As NBA players are preparing to arrive in Orlando on July 7, more is emerging about the league’s Florida bubble. Once in Disney World, players must isolate until two negative tests come back at least 24 hours apart. Until July 21, players will only be able to eat and socialize with players within their hotels – the 22 teams will be split among three hotels. Games will begin July 30, but first players need to read 113 pages of new rules. 

Players Safety Measures: 

• Players can wear a proximity alarm – team and league staff must wear them – that goes off if they spend more than five seconds within six feet of another alarm. 
• An option to wear an Oura Ring, which monitors vital health measurements
• Masks at all times, except eating, working out, or when outdoors more than six feet from another person.
• Expectation all players remain on campus; those who leave without permission will submit to a 14-day quarantine with compensation docked for any missed game.
• Players aren’t allowed in each other’s hotel rooms.
• Daily temperature checks, symptom surveys, and pulse oximetry, along with regular COVID-19 tests.

Player Amenities

• Players-only lounge with video games
• Pools and trails
• Available Barbers, manicurists, and pedicurists
• 24-hour VIP concierge
• Daily entertainment including movie screenings, DJ sets, and watching other teams’ games
• For each team that advances past the first round, teams will be allowed to reserve up to 17 rooms for guests – which the player would pay for.

The English Premier League kicked back into action Wednesday. As Europe’s major soccer leagues are now all back on the field, the Champions League said it will resume with a 12-day, eight-team event in Lisbon, Portugal.

Updates: 

• MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred met with MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark on Tuesday, emerging with a “jointly developed framework … [that] could form the basis of an agreement.” The league also reportedly made a 60-game season offer to the players, with a July 19 start. The new proposal includes full prorated pay for the players – which has been a major pain point in previous iterations.
• Formula E announced its return as the electric cars would race three double-headers over consecutive weekends in August at a Berlin airport. The six races will complete the circuit’s sixth season, which included five races before the COVID-19 shutdown in March.
• College football has already lost a game this fall as the annual Southern Heritage Classic between Jackson State and Tennessee State was canceled due to coronavirus concerns. It was scheduled for Sept. 12 in Memphis.
• NHL players won’t be required to wear full shields when they hit the ice. The precaution is deemed unnecessary as players will be tested daily, but coaches and support staff likely will be wearing visors made by Bauer.

Some recent TikTok changes to its music regulations will make it tougher for sports brands to work with the platform. While that might pose a challenge, TikTok is also making a push into long-form content with a specific focus on sports – recent collaborations include efforts with Jordan Brand and the NFL.

The exploration into long-form content could help grow the platform’s revenue, which is expected to be approximately $500 million in the U.S. in 2020. Last year, TikTok generated between $200 million and $300 million globally. The app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, has tripled its U.S.-based staff in the past year, which now exceeds 1,000. It also named Kevin Mayer, who was Disney’s head of streaming, CEO of TikTok in May.

TikTok’s growth – the platform alone has 800 million active users with 41% aged 16-24 – has come with scrutiny from U.S. regulators and lawmakers regarding its Chinese parent company and the personal data the app collects. ByteDance reportedly generated $5.64 billion in first-quarter revenue, a 130% year-over-year increase. The privately-owned company was recently valued between $95 billion and $140 billion and has a 2020 revenue goal of $28.2 billion.

It’s not just video games drawing in viewers on Twitch. Chess has become a must-watch on the platform with five-time U.S. chess champion Hikaru Nakamura leading the way.

In May, Twitch viewers watched more than 8 million hours of chess, and its popularity has grown six times over since March. Chess has found itself among the top 20 games on Twitch, surrounded by more contemporary video games like Fortnite, League of Legends, and Call of Duty. Nakamura himself has more than 366,000 followers on the platform.

Chess.com has also experienced growth during the coronavirus pandemic, gaining more than 700,000 members in March and more than 9 million games per day. It’s not all due to the pandemic, however. In 2017, Twitch partnered with Chess.com, and the Pro Chess League has created a significant digital esports footprint.