• The Philadelphia Phillies announced a halt to all team activities “until further notice” after a coach and a clubhouse staff member both tested positive for COVID-19, and MLB subsequently called off the team’s weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Phillies were already midway through a five-day break from games since playing last weekend against the Miami Marlins, who have had 19 players and coaches test positive for coronavirus, and a source said multiple players were around the coach who tested positive this week. (The Athletic)

• MLB and its players’ union agreed to shorten games played as part of doubleheaders to seven innings apiece, according to sources familiar with the situation, a compromise that reportedly came together quickly with a number of doubleheaders expected to take place this season because of rescheduled games due to current and potential coronavirus outbreaks, as well as weather-related postponements. The rule will go into effect Saturday, though there aren’t currently any doubleheaders scheduled after the postponement of Saturday’s pair between the Phillies and Blue Jays. (ESPN)

• The NBA resumed regular-season play with a pair of games broadcast by TNT from the Walt Disney World Resort outside Orlando, Fla., an evening that began with players and coaches for the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz kneeling alongside officials during the national anthem and ended with the sport’s biggest star, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, scoring a game-winning basket against the Los Angeles Clippers. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he “will not enforce our long-standing rule requiring standing during the playing of our national anthem.” (The Wall Street Journal)

• SEC school presidents adopted a plan to play a 10-game, conference-only football schedule this fall, a decision that effectively eliminates four traditional SEC-ACC rivalry games, along with several other previously scheduled non-conference games against other Power 5 opponents. Assuming the league is able to hold a season amid the coronavirus, it would kick off on Sept. 26, three weeks later than its intended Labor Day weekend start. (Sports Illustrated)

Comcast plans to provide RSN rebates to subscribers
Eric Fisher, SportBusiness

Comcast Corp. confirmed following the release of its second quarter earnings that it will be providing rebates to its American cable subscribers due to the lack of live action on regional sports networks this spring amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In a move in development since before Comcast’s last quarterly earnings report, company senior vice president and chief financial officer Mike Cavanagh said funds are coming to Comcast that will be rebated to consumers.

A’s to add local radio station, 960 AM; change to iHeartRadio streaming service
Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle

A’s fans clamored for a local radio station after the team announced in February that a streaming service would be the only option for listening to games in the Bay Area. The Chronicle has learned that the team will partner with Bloomberg 960 AM in Oakland to air the remaining 54 games of the 60-game season.

Amid crisis, Pac-12 signed agreement to fund news coverage from Los Angeles Times
John Canzano, The Portland Oregonian

According to emails and other documents, the conference struck a deal in 2018 with the Los Angeles Times that aimed to steer $100,000 in advertising to the newspaper in exchange for an expansion in conference coverage. Even now, it isn’t entirely clear what the agreement called for, but enough details emerged to cause deep concerns in the Los Angeles Times newsroom.

David Duval to serve as lead analyst for ESPN coverage of PGA Championship
Adam Schupak, Golfweek

Duval previously worked for ESPN as an analyst for a couple of years before joining Golf Channel in early 2015. He made his debut as a TV analyst on ESPN’s coverage of the U.S. Open in 2012 and became a mainstay of the network’s U.S. Open coverage and at The Open Championship through 2014.

CBS announces stellar talent lineup for Champions League including Carragher, Gullit and Schmeichel
Christopher Harris, World Soccer Talk

Analysts Roberto Martinez, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards and host Kate Abdo have joined CBS Sports to lead its pregame, halftime and postgame studio coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League tournaments in August across multiple ViacomCBS platforms, with every match on CBS All Access and select matches on CBS Sports Network.

NFL Adds Subway As Official League Sponsor, Replacing McDonald’s
Scott Soshnick, Sportico

Subway has become an official sponsor of the National Football League, replacing McDonald’s in the quick-service restaurant category. As part of the deal, Subway will have exclusive marketing rights and undisclosed opportunities at key NFL events and experiences, according to the statement. The brand will also sponsor NFL FLAG, the largest U.S. flag football league, and NFL Play60, a league initiative aimed at fostering better health among kids.

