Media
An update on Marquee Sports Network and Comcast/Xfinity Al Yellon, SB Nation
With no live Major League Baseball this year, the Marquee Sports Network has busied itself with classic game re-broadcasts and Cubs-related talk shows. The issue that dogged Marquee before the season started, then, still confronts the network if and when baseball begins this summer: Will Comcast/Xfinity subscribers be able to see Cubs games on TV?
NFL
Rams announce August 14 opening of SoFi Stadium Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk
The new NFL stadium in Inglewood was supposed to open in July, with a Taylor Swift concert. That event has been postponed. The first football game to be played there has not.
NBA
Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony pushed to 2021, Jerry Colangelo says Jackie MacMullan, ESPN
Count the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as the latest institution to have its best-laid plans felled by the coronavirus. Jerry Colangelo, the chairman of the board of the governors for the Hall, told ESPN Wednesday that enshrinement ceremonies for the Class of 2020, one of the most star-studded lineups ever which includes Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and the late Kobe Bryant, will be moved to spring of 2021.
The N.B.A. May Return Too Soon Marc Stein, The New York Times
This is a critical week for the N.B.A. Building up to Friday’s virtual meeting between ownership representatives from the league’s 30 teams and Commissioner Adam Silver, league officials are lasering in on a scheduling format to present to the players’ union to finish out a rebooted 2019-20 season.
For WNBA, return is more about ‘data’ than ‘dates’ — but a plan is starting to take shape Kareem Copeland, The Washington Post
Cathy Engelbert is keeping a wary eye on the leagues around her. The WNBA commissioner sees the NBA entering discussions with Disney to possibly restart its season near Orlando. She has taken note of the NHL’s plan to return with a 24-team tournament.
MLB
Is MLB’s proposal the first step to playing ball in 2020 — or the beginning of the end? Jeff Passan, ESPN
Even after a quarter century of labor peace, baseball remains the sport most like the story about the scorpion and the frog. All the years of distrust, of relations frayed and aspersions cast and motives questioned, of the very things that make the relationship between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association so brittle, simply can’t help but reveal themselves.
Current MLB, MLBPA negotiations could be a prelude to labor strife in 2021 Dayn Perry, CBS Sports
Major League Baseball and the players’ union, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), are presently negotiating the parameters of what a 2020 season will look like, should such a thing be realized. A number of essential issues must be agreed upon before baseball moves forward — roster rules, safety protocols in response to COVID-19, and the schedule and postseason format among them.
Trevor Bauer jab at agent Scott Boras reveals union rift Ken Davidoff, New York Post
Trevor Bauer went there. The Reds’ starting pitcher/provocateur often uses his Twitter account to voice sentiments that had been expressed only by others under the cloak of anonymity.
Minor league baseball players look for financial life line as MLB teams halt payments Steve Gardner, USA Today
The new federal law designed to help unemployed workers make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic could end up being a financial lifeline for minor league baseball players. The minor leaguers, many of whom receive compensation that’s below the federal minimum wage, could soon find their only source of income cut off – while they remain under contract to their parent club.
NHL
NHL monitoring situation before choosing where to play games Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
Concerns about Canadian coronavirus restrictions could push hockey south of the 49th parallel into the U.S. this summer. Seven of the 10 locations the NHL has zeroed in on to hold playoff games if it resumes are American cities not restricted by Canada’s 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival.
The N.H.L. Is Coming Back, Pending a Few (Dozen) Questions David Waldstein, The New York Times
Now that the National Hockey League has announced this week its detailed road map for returning to action with a playoff tentatively set for mid-July, it can start focusing on all the steps needed to make its plan actually happen. There are many issues, some complicated, that need to be settled over the next several weeks to yield a 24-team, two-city hockey extravaganza that in its early stages would see up to three games played per day in a single arena, much like in the Olympics or the N.C.A.A. tournament.
College Sports
NCAA extends recruiting dead period through July as coronavirus pandemic continues Kyle Boone, CBS Sports
The NCAA extended the recruiting dead period an additional month through July 31 on Wednesday, marking the third extension in the past two months in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The initial dead period was set to expire on April 15 before the NCAA extended it six weeks on April 1. It was then extended an additional month on May 13 and was set to expire June 30 prior to Wednesday’s announcement.
With or Without the Say of Players, College Football Moves Toward a Return Billy Witz, The New York Times
As colleges and universities debate whether to reopen for the fall, athletic administrators face one of the thorniest decisions in sports, with millions of dollars and the health of thousands of young people at stake: Should there be a football season?
UCLA student council adopts resolution to protect student-athletes from COVID-19 Paul Myerberg, Los Angeles Times
As campuses prepare for the possibility of a traditional calendar of fall sports, the UCLA student council has adopted a resolution asking California Gov. Gavin Newsom and several university officials to guarantee a series of coronavirus-related protections that include allowing student-athletes to decide whether or not to participate in team activities without fear of “cancellation of their scholarships, threats, or retaliation.”
