July 30, 2020

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The NBA is back tonight in the bubble, the ACC laid out its football plan complete with Notre Dame, sports ad sales are spiking, and Nike has a new diversity and inclusion chief.

NBA is Back

Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA will begin its restart tonight with two games on TNT: the Utah Jazz vs the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Los Angeles Clippers vs the Los Angeles Lakers.

How the bubble plays out could have implications on next season, as National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Michele Roberts told ESPN a similar setup might be needed. “If tomorrow looks like today, I don’t know how we say we can do it differently,” she said.

While it remains to be seen how the 141-day break will impact the game on the court, there will be several off-the-court storylines to keep an eye on:

Coronavirus Concerns: The NBA has gone three weeks without a positive test in Orlando. However, with an outbreak wreaking havoc on MLB’s plans, all eyes will be watching if the NBA’s bubble will stay secure. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said the season would “cease completely” if an outbreak occurs.

Costly Endeavor: At an estimated $150 million, the NBA is sparing no expense to ensure the season can finish without a hitch. That price tag is amplified by the fact that the league is also preparing for a significant loss of revenue not only from fan-less playoffs but the prospects of playing parts of next season in front of no fans. Silver said that roughly 40% of the league’s revenue comes from money earned around game nights in arenas.

Content Is King: Content has been pouring out of the bubble as fans have been hungry for a look inside. Several media members started the @NBABubbleLife Twitter account, which has gained more than 126,000 followers since launching July 10. Philadelphia 76ers guard Matisse Thybulle has been doing daily videos on Instagram and YouTube where he now has more than 288,000 followers and 332,000 subscribers, respectively.

Innovative Approach: ESPN and Turner have more than 30 cameras positioned around the court for unique angles during gameplay. Other features include having fans in virtual stands and 17-foot digital screens around the court.

Social Justice: Players are allowed to wear social justice messages on the back of their jerseys. The court will also have “Black Lives Matter” painted on it.

Sharing is Caring

Photo Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Despite NCAA President Mark Emmert remaining “very concerned” about a fall sports season, the ACC unveiled its plans for an 11-game football schedule starting Sept. 12 that includes Notre Dame.

Notre Dame makes a major concession to join the ACC: splitting its NBC contract. NBC has had Notre Dame football rights since 1991, with a current deal that runs through 2025 and pays a reported $15 million a year. Notre Dame is a member of the ACC in all sports except football.

ESPN holds the ACC’s media rights, which pay the conference $240 million a year. The network also owns the ACC Network and splits revenue and costs with the conference.

Without ticket sales, Power 5 schools could lose an average of $18.6 million this season. Without a season at all, Power 5 schools could lose $4 billion combined.

Other Big 5 Conference Football Plans: 

— SEC: Moving closer to 10-game conference-only schedule.

— Big Ten: Conference-only schedule

— Pac-12: Conference-only schedule

— Big 12: Have yet to announce plans, but Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said the schedules “don’t have to be identical.”

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Ad Flood

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Turner Sports has sold out of its regular-season NBA ad inventory. The 22 teams in the bubble resume play tonight, playing eight games each before playoffs start next month.

Fox Sports said it has sold 90% of its regular-season MLB inventory last week and Turner reportedly had the same demand for its baseball slate. Disney, which broadcasts the NBA on ESPN and ABC, has brought in more than 100 advertisers with the season resuming, including 25 new to the sport.

Advertising rushing back to sports is a welcomed sight for the networks, as they lost an estimated $240 million in April when the MLB season and the NBA and NHL playoffs were supposed to start. Viewership numbers are proving the demand sports fans have for the programming, including ESPN drawing 4 million viewers for its MLB Opening Night.

From March to June 2019, the NBA, NHL and MLB generated approximately $1.3 billion in revenue for broadcasters:

— $800 million for NBA regular season and playoffs.

— $120 million for NHL regular season and playoffs.

— $60 million for regular MLB season games.

Pushing Change

Photo Credit: Nike

Nike has named Felicia Mayo its new chief talent, diversity and culture officer. Mayo joined Nike last year from Tesla, where she was vice president of human resources and diversity and inclusion. Mayo replaces Kellie Leonard, who served in the role since it was created in 2018 and is ‘leaving to pursue other interests.’ The move could be a result of a staff letter from Nike CEO John Donahoe in June where he wrote “many have felt a disconnect between our external brand and your internal experience.”

Diversity has been a major topic of late for the footwear and apparel industry, with Nike, Adidas and Under Armour all rolling out new diversity and inclusion initiatives. Adidas’ former head of human resources left in July following employee complaints about the culture and lack of diversity.

Other Nike News:

— Despite a slowdown in physical retail store traffic, Nike opened a new House of Innovation concept in Paris. Nike has two other “digitally powered” stores in New York City and Shanghai.

— Nike announced $1 million grants to the NAACP Empowerment Programs, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Black Girls CODE. It is the company’s first step in its four-year, $40 million commitment to support organizations focused on social justice and racial inequality efforts.

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What We're Covering

What We're Covering

Podcast company Blue Wire Media is launching its first narrative podcast looking back at the career of failed soccer prodigy Freddy Adu.

Sports betting operators are offering all-time high promotional deals to hook fans as sports come back.

The Phoenix Suns are using a new documentary series to chronicle one of the most unique periods in the history of pro sports.

The NBA will provide free COVID-19 testing in Orlando through the end of August and also donated free tests to the league’s 29 other markets.

Question of the Day

Will you watch an NBA game tonight?

 Yes   No 

Wednesday’s Answer
69% of respondents don’t believe the XFL will play another season.

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