Top Stories
2020 Masters Tournament to finish early to accommodate football broadcasts, according to CBS
Will Cheney, Augusta Chronicle
The schedule change, according to an exchange in CBS' annual NFL conference call with reporters on Tuesday, is to accommodate the network's slate of football broadcasts. It wasn't an official announcement, but CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus was responding to a question about the potential scheduling conflicts.
Fox Will Be Only Network Utilizing Virtual NFL Fans
John Ourand, Sports Business Journal
The network will use fans during only one game in Week 1 - Bears-Lions - with hopes to use the tech more frequently as the season goes on. NBC decided against using virtual fans for "Sunday Night Football," saying it was too difficult - both technically and financially - to build virtual fans into every angle for all 25 cameras.
ESPN to Show Protesting Players and Singing of Black National Anthem
Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports
ESPN will open its "Monday Night Football" season by televising NFL player protests for social justice and the singing of the Black national anthem. Stephanie Druley, executive vice president of event and studio production, said ESPN plans to cover any players protesting during the U.S. national anthem, as well as the performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the Black national anthem, during the network's NFL Week 1 doubleheader Sept. 14.
NFL Free Live-Streaming Games on Yahoo Sports Will Have 'Watch Together' Feature
Todd Spangler, Variety
For football fans in the time of COVID, Verizon Media's Yahoo Sports app is introducing a new way to live-stream free NFL games virtually with friends - via the Zoom-like "Watch Together" feature. The Yahoo Sports app's new Watch Together co-viewing experience will let users invite up to three people to watch live local and primetime NFL games on their mobile phones through a synchronized livestream.
NBC's 2020/21 Premier League start overshadowed by Roku and Amazon's delay tactics
Aram Gumusyan, World Soccer Talk
Premier League matches may not be available on millions of Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices for the beginning of this season, as NBC's Peacock streaming service remains unavailable on America's two most popular digital media players. Amazon Fire and Roku have 40 million and 32 million users respectively.
The Athletic says it hits 1 million subscribers after surviving sports shutdown
Alex Sherman, CNBC
The Athletic is typically adding more subscribers per day than ever and has reached the 1 million subscriber milestone, co-founder Alex Mather said. The Athletic publishes more than 200 stories a day and has spent the past four years pillaging local newspapers around the country to scoop up their sportswriters, offering higher salaries, stock options and more stability.
More Layoffs Are In The Works at Bleacher Report
Ben Koo, Awful Announcing
Bleacher Report is planning on enacting a significant round of layoffs in their London-based UK office later this month. The pending move will affect around 20 employees, which is almost the entirety of the UK office.
College Sports
Tiger Stadium will open the 2020 season at 25% capacity, LSU announces; no tailgating
Brooks Kubena, The Baton Rouge Advocate
The lingering presence of the coronavirus pandemic has long shadowed over what may happen to LSU's iconic game day atmosphere this football season, and the university's athletic department announced limitations Wednesday that were somewhat expected. Tiger Stadium will start the 2020 season with a 25% capacity limit, according to LSU's newly released procedures and guidelines, which also say tailgating will not be allowed this year.
Donors give more than $1.2 million to UCLA athletics to help cover coronavirus-related costs
Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times
Thousands of donors and season ticket-holders who have been asked to either reinvest the cost of their season tickets as part of a tax-deductible donation to the athletic department; defer their tickets to the 2021 football or 2021-22 men's basketball seasons; or request a refund. So far, about 5% have donated their ticket payments, 5% have requested a refund and the remaining 90% have either deferred their tickets or have not made their selection.
