Will the NFL gain globally from missing the COVID-19 pandemic?

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Well LeBron always turns up for games as well and he has said “f***** if I’m going to play without crowds”.

* LeBron and his affirmation needing self.

 

[AJ_2000]

Pretty f’ed then.

Plenty of teams/leagues will go to the wall. If they end up with half the revenue pie in the next season or 2.

Basically all player & personnel contracts would need to be redone. In fact anything with a contract would likely be redone (Sponsorships, TV rights, season tickets). It's an enormous impact.

It's a brave new sports world - or likely a return to the 80s landscape

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Plenty of teams/leagues will go to the wall. If they end up with half the revenue pie in the next season or 2.

Basically all player & personnel contracts would need to be redone. In fact anything with a contract would likely be redone (Sponsorships, TV rights, season tickets). It's an enormous impact.

It's a brave new sports world - or likely a return to the 80s landscape

Marshawn's "take care of your chicken's" were words of the wise. Maybe were too late for some reckless spenders tho.

 

[AJ_2000]

Marshawn's "take care of your chicken's" were words of the wise. Maybe were too late for some reckless spenders tho.

Most spend recklessly, a few save for a rainy day, barely anyone saves for a pandemic

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Most spend recklessly, a few save for a rainy day, barely anyone saves for a pandemic

Meh, if you've made millions per year and that can't get you through a pandemic let alone the rest of your life that's your own fault.

 

[AJ_2000]

Meh, if you've made millions per year and that can't get you through a pandemic let alone the rest of your life that's your own fault.

I was talking more about leagues/clubs over individuals. But it still applies. Mo money means mo bills.

For the players Uncle Sam would be taking the best part of 50% of most decent playing salaries in income tax. Plus most NFL contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on outside of the guarantees.

But hopefully the players were saving their $$$ for the potential lockout over the cba.

 

[mianfei]

TV deals should be able to be renegotiated at higher price given the amount of people who will be watching via TV with no crowds able to attend in the short term. At least for the next year or so.

Negative. Networks have less money in collapsing economies – their pipeline is advertisers (less of those) or subscribers (I've canceled my Kayo with nothing on, or people under financial strain need to tighten the belt.

It is logical that with the ability of crowds to attend zero in the short term (even when sport resumes) and uncertain or worse in the long term, television revenues would become much larger with more people watching. However, “AJ_2000”, you have made a good point about advertising revenue with many industries in a problematic state at the moment.

Still, I suspect that manufacturing industries and other sources of sponsorship will return to capacity a very long time before health officials, governments and league officials even remotely consider allowing spectators back into large sporting events. The period between the two would be measured in years, far longer than the life cycle of a pandemic. Might the gap between full industry capacity and the first consideration of allowing fans back be long enough to permit full advertising revenue (say) a full season before the relaxation of bans on fans gathering in stadiums is even discussed? If I am right here, then higher-priced television deals would be expected for one or two full seasons with no crowds and with the opportunity to fine-tune sports to meet the requirements of television (which would reduce the value of attending at the stadium).

 

[Steven Gerrard]

The only way for the NFL to gain more global attention is to market the s**t out of the 49ers, it is the world's team.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[AJ_2000]

It is logical that with the ability of crowds to attend zero in the short term (even when sport resumes) and uncertain or worse in the long term, television revenues would become much larger with more people watching. However, “AJ_2000”, you have made a good point about advertising revenue with many industries in a problematic state at the moment.

Still, I suspect that manufacturing industries and other sources of sponsorship will return to capacity a very long time before health officials, governments and league officials even remotely consider allowing spectators back into large sporting events. The period between the two would be measured in years, far longer than the life cycle of a pandemic. Might the gap between full industry capacity and the first consideration of allowing fans