Many NFL players are scheduled to report to training camps this week, but there’s plenty to be still worked out to play football this season. NFL Players Association leadership held a call with the Pro Football Writers of America on Friday to talk about issues facing the players, including the frequency of testing, the amount of preseason games, and the overall economic impact on the league. The salary cap could drop by as much as $70 million to $128 million per team if games are played with empty stadiums.

“Wearing a mask will probably be the most significant component of whether sports return in this country,” NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said. “That’s not a political statement. That’s a common-sense and scientific statement. Nothing will bring fans back to our stadiums faster than the simple decision across the country to wear a mask.”

The league and NFLPA continue to exchange proposals for reopening protocols. The players want daily testing and contact tracing, no preseason games, and an extended ramp-up period to help make up for spring and summer inactivity. The NFL wants testing every other day and has already canceled two preseason games. The league has also offered players who opt out of the season a $150,000 advance on their 2021 salary.

Since the call, NFL players – including Cleveland Browns center and NFLPA President JC Tretter, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas – have taken to Twitter to urge the NFL to listen to medical experts in how to return to play successfully, sharing tweets with the hashtag #WeWantToPlay.

The Toronto Blue Jays were denied a request to play at the Rogers Centre as Major League Baseball approaches Thursday’s Opening Day. Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino cited frequent travel to the U.S. as the biggest issue. The Blue Jays are now looking at alternate sites for home games – their first is currently scheduled for July 29 – including the team’s spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida and its Triple-A affiliate’s home in Buffalo, New York.

Other Coronavirus Updates: 

— Major League Soccer announced that three of its four expansion franchises will start a year later than planned because of disruptions from the coronavirus. Charlotte will join the league in 2022 rather than 2021, and Sacramento and St. Louis will start in 2023 instead of 2022. Austin FC will start as previously scheduled in 2021.

— The Tokyo Olympics were already postponed a full year until 2021, and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said there are a number of options being considered to make sure the Games happen – because another postponement is off the table. If they are not held next year, Bach said the Tokyo Games will be canceled altogether. The postponement has already cost the I.O.C. an estimated $800 million.

— The World Surf League canceled its World Championship Tour and announced it would start its 2021 tour later this year to provide schedule flexibility should the pandemic persist.

The Power 5 conferences are expected to present a name, image, and likeness proposal to Congress this week. Sports Illustrated obtained a draft of the proposal, which is being called the Student-Athlete Equity Act of 2020 and intends to ‘help ensure competitive balance in college sports,’ according to a statement from Power 5 conference members.

The proposal has plenty of restrictions for student-athletes and has already received pushback, with opponents saying the rules should be more player-friendly.

The conferences have already spent record amounts lobbying Congress to ask for federal legislation to govern college athlete pay. The uniform national law is meant to prevent disparate laws across states.

The proposal revolves around three major points:

— NIL deals would be delayed until the athlete’s second semester in college.

— Preventing deals that “violate university standards or conflict with institutional sponsorship agreements.”

— Contracts with agents and businesses must be publicly disclosed to prevent recruiting benefits and “prevent athletes from acting without sufficient information.”

Video game spending reached $6.6 billion through June, the highest total in a decade, according to The NPD Group. The year-to-date sales are up 19% compared to 2019, with June sales – $1.2 billion – up 26% year-over-year.

Since March, the video game industry has surged in part because of stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic – the sector set a quarterly record with $10.9 billion in the first quarter. This year’s spending is unlikely to slow down as both Microsoft and Sony are set to launch new consoles this fall, with the latter already boosting production of the Playstation 5 to meet increased demand.

June Video Game Sales

— $417 million on accessories and game cards

— $570 million on software

— $191 million on hardware

Drive-in Esports

As consumers are flocking to spend on video game hardware, software, and accessories to play indoors, Horizon Group Properties is betting on bringing gamers outside. The real estate investment firm is developing four drive-in esports arenas with esports analytics group Harena Data. The arenas are being planned for Horizon-owned malls in Louisville, Kentucky; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and El Paso and Laredo, Texas.

Horizon’s plans come as esports arenas are popping up across the country. Goldman Sachs predicted in 2019 that esports and online game streaming viewership will reach 300 million people by 2022.