The Giants are among the many companies downsizing in the face of the pandemic and a new financial reality: On Friday, the team announced a 10 percent cut in baseball and business operations staff. San Francisco completed its pandemic-shortened 60-game season last month, receiving no gate revenue as fans were not allowed into any regular…
SF Giants cut 10% of jobs in baseball and business departments, citing coronavirus — East Bay Times
Cam Newton admitted that the last two weeks since testing positive for COVID-19 has “without a doubt” been the strangest stretch of his career, and he still doesn’t know how he contracted the virus. The Patriots quarterback, who returned in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, opened up about his experience with COVID-19 during his weekly…
Patriots QB Cam Newton opens up about COVID-19 experience and ‘worst nightmare’ — Boston Herald
Like it or not, the NFL has a COVID-19 problem on its hands. Dozens of players and staff members across the league have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since the season began Sept. 10. But cases have been spiking in recent weeks, including multiple positive tests on teams like the Tennesse Titans and New […]
Six NFL Teams Return Positive COVID-19 Tests In 24 Hours, And Why It’s Important — NESN.com
Less than 20 years after Major League Baseball was stifled by the steroid era, one of the biggest hurdles in the sport’s history, the same doctor who helped clean up the mess was presented with another one. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, could MLB police itself again? Could the league avoid distraction from its financial…
MLB’s chief medical director: Zero on-field COVID-19 transmissions during 2020 season — Boston Herald
Alabama coach Nick Saban and athletic director Greg Byrne have tested positive for COVID-19, three days before the second-ranked Crimson Tide is set to face No. 3 Georgia in a clash of Southeastern Conference and national powers. Both said their tests Wednesday morning came back positive, but Saban said he didn’t have any symptoms by […]
Nick Saban, Alabama AD Greg Byrne test positive for COVID-19 — Fox 59
The league will begin PCR testing for COVID-19 on game days starting this week and the use of masks in walk-throughs is now mandatory.
NFL will test for COVID-19 on game days, but has no ‘bubble’ plans — Bangor Daily News
When it comes to leadership and planning, the NBA is playing on a different level than the rest of the American professional sports organizations. The Walt Disney World bubble was a brilliant idea to safely continue a season during the COVID-19 pandemic. The league then executed that idea to perfection, without a single positive coronavirus […]
Column: NBA bubble worked to perfection — Lowell Sun
The announced attendance at the game was 10,700, but some weren’t covering their nose or mouth.
Baseball’s first fans of 2020 see Dodgers-Braves NLCS opener — MLB | NBC Sports
The Deets is a weekday morning dose of commentary — delivered at 7 a.m. — from sports columnist Dieter Kurtenbach that wraps up everything important in the world of sports and looks forward to another crazy day ahead. I know the NFL wants to expand its footprint. Teams play games on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and…
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee will not be returning to the team’s facility Wednesday after two more players tested positive amid the NFL’s first COVID-19 outbreak, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. In Foxborough, Massachusetts, the New England Patriots have canceled their Wednesday practice amid that a third player – reigning NFL…
NFL hit with more COVID positives in Tennessee, New England — Press Telegram
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has warned the league’s 32 teams of penalties including potential forfeits of games for violations of COVID-19 protocols that force changes in the regular-season schedule. In a memo sent to the teams Monday after a conference call involving NFL and club executives, Goodell reiterated the need to adhere fully to all…
Goodell warns teams that forfeits possible for NFL virus protocol violations — Daily News
The NHL has tentative dates for the start of training camps (Nov. 17) and the beginning of the 2020-21 season (Dec. 1). But few in hockey think those dates are realistic.
NHL faces obstacles before making decision on 2020-21 season — Las Vegas Review-Journal
The 2019-20 NHL season ended almost 12 months after it started with the Tampa Bay Lightning lifting the Stanley Cup on Monday in Edmonton, Alberta.
No one knows when the next one will begin.
The NHL has tentative dates for the start of training camps (Nov. 17) and the beginning of the 2020-21 season (Dec. 1). But few people in hockey think those dates are realistic.
