Race finishers are down 95% during the pandemic, Wisconsin football game canceled because of COVID-19 outbreak, Big 5 Sporting Goods has best quarter ever, and Twitch is getting beautified.
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Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
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The 125th Boston Marathon, initially scheduled for April 2021, will be postponed until at least fall of next year — the 124th edition was canceled due to the pandemic. Massachusetts’ reopening plan currently restricts road races and large gatherings — this year’s race was slated to have more than 31,500 runners.
Races have suffered in the U.S. during the pandemic, with a 95% year-over-year drop in timed race finishers between mid-March and mid-October. It’s not just in the U.S. as four of the six designated World Marathon Majors were canceled and the two others were scaled back — including Tokyo, which hosted just 200 elite runners on March 11 compared to nearly 38,000 the year prior.
This weekend, more than 50,000 runners were expected to take part in the New York City Marathon; instead there is a virtual race allowing participants to complete 26.2 miles on any day until Nov. 1.
Finishers in Timed Events:
2020: 1.8 million
2019: 11.8 million
2018: 12.1 million
2017: 12.5 million
2016: 13.0 million
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Wisconsin shut down football activities and its game against Nebraska this weekend was canceled because of a COVID-19 outbreak. Just a week after kicking off, the Big Ten will join the list of college conferences with missed games because of the coronavirus.
COVID-19 is still an ever-present factor in sports — Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was pulled from the World Series-clinching Game 6 with a positive test. Turner returned to the field to celebrate with his teammates, a move now under investigation by MLB.
Throughout its shortened season, MLB had 57 players test positive. But its approach of playing in local markets with its postseason addition of allowing limited fans — instead of a closed-off bubble — is likely the step forward for other leagues as the virus could impact the sports world until at least 2022.
COVID-Caused Changes
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Big 5 Sporting Goods had its best quarter ever with a 14.8% same store sales increase. The retailer reported $28.4 million in income, up from $6.4 million year-over-year.
Consumers looking for ways to stay active drove the growth according to CEO and President Steven Miller, who said there was “extraordinary demand” for products related to home fitness and outdoor recreation. Big 5 shares are up more than 148% on the year.
The push for at-home workout equipment has had a wide impact across fitness-related industries, ranging from Dick’s Sporting Goods — which saw sales rise 20% year-over-year in its second quarter — to Peloton, which announced its first quarterly profit last month.
Fitness Headlines
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On top of its video game prowess, Twitch is staking its claim as a platform for beauty brands. Beauty influencer Michelle Phan recently hosted a Twitch livestream to help launch a new product for Em Cosmetics.
Em Cosmetics sold 248% more units compared to previous launches — with the 3.5 hour livestream accounting for 17% of its revenue that day. Normally creating content for her 9 million YouTube subscribers, Phan has made an early entry in a growing Twitch category.
Influencers like skincare expert Young Yuh and Alexys Fleming, who shows off body-paint creations while gaming, say the platform’s interactivity with viewers makes it a more appealing platform than TikTok or IG Live.
Notable Twitch Beauty Trends
- Hero Cosmetics saw a 150% return on ad spend in a campaign with gaming streamer Seum.
- Beauty and Body Art categories increased 208% from November 2019 to August 2020.
- Brands MAC Cosmetics and Maybelline were involved in TwitchCon in 2019.
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Meet sports media’s new favorite phenom: high school quarterback Arch Manning. The 15-year-old nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and grandson of Archie Manning is starting to receive the kind of national media coverage reserved for wunderkinds like LaMelo Ball, Bronny James, and LeBron James in his youth.
Ryan Smith, CEO and co-founder of software company Qualtrics, is buying the NBA’s Utah Jazz. The Provo, Utah-based company has been a longtime sponsor of the team, and is signed on to be its jersey patch sponsor through 2023. The deal for a majority share of the team is reportedly worth more than $1.6 billion.
With presidential candidates spending more on political ads during sports telecasts, visible political activism by athletes, and sports fans backing athletes’ right to endorse candidates, sports and politics seem more intertwined than ever.
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Have you participated in a virtual run or walk during the pandemic?
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Wednesday’s Answer
22% of respondents said they plan to buy a PlayStation 5; 16% said they plan to buy a next-gen Xbox; and 62% said they don’t plan on buying a next-gen console.
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