--Morning Consult
GBO
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- The men's basketball coaches of the ACC reportedly voted to propose an expanded NCAA tournament format for 2021 that would include all 357 Division I teams, according to sources, an effort being championed primarily by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. The coaches are reportedly interested in avoiding nonconference games during the 2020-21 season, and the NCAA Division I Council is expected to make a decision on the format for winter sports on Sept. 16. (ESPN)
- Boxer Canelo Alvarez is suing Golden Boy Promotions Inc., its chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya and U.K.-based streamer DAZN in federal court for breach of contract and intentional interference with a contract, and is seeking at least $280 million in damages and a release from his five-year, 10-fight partnership with the promoter and media company. The court battle was reportedly set in motion when DAZN balked at paying Golden Boy the $40 million due for Alvarez's fight this fall due to the promoter's inability to fulfill an alleged promise to deliver a third fight between Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, even though Alvarez himself had never committed to fighting Golovkin again. (The Athletic)
- A group led by former NBA player Aaron Afflalo has engaged in talks about buying the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx with the Raine Group, the search firm hired by owner Glen Taylor to identify potential buyers for the NBA and WNBA franchises, sources said. Afflalo is partnering with Jay Bloom, managing partner of Trimaran Capital Partners, and several other deep-pocketed investors on a bid for the teams, which have been on the market since July. (The Athletic)
2020 Masters Tournament to finish early to accommodate football broadcasts, according to CBS
Will Cheney, Augusta Chronicle
The schedule change, according to an exchange in CBS' annual NFL conference call with reporters on Tuesday, is to accommodate the network's slate of football broadcasts. It wasn't an official announcement, but CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus was responding to a question about the potential scheduling conflicts.
Fox Will Be Only Network Utilizing Virtual NFL Fans
John Ourand, Sports Business Journal
The network will use fans during only one game in Week 1 - Bears-Lions - with hopes to use the tech more frequently as the season goes on. NBC decided against using virtual fans for "Sunday Night Football," saying it was too difficult - both technically and financially - to build virtual fans into every angle for all 25 cameras.
ESPN to Show Protesting Players and Singing of Black National Anthem
Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports
ESPN will open its "Monday Night Football" season by televising NFL player protests for social justice and the singing of the Black national anthem. Stephanie Druley, executive vice president of event and studio production, said ESPN plans to cover any players protesting during the U.S. national anthem, as well as the performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the Black national anthem, during the network's NFL Week 1 doubleheader Sept. 14.
NFL Free Live-Streaming Games on Yahoo Sports Will Have 'Watch Together' Feature
Todd Spangler, Variety
For football fans in the time of COVID, Verizon Media's Yahoo Sports app is introducing a new way to live-stream free NFL games virtually with friends - via the Zoom-like "Watch Together" feature. The Yahoo Sports app's new Watch Together co-viewing experience will let users invite up to three people to watch live local and primetime NFL games on their mobile phones through a synchronized livestream.
NBC's 2020/21 Premier League start overshadowed by Roku and Amazon's delay tactics
Aram Gumusyan, World Soccer Talk
Premier League matches may not be available on millions of Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices for the beginning of this season, as NBC's Peacock streaming service remains unavailable on America's two most popular digital media players. Amazon Fire and Roku have 40 million and 32 million users respectively.
The Athletic says it hits 1 million subscribers after surviving sports shutdown
Alex Sherman, CNBC
The Athletic is typically adding more subscribers per day than ever and has reached the 1 million subscriber milestone, co-founder Alex Mather said. The Athletic publishes more than 200 stories a day and has spent the past four years pillaging local newspapers around the country to scoop up their sportswriters, offering higher salaries, stock options and more stability.
More Layoffs Are In The Works at Bleacher Report
Ben Koo, Awful Announcing
Bleacher Report is planning on enacting a significant round of layoffs in their London-based UK office later this month. The pending move will affect around 20 employees, which is almost the entirety of the UK office.
College Sports
Tiger Stadium will open the 2020 season at 25% capacity, LSU announces; no tailgating
Brooks Kubena, The Baton Rouge Advocate
The lingering presence of the coronavirus pandemic has long shadowed over what may happen to LSU's iconic game day atmosphere this football season, and the university's athletic department announced limitations Wednesday that were somewhat expected. Tiger Stadium will start the 2020 season with a 25% capacity limit, according to LSU's newly released procedures and guidelines, which also say tailgating will not be allowed this year.
Donors give more than $1.2 million to UCLA athletics to help cover coronavirus-related costs
Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times
Thousands of donors and season ticket-holders who have been asked to either reinvest the cost of their season tickets as part of a tax-deductible donation to the athletic department; defer their tickets to the 2021 football or 2021-22 men's basketball seasons; or request a refund. So far, about 5% have donated their ticket payments, 5% have requested a refund and the remaining 90% have either deferred their tickets or have not made their selection.
--Morning Consult
GBO
Ma