Docs: Bobby Hurley accuses ASU AD of ‘disturbing’ behavior in booster controversy Pete Thamel, Yahoo Sports
In an email sent from Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley to ASU athletic director Ray Anderson in December, Hurley alleges that Anderson minimized the harassment allegations that three wives of ASU staff members brought forth against a prominent booster. In an email on Dec. 8 from his Arizona State account, Hurley accuses Anderson of having “disregarded the safety and shown no sensitivity towards the women that have experienced sexual assault.”
Soccer
Sources: MLS plans shorter time frame for return-to-play tournament in Orlando Jeff Carlisle, ESPN
Major League Soccer is in the process of altering its plans for its proposed return-to-play tournament in Orlando so that the event will fit within a shorter time frame, multiple sources with knowledge of the league’s thinking told ESPN. MLS has been shut down since March 12, and earlier this month had its teams begin voluntary individual workouts as long as they didn’t conflict with local stay-at-home restrictions.
Clubs will ask for no relegation because of ‘imbalance’ in fixture list Laurie Whitwell and David Ornstein, The Athletic
Some Premier League clubs will today ask that relegation is not enforced if coronavirus stops the season again because of concerns over imbalances in the fixture list. The 20 teams yesterday agreed to full contact training as Project Restart continues to progress well, with many now planning pre-season friendlies against other Premier League sides ahead of matches resuming.
Premier League clubs approve return of contact training Paul MacInnes, The Guardian
Premier League players are to return to contact training this week, but will not be made to self-isolate unless they have spent more than 15 minutes in direct company with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. Clubs voted unanimously to pass “stage two” medical protocols on Wednesday, seen as a crucial step in the attempt to resume the 2019-20 top-flight season.
Racing
NASCAR Cup race in Charlotte pushed back day because of rain Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
Rain washed out the Cup Series race Wednesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway — a slight break for NASCAR teams taxed by a grueling return to racing. The race was rescheduled for Thursday night at 7 p.m., which in turn forced NASCAR to move the Xfinity Series race scheduled for Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Carolina Speedway Packs Its Stands, Drawing Governor’s Rebuke Jerry Garrett, The New York Times
Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina has rebuked the operator of Ace Speedway in Elon, N.C., which last weekend conducted races at which fans packed the stands without face masks or social distancing, but he stopped short of blocking a race planned for Friday. Videos taken by spectators and news crews showing a boisterous, largely unprotected crowd at the reopening of the speedway on Saturday went viral on social media.
Formula 1’s cost-cutting changes, including budget cap, approved James Galloway and Matt Morlidge, Sky Sports
F1’s big and wide-ranging package of cost-cutting measures – headlined by a tighter budget cap – have been approved to make the sport more sustainable and competitive into the future. Rubber stamped by the World Motor Sport council on Wednesday, F1 will introduce a $145m budget cap from next season and – for the first time – an aero development handicap system for the more successful teams.
Golf and Tennis
Phil Mickelson is ready to make ‘The Match’ an annual event Arash Markazi, Los Angeles Times
After the success Sunday of “The Match: Champions for Charity” golf exhibition in which Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning defeated Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady to help raise $20 million for COVID-19 relief, there are talks to make “The Match” an annual event featuring Woods and Mickelson. Woods and Mickelson faced off in the first exhibition, “The Match: Tiger vs. Phil,” on Nov. 23, 2018.
Esports
Ninja to host ‘Ninja Battles’ Fortnite tournament series on Mixer Arda Orcal, ESPN
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is getting his own Fortnite tournament series. Ninja has announced “Ninja Battles,” a weekly invitational series with six events spanning from this Thursday through July 2.
General
USA Hockey president Jim Smith under investigation for handling of abuse allegations Katie Strang, The Athletic
USA Hockey president Jim Smith is under investigation by the U.S. Center for SafeSport concerning his handling of allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse by a youth coach, The Athletic has learned. USA Hockey has also hired an independent investigator to probe Smith’s business dealings with an Illinois youth hockey affiliate.
Sporting goods industry hit or miss during pandemic John Marshall, The Associated Press
Brian Morris faced a difficult scenario when the coronavirus pandemic started leading to shutdowns across the nation. If Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey opted to include bike shops among the businesses deemed nonessential, Freeride Bike Company, which he owns with his wife Ashleigh, would have to shutter its doors for who knows how long.
Scrums, mauls impacted as rugby approves law amendments Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
Optional law amendments limiting contact in scrums, the number of players in a maul, and the duration of rucks have been approved by World Rugby in the hope of reducing the risk of possible transmission of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Rugby’s governing body made the announcement on Thursday, leaving national unions to decide whether to adopt the amendments at elite or community level depending on the prevalence of the virus in their territory and the advice from government and public health authorities.
The Basketball Tournament to be played in scaled-down format, with coronavirus protocols Dan Wolken, USA Today
The Basketball Tournament, a $2 million, winner-take-all event that has become a staple of the summer sports calendar, will be played this summer in a scaled-down format with strict safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, founder and CEO Jon Mugar told USA TODAY Sports. Instead of a 64-team field spread out over eight regional sites, The Tournament will instead host 24 teams at a single site with games being played in a 10- or 11-day window.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
How can college campuses be safe for athletes but not students? Put money on football Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times
The band room is silent. The biology labs are shuttered. The library is locked. But hey, football players, come on in!
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