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By Pat Evans
With a shortened, fanless season in the books, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a full schedule without fans next year would be “economically devastating.” Approximately 40% of baseball’s annual revenue is from in-stadium activities, resulting in a loss of $3 billion during the two-month season.
Across a full 162-game season next year, MLB would lose exponentially more than that, Manfred said. The expanded 16-team postseason will help — potentially generating more than $200 million from additional games — but Manfred stressed the importance of figuring out a way to have fans in the stands.
Despite baseball’s bubble concerns for next season, the NHL could return to the format — at least for a little while. While NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr said a full bubble season won’t fly, a hybrid system could be used to start next season, which could begin as early as December.
