowledge of the situation told amNewYork Metro. On-site work on the 600,000 square-foot, 19,000-seat multi-purpose arena that is being funded by Islanders principal owner Scott Malkin, Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, and Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke, was halted on March 27 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NHL vs. TikTok: Players find an ‘addicting’ outlet during the coronavirus pause
Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
Dozens of NHLers have posted TikToks during the NHL’s paused season, including Brenden Dillon of the Washington Capitals; Nathan Beaulieu of the Winnipeg Jets; Keith Kinkaid, currently with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers; Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers; former NHL defenseman Kevin Bieksa; Jack Campbell of the Toronto Maple Leafs; J.T. Brown of the Minnesota Wild; Matt Luff of the Los Angeles Kings; Tomas Tatar, Ryan Poehling and Joel Armia of the Montreal Canadiens; Mathieu Joseph of the Tampa Bay Lightning; and Miles Wood and P.K. Subban of the New Jersey Devils.
College Sports
Furman cutting baseball, men’s lacrosse programs due to coronavirus-related financial issues
Kennington Lloyd Smith III, Greenville News
Furman University announced Monday that due to the financial implications of COVID-19, the school is discontinuing its baseball and men’s lacrosse programs. In addition, school officials are cutting the salaries of the president and senior administrators, implementing furloughs and enacting budget reductions, according to the Furman athletics website.
The Pac-12 has no plans to get left behind: The case for playing football in the fall
Jon Wilner, The San Jose Mercury News
Truth is, the outlook for Pac-12 football in 2020 is actually quite bright at the moment, given where it could be. As the situation stands today — three months from the start of the fall semester — the campuses are preparing to open and the conference is preparing to play.
New Notre Dame fall semester calendar keeps football in a hypothetical mode, but with hope
Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune
Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins outlined a fall term that will start with in-person classes two weeks early (on Aug. 10), eliminate fall break in October, and finish before Thanksgiving in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The concepts of both a full football season and one that starts on time remain in play for the Irish.
Soccer
Don Garber Says Full MLS Season Becoming More Challenging
Mark J. Burns, Sports Business Daily
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said it is “looking like it will be more challenging” than the league originally thought to play a full 34-match schedule this season. Garber, addressing MLS’ various return-to-play scenarios, said, “We’re still focused on getting in as much of (the season) as possible.”
UEFA pushes back key meeting to June due to Euro venue concerns
AFP
UEFA has postponed a potentially key meeting of its Executive Committee until June 17, European football’s governing body said on Monday. The meeting was initially due to be held on May 27 but has been put back due to concerns surrounding some of the venues for the next European Championship.
England Will Return to the Soccer Field. Scotland Won’t.
Victor Mather, The New York Times
England has been doing everything it can to restart its season. Players will return to training in small groups on Tuesday. No date for games is yet set, but organizers are eager to begin as soon as feasibly possible. But Scotland announced Monday that its season would not continue.
Racing
Rain threatens to halt NASCAR’s return to action
Jim Utter, Motorsport.com
Heavy rain has moved into the Carolinas and threatens to throw a roadblock into the continuation of NASCAR’s return to racing this week. On Monday evening, NASCAR announced a schedule change, moving up the start of Tuesday’s scheduled Toyota 200 Xfinity Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway to 6 p.m. ET.
British GP plans dealt big blow by quarantine measures
Adam Cooper and Jonathan Noble, Motorsport.com
Silverstone’s hopes of getting the final green light for the British Grand Prix have suffered a blow, sources have indicated to Motorsport.com, amid growing indications that the UK government will not exempt sports – including Formula 1 – from planned quarantine restrictions. A 14-day quarantine for overseas visitors to Britain was announced recently and is expected to be imposed from the start of next month.
Golf and Tennis
USGA cancels qualifying for all 2020 events, including U.S. Open
Will Gray, Golf Channel
The USGA has canceled qualifying for all of its remaining championships this year, including the U.S. Open. The organization had previously announced that six tournaments will not be held this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Esports
Team Rival rebrands under Ghost Gaming acquisition
H.B. Duran, Esports Insider
North American esports organisation Team Rival announced that its SMITE team roster and SMITE Pro League franchise slot have been acquired by California-based organisation Ghost Gaming. The team will continue competing in the 2020 SMITE Pro League season under the Ghost Gaming brand, assuring fans that no other changes have taken place in the player roster or staff.
Betway to sponsor DreamHack Masters Spring
Jonno Nicholson, Esports Insider
Online bookmaker Betway has established a deal with tournament organiser DreamHack that will see it sponsor DreamHack Masters Spring, starting May 19th. As part of the deal, the event features several teams sponsored by Betway and will conclude on June 14th.
General
Big3 cancels season due to coronavirus, eyes 2021 slate with fans
Greg Joyce, New York Post
The Big3 announced Monday that its fourth season, scheduled for this summer, has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the three-on-three basketball league plans to return in 2021. The Big3 considered hosting its 2020 season in a single location, but ultimately determined it was “not feasible.”
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Posts Grim Results in First Post-Coronavirus Earnings Report
Jem Aswad, Variety
Even though the coronavirus shutdown began just three weeks before the end of the quarter, Madison Square Garden Entertainment’s revenues dropped 20% to $199.9 million compared with last year, according to results released Monday. The company, which recently divided its entertainment and sports operations into two divisions, saw its operating losses for the three-month period ended March 31 go from $18.6 million in the same quarter last year to $145.5 million this year, while its adjusted operating income dropped $25.2 million to a $7.2 million loss.
Ted Leonsis is optimistic NBA, WNBA and NHL seasons will resume this year
Scott Allen, The Washington Post
Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis is optimistic that the NBA, NHL and WNBA seasons, which have been paused indefinitely because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, will resume this year, albeit without fans. As owner of the Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics, Leonsis has a stake in all three leagues.
A cashless craze?
Karn Dhingra, Sports Business Journal
In an April report on the future of cash and digital payments, the Switzerland-based Bank for International Settlements noted that scientific evidence suggested the probability of coronavirus transmission via cash is low when compared with other frequently touched objects, such as credit card terminals or PIN pads. Still, the level of Google searches about the topic demonstrates the public’s concern over cash handling.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
NASCAR managed small miracle in problem-free return
Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
Cloth over your face for 12 hours under the South Carolina sun is not ideal. Yet everyone complied Sunday at Darlington Raceway and NASCAR — a series often criticized for being consistently inconsistent and making up rules on the fly — successfully staged a spectator-free event.
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