FOS Daily 05/14/20

Two warm-weather states with Republican governors are pushing doors open for the return of sports. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his state is open to pro teams that want to get back to action with practice or games, while Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey made a similar declaration on Tuesday. Both Florida and Arizona have been among rumored locations for centralized competitions for leagues.

Florida had a bit of a head start, however, as DeSantis had already deemed sports essential services and allowed WWE and UFC events to take place. Beyond the professional teams in each state, the sports industry has a huge economic impact in both – for example, spring training alone has an economic impact of $348.4 million for Florida; in Arizona, it amounts to $373 million.

Leaders of other states aren’t sharing in the optimism. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said fans “won’t be filling stadiums” this fall, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he’s unsure MLB could start by July as hoped. On Tuesday, California’s state university system announced that its schools will offer online instruction only for the fall term, throwing more uncertainty on the status of NCAA football.

Major League Soccer may take up Gov. DeSantis’s invitation and head to Orlando to resume its season. Under a proposal from the league, all 26 MLS teams would travel to and begin training in the city by June 1, with games beginning on June 22. Four or five weeks of closed-doors games and a tournament would follow, mostly played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Roughly 1,000 players, coaches, and staff would be housed at one of the nearby resorts, and no families would be permitted.

While a return to play might help boost MLS television ratings – ESPN is one of the league’s rightsholders – it would significantly impact the league’s revenues. Compared to other stick and ball leagues with drastically larger media rights deals, a vast majority of MLS’s overall revenue comes directly from game days, such as tickets, suite sales, parking, and concessions.

At the moment, it’s unclear whether players will agree to the plan, in part due to safety and logistical hurdles of staging such an event after months of not playing. MLS is also proposing a uniform 20% pay cut for all players as a result of the pandemic.

Even if the NBA returns to finish this season, games won’t air in China.

The NBA’s relationship with the country soured in October 2019, when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of protesters in Hong Kong. That fallout has led to a loss of more than $300 million in revenue directly from China – which has resulted in a reduced salary cap projection for next season. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA’s annual revenue was more than $8 billion, with nearly 10% of that coming from deals connected to China. That includes a deal signed last year with Tencent to be the league’s digital partner in China worth an estimated $300 million a year. China is estimated to have 300 million active basketball players and 500 million fans.

The day prior to CCTV making its intentions clear, the NBA named Michael Ma as the new CEO of NBA China. Ma was previously CEO of Endeavor China. Ma’s father, Ma Guoli, ran CCTV Sports for 16 years and was an advisor to Yao Ming, and some felt the NBA’s move would help thaw relations. Instead, Guoli resigned as an adviser to the Chinese Basketball Association.

A new NFL stadium could be on the way in North Carolina. Charlotte Pipe & Foundry is relocating, making available a 55-acre lot near Bank of America Stadium that Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper has previously recommended as a new stadium site.

While it opened in 1996, the Panthers’ current home is one of the oldest in the NFL. It is currently receiving a $110 million, city-funded upgrade in order to host MLS games, but Tepper has said he would like to add a roof to the open-air stadium. Charlotte also spent $87.5 million on stadium renovations in 2013. The Panthers lease the property from the city for $1 a year.

Angels In Development

Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno will present plans to develop the 153-acre Angel Stadium site by the end of the month. Anaheim City Council approved a $325 million sale of the property in December. It is to be determined if the stadium will be renovated or a new one is built – along with what other developments may be done on the site. Current reports suggest any new construction will have a residential focus.

The Globe Drive-In 

The Texas Rangers have yet to play in their new $1.2 billion Globe Life Field, but it’ll start hosting drive-in concerts next month. The Concert In Your Car series will run June 4-7.

Four hundred cars will be admitted for the show, with fans required to stay in the vehicle and listen on an FM radio signal. Tickets are $40 per car.