“If I was a betting man, I’d say we’re going to start later than projected,” Golden Knights center Paul Stastny said.
It leaves far more questions than answers after the league and players worked so hard to stage a postseason in two Canadian bubbles. Numerous decisions need to be made before pucks are dropped again.WANT MORE KNIGHTS IN YOUR DAY?Read our free Golden Edge newsletter for all the latest updates. SIGN UP By signing up you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Unsubscribe at any time.
“Anything that anybody suggests or reads or writes or commentates about next season is nothing more than speculation,” commissioner Gary Bettman said Sept. 19. “Dec. 1 has always been a notional date. I will not be surprised if it slips into later December. It could slip into January.”
The NHL still is dealing with many of the same issues that caused it to retreat to secure zones in Toronto and Edmonton.
The COVID-19 pandemic is still a threat. Travel is still difficult. The ability to have fans is still in doubt. Those problems don’t seem to be going away anytime soon, either. https://player.simplecast.com/e90aa230-c939-4cd1-ad3b-a208ec739e34?dark=false&show=true
That’s why it makes sense for the NHL to potentially delay its season further and buy more time to make better informed decisions. Bettman compared it to the league’s diligent process when it came to selecting Toronto and Edmonton as its hub cities.
The NHL can’t wait forever, though. A typical season starts in October and ends in June. Its calendar is now way out of whack.
“My preference would be to stay out of summer as much as possible,” said Bettman, who added that he still wants a full 82-game regular season.
Still, even pushing back its start a little will give the league more time to determine what next season will look like. Will it stage games in home arenas, like the NFL and Major League Baseball have done? Or will it need to return to bubbles to ensure everyone’s health and safety?
The latter option is likely a final resort. Asking players to leave their families and friends and spend little time outside to chase a Cup is one thing. It will be a lot harder to convince the NHL Players’ Association to do it for regular-season games.
“I hope that doesn’t happen again,” Knights left wing Max Pacioretty said. “It was great to spend time with my teammates and to get an opportunity to play for the ultimate prize. But I just hope the world takes a turn for the better here and we’re able to hopefully get some normalcy back.”
Playing in home arenas has its own challenges. First of all, how will the league handle travel? The NFL plays once a week, so travel wasn’t a major issue. MLB played a 60-game regular season and limited teams to a regional schedule. That could work for even part of a hockey season, but then the Canadian border comes into play.
Restrictions on nonessential travel there meant the Toronto Blue Jays were forced to play in Buffalo, New York. It’s a much larger problem for the NHL, which has seven Canadian teams.
Even if the league can come up with a schedule, will fans be allowed? If so, how many?
The door opened for the Knights to have fans Tuesday when Gov. Steve Sisolak said facilities with capacity limits greater than 2,500 will be allowed to host 10 percent of their total capacity. That means T-Mobile Arena could potentially host about 1,800 fans.
Several NFL teams are allowing socially distant crowds. But the NHL hasn’t committed to anything.
“We’re going to do whatever is safe,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “Obviously, we’re all watching with interest with respect to what’s going on in European hockey leagues and their policies in relation to fans, and the National Football League and what’s going on in collegiate athletics. Those are all valuable data points that we’ll have to consider when it comes time to start making decisions.”
Even having limited crowds would be huge for the NHL. Bettman estimated at least 50 percent of the league’s revenue comes directly or indirectly (parking, concessions, merchandise) from attendance. He insisted the NHL was in fine financial shape despite the pandemic, but even a few extra bucks wouldn’t hurt.
Bettman also said it’s possible the league starts with no fans, moves to limited crowds and possibly has full buildings by the end of the season.
“How we start doesn’t necessarily relate to how we’re going to finish,” he said.
No matter what, it’s going to be one of the strangest regular seasons in league history after one of the most bizarre postseasons in league history. The NHL, despite numerous obstacles, found a way to award a Stanley Cup. Now the process begins to figure out how to do that in 2021.
“That’s a question for everybody,” Stastny said. “Who knows? Who knows how much changes in a week or two weeks or three weeks?”
The view from left field 