Entertainment district near Bank of America Stadium on the drawing board
Erik Spanberg, Charlotte Business Journal

Tepper Sports & Entertainment, which owns the stadium and the NFL and MLS teams, is already in the early stages of planning an entertainment district to be developed in Third Ward. That effort is wrapped up in ongoing negotiations between the city of Charlotte and Tepper Sports on three linked projects: renovations at BofA Stadium, land and possibly infrastructure for an entertainment district, and improvements at the city-owned former Eastland Mall site in east Charlotte for an MLS team headquarters and training site.

2K Games Advances Its Challenge To EA’s Madden With NFLPA Deal
Randall Williams, Sportico

2K Games has inked a deal with the NFL Players Association and OneTeam Partners that will allow the game maker to feature the real names, numbers, images and likenesses of more than 2,000 players in its future games. The agreement follows 2K’s deal with the league itself to create an officially licensed, non-simulation football game, expected to arrive in 2021, that could take on EA’s Madden franchise.

Marsha Blackburn targets NBA after report says league told her ‘inaccurate’ statement about China academies
Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Fox News

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is taking aim at the NBA after a new bombshell report claimed that the sports league offered the lawmaker a “completely inaccurate” statement about its training academies in China. ESPN ran an explosive report on Wednesday that alleged that the NBA’s youth program in China was plagued with human rights abuses.

Source: Another Marlins player tests positive for coronavirus, raising total to 19
ESPN

The Miami Marlins on Thursday had another player test positive for the coronavirus, bringing the team’s total to 19, a source confirmed to ESPN. In all, the Marlins have had 17 players and two coaches test positive over the past week, sources confirmed to ESPN.

MLB, Manfred can punish players who steal signs electronically, per new rules
Evan Drellich, The Athletic

Major League Baseball and the Players Association have agreed that players who steal signs electronically can be suspended without pay or service time, The Athletic has learned. MLB’s rules on the use of electronics and video grew significantly in the wake of penalties for the Astros and Red Sox, according to a review of the document by The Athletic and conversations with officials familiar with it.

Astros owner Jim Crane opens up on sign-stealing scandal: ‘It weighs on all of us every day’
Bob Nightengale, USA Today

He profusely apologized for the organization’s cheating scandal in 2017 and part of 2018. And he expressed remorse for that disastrous February press conference which only inflamed the anger from the public and players around the game.

Hockey Diversity Alliance, NHL struggling to find common ground
Frank Seravalli, TSN

The National Hockey League plans to address social injustice on Saturday prior to puck drop after a 142-day pause, but members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance say they aren’t buying the authenticity of the league’s message. HDA co-head, a San Jose Sharks winger, says the newly formed group comprised of nine current and former players has been unable to find common ground with the NHL after more than a month of dialogue.

With SEC football moving to conference-only schedule, millions in guaranteed payments in limbo
Aria Gerson and Steve Berkowitz, USA Today

With the Southeastern Conference joining the Big Ten and Pac-12 in moving to a conference-only schedule in 2020, tens of millions in guaranteed payments are now in doubt for Group of Five schools. In 36 SEC home games that had not already been canceled for which USA TODAY Sports was able to obtain contracts, the total payouts were set to total just over $35 million.

College Football Playoff evaluating timetable for meetings, 2020 protocols
Heather Dinich, ESPN

The College Football Playoff is evaluating a new timetable for its selection committee meetings, and it will reconsider its protocols for the 2020 season, CFP executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN on Thursday. The CFP’s evaluations follow the SEC’s decision to delay its start of the season until Sept. 26.

Kirk Ferentz vows change after football inquiry finds ‘Iowa way’ led to systemic racism, player mistreatment
Mark Emmert and Dargan Southard, Hawk Central

The report by the Husch Blackwell law firm, released Thursday, also addressed concerns raised by former players that Ferentz’s son — Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz — was part of a group of current football staff members that engaged in racial bias and player mistreatment. The school said Thursday that he and the others will keep their jobs.

NCAA will let athletes wear social justice messages on uniform patches
Dani Mohr, New York Post

The NCAA announced Thursday the Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved rules that allow athletes across all sports to wear patches on their uniforms in an effort to spread awareness for causes or issues they may be passionate about. There are rules, however.

