FOS Daily 6/24/2020

Baseball will finally start next month, as MLB announced yesterday that a 60-game season would begin on July 23 or 24. The MLB Players Association agreed to report to training camps by July 1 and with the league’s health and safety protocols. Little has been leaked about the 76-page safety and testing protocols, but the league reportedly gave in to player requests for greater access to medical and training equipment. The proposed schedule will largely focus on divisional play, with teams also playing against their opposite league’s corresponding geographical division to lessen travel.

Other News: 

— Dallas and Pittsburgh have been told they’re out of contention as potential NHL hub cities, leaving Chicago, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Vancouver as cities still in consideration. The start date for the league’s 24-team tournament has yet to be announced, but training camps are still slated to begin on July 10.

— The NFL is planning on letting its teams set different attendance capacity limits based on local health guidelines when the preseason starts, meaning some teams could play in front of full stadiums while others could play in front of no fans.

— The FBI found that no federal hate crime was committed regarding the noose found in the garage of NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway. The investigation found that the alleged noose was a previously placed garage door pull rope that had been misidentified.

While leagues inch closer to their returns, more athletes are choosing to not take part, citing both the surge in COVID-19 cases across the country as well as the continued racial equality movement.

At the forefront of those looking to sit out is Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who earlier this month said he wouldn’t take part in the NBA’s resumption in Orlando. There is growing hesitation around the league’s restart as coronavirus cases grow across Florida. NBA players have until today to inform their teams of their decisions, and teams have until July 1 to finalize their rosters – if a substitute player is signed, the original player can not rejoin the team this season.

Several WNBA players have officially announced they’ll skip the season, which will also be played in Florida. While the Connecticut Sun’s Jonquel Jones and Washington Mystics’ LaToya Sanders cited coronavirus and health concerns, Mystics guard Natasha Cloud joined Atlanta Dream guard Renee Montgomery in skipping the season to concentrate on social justice issues. In a statement, Cloud said, “I have a responsibility to myself, to my community and to my future children to fight for something that is much bigger than myself and the game of basketball.”

With the NWSL’s Challenge Cup slated to start this weekend, several high-profile players have bowed out, including U.S. Women’s National Team players Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, and Christen Press. Heath and Press specifically cited COVID-19 uncertainty. The entire Orlando Pride team was pulled out of the tournament after several players and staff members tested positive for the virus.

Endeavor has had a rough couple of months as live sports and movie productions shut down, but the agency’s future appears to be looking up. UFC’s return has helped generate cash, and it recently sold movies and comedy specials, according to The Information. With the good news, the company reportedly has started to bring back previously furloughed employees.

Last month, the company also secured a $260 million term loan and recently sold a piece of its stake in Epic Games for $100 million. However, several long-term concerns that existed before the pandemic still loom large.

For much of the past decade, the company was aggressive in its acquisitions – including its part acquisition of UFC in 2016 for $4.025 billion, as well as the debt that remained from the merger between WME and IMG. When the company filed for its unsuccessful IPO last year, its $4.6 billion in debt was made public. The pandemic has caused revenue to drop 70%, and Endeavor was forced to lay off, furlough, or issue pay cuts to a third of its employees.

While this year’s drop in revenue certainly won’t help, there’s still optimism around the company. Private equity firm Silver Lake Partners has made more than $2 billion in unrealized profit from its investments in the company, and in 2019 Endeavor reportedly had its best revenue year ever. Endeavor could continue to sell off additional assets, and it also might make another go at an IPO once the coronavirus subsides.

Howard Mittman is out as CEO at Bleacher Report, according to sources. Turner Sports President Lenny Daniels has taken over business control of the digital publication.

Mittman joined Bleacher Report in 2017 and succeeded founder Dave Finocchio as CEO in February 2019. Previously an executive for several publications at Condé Nast, Mittman helped launch B/R Gridiron and expanded the company’s push into e-commerce and events.

However, Mittman and Bleacher Report were criticized recently for the company’s lack of diversity. Dylan Lathrop, a senior designer for B/R, tweeted last week that the site is “approximating a Black voice and often reducing that experience to aesthetics.”

In a memo to Bleacher Report’s staff, Daniels said that “as a workplace, we’re committed to creating and maintaining a diverse, inclusive environment for all.”