In an effort to help make sense of how Coronavirus is impacting the US sports industry, we’ve put together this quick report of proprietary data from FOS reader surveys and additional research.
All FOS survey data is based on a minimum of 250 responses from industry executives.
The wait is about to get longer…
On March 12th, the day following the NBA’s decision to suspend the season, 64.5% of our audience would have attended a sporting event the next day if they had a ticket. This should serve as an indication of how quickly things have changed in the last 2 weeks with the CDC’s recommendation against gatherings of 50 people or more through May 10th.
On March 16th, 10.4% of FOS’s audience industry executives thought U.S. sports leagues would resume play within 30 days, 68.4% that leagues would resume play in 30-60 days, and 21.1% thought that it would be at least 60 days before leagues would resume play.
On March 23rd, these numbers shifted to 2.5% of our audience thinking play would resume within 30 days, 43% thinking 30-60 days, and 54.5% thinking that it would be at least 60 days before leagues would start again.
The jump from 21.1% to 54.5% in the 60+ days segment lends insight into the timelines that industry stakeholders are discussing internally.
The FOS team has produced an insights primer including details around how COVID-19 is impacting the following areas of sports business:
- The 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo
- The esports bump
- The impact on sports betting landscape
![[Subscription Customers Only] Jul 13, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Chelsea FC midfielder Cole Palmer (10) celebrates winning the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium](https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/USATSI_26636703-scaled-e1770932227605.jpg?quality=100&w=1024)
