What’s more dangerous than climbing Mount Everest? Climbing Mount Everest during a pandemic.

Nepal closed its Everest trails last year, dealing a crippling blow to the country’s tourism-dependent economy, but has reopened them this year with additional safety protocols. Mountaineering tourism employs around one million people in the nation of 30 million.

The tallest mountain in the world (measuring from sea level), has become a tourist magnet in the last 20 years. 

• The number of people reaching the summit grew from just over 100 in 2000 to a record 876 in 2019, bringing in $2 billion in revenue. 
• The physical stress of ascending to 29,029 feet causes heavy spending on oxygen tanks and masks, mountaineering equipment, sherpas, and other support staff.

The extra traffic had serious consequences: 11 people died on the mountain in 2019, in part because heavy traffic on trails slowed ascents and descents, further exposing them to the elements. 

The reopening comes at a precarious time: coronavirus cases in Nepal had dropped off since their peak in October and November but have crept back up a bit during March. Meanwhile, conditions are far worse in neighboring India, which had its highest day of new cases on record on Sunday. 

To start their journey, travelers will have to show a vaccination certificate or a negative RT-PCR test at the Kathmandu airport before taking on the vaunted peak.

ZED, a blockchain-based digital horse racing game, has changed how consumers interact with NFTs.

The game is structured so consumers not only collect NFTs but also use them to compete. In this case, users purchase, breed, and auction digital horses, which are then used to race against other owners’ digital horses. 

ZED horses have five different properties that help determine their value and rarity: bloodline, breed, color, gender, and genotype. The abundance of potential racehorse combinations makes ZED a dynamic and unique NFT venture. The racehorses can be purchased in packs similar to NBA Top Shot.

Only 38,000 horses will ever be created on ZED. The last drop contained 500 racehorses and sold out in less than 3 hours. The most sought-after breed of racehorse – the ZL – sold out in less than 60 seconds.

Each race is limited to 12 horses, with eight randomly assigned spots and four buy-in positions that create another revenue stream for the platform. In February, ZED also partnered with esports betting and entertainment company Unikrn. 

“We’re trying to bridge the gap between modern-day wagering and blockchain,” Unikrn CEO Rahul Sood told CoinDesk.

Tennis is not like other sports.

Professional players are on their own when it comes to paying coaches, trainers, and travel expenses, so COVID has hit especially hard — and there are no teams or leagues to provide a buffer from the economic impact of canceled games and empty stands.

With the pandemic cutting into prize money, the tennis community is stepping up efforts to spread the wealth in one of the most financially stratified sports.

Despite a smaller overall prize pool, the French, Australian, and U.S. Opens raised rewards for making it through the earlier rounds while substantially cutting prize money for the final rounds.

Last September at the U.S. Open, top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Vasek Popisil, who is currently 67th among male players, made the case for a players organization that could negotiate with tournaments and organize boycotts if necessary.

Tension spilled onto the court during the Miami Open. Popisil was docked a point — which cost him a set — for an on-court tirade about a recent meeting he had with ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

Popisil told the chair judge that Gaudenzi was “screaming at me in a player meeting for trying to unite the players – for an hour and a half. … If you want to default me, I’ll gladly sue this whole organization.”

Though the pandemic is easing, the financial issues are here to stay in a sport where it is difficult for all but around 100-200 players to make a good living while covering costs.

It’s no secret that many retailers struggled over the past year, but Academy Sports made the most of challenging times.

The Texas-based sporting and outdoor goods retailer has 259 stores and took in $308.8 million in net profit last year — a 157.2% increase from 2019.

While sales were down for athletic apparel like cleats and team-branded merchandise, Academy Sports saw huge interest in items geared toward outdoor activities like fishing and camping equipment, and it also benefited from the home fitness boom. 

• E-commerce sales were up 60.7% in the fourth quarter, with customers embracing curbside and in-store pickup options.
• In November, Academy released $400 million in senior secured notes, which it used to help pay down other debts at less favorable terms.
• The company, which went public in October via IPO, has seen its stock price more than double since then.

Academy Sports’ success stands in contrast to other retailers, particularly Modells, which said in March it would close all of its stores after filing for bankruptcy. Gap, Macy’s, JCPenney, and several other clothing and department retailers have closed hundreds of stores recently.

Those with more of a focus on fitness and outdoor gear have fared better. Dick’s Sporting Goods had a record year; Lululemon doubled its e-commerce sales and has plans for a bigger brick-and-mortar footprint.

Academy Sports is thinking along similar lines, envisioning room for over 800 stores across the U.S.