College football ticket dilemma: ‘For every two seats that are put together, I’m killing 20 seats’
Paul Myerberg, USA Today

With the potential season looming and a clearer picture begin to emerge on how many ticket holders are opting in for 2020, athletics departments are modeling several different scenarios for how to approach ticketing and seating during a season unlike any other — and just how, exactly, to put together a plan that meets the potential demand for tickets while matching guidelines outlined by conferences, local health officials and national health organizations.

Galaxy suspend training as 11 from USL team test positive for coronavirus
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times

The Galaxy have suspended training and are undergoing additional COVID-19 testing after 11 members of its USL Championship affiliate tested positive for the coronavirus. Galaxy players, who returned from the MLS Is Back tournament in Florida last weekend, have been tested twice this week and will not train again until Monday “out of an abundance of caution,” said Brendan Hannan, the team’s vice president for marketing and communications.

Criminal case opened against FIFA president Gianni Infantino
Jamey Keaten, The Associated Press

A criminal case against FIFA president Gianni Infantino was opened by a Swiss special prosecutor on Thursday, plunging the soccer body into a new scandal and potentially threatening the tenure of the man who was brought in to restore its tarnished reputation. FIFA said it and Infantino will cooperate with Swiss authorities.

Sergio Perez coronavirus: When will he return to Formula 1?
Rachit Thukral, Motorsport

Racing Point’s Sergio Perez tested positive for coronavirus ahead of this weekend’s Formula 1 British Grand Prix and will be replaced by Nico Hulkenberg. As part of F1s newly-introduced protocols to ensure the safety of personnel, all members of the paddock are tested every five days for COVID-19.

Tiger Woods, Tennis Stars And Disney Back L.A. Tennis Project
Mike Freeman, Sportico

Golfer Tiger Woods, the Walt Disney Company and a bevy of current and former tennis stars, including Chris Evert, James Blake and U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, are all supporting a proposed massive academic and athletic complex in the Los Angeles area. Woods’s foundation and the United States Tennis Association are among the people and groups that contributed $50 million toward what founders hope will be the nation’s largest academic and athletic facility.

Ash Barty becomes biggest name to drop out of US Open
The Associated Press

No. 1-ranked Ash Barty is skipping the first tennis major since January after deciding it’s too risky to travel for the U.S. Open during the coronavirus pandemic. The 24-year-old Australian is the highest-profile player so far to opt out of the Aug. 31-Sept. 13 Grand Slam tournament in New York because of the global health crisis.

Mitch Marner joins OverActive Media ownership group
Jamie Wootton, Esports Insider

Professional Ice Hockey player Mitch Marner has joined the ownership group of Canadian organisation OverActive Media. Last year, Grammy-winning singer Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye also invested in OverActive Media.

Tribe Gaming secures bag partner in Incase
Adam Fitch, Esports Insider

North American organisation Tribe Gaming has announced Incase as its official bag and pack partner. The organisation, which focuses on mobile esports, will kit out its players with Incase’s products as a result of the agreement.

Molson Coors Boosts Marketing As Live Sports Return
E.J. Schultz, Ad Age

Molson Coors—which slashed marketing during COVID-19—will boost spending in the year’s second half as the beer industry shows signs of resiliency during the pandemic. But the planned uptick partially depends on live sports programming, whose staying power remains uncertain as pro leagues and college sports conferences navigate COVID-19 complications. 

CAA Sports lays off 90 staff as part of COVID cost contingencies
Ed Dixon, SportsPro Media

The sports division of the Creative Arts Agency (CAA) has laid off 90 agents and executives across all departments, and furloughed 275 assistants and other hourly employees. The agency giant confirmed the news in a statement as it bids to remain solvent during the economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Quarantine! Fake Fans! Vigilante Justice! Baseball Rumbles Through Opening Week
Jason Gay, The Wall Street Journal

I really want to get to Joe Kelly, the wiry Dodgers relief pitcher who mocked the remorseless trash-can Houston Astros the other night, and is apparently now the new Mayor of Los Angeles. But first, we should be clear that baseball still feels like a supermarket cart with a busted wheel, steaming down the upper deck stairs of one of its empty stadia.

NBA TV viewer experience needs tweaking but it beats no games at all
Jeff Zillgitt, USA Today

I’m not alone in wanting to hear more live dialogue among players, coaches and referees – not the sanitized and edited version following commercial breaks. I also understand why the NBA is hesitant to broadcast some of that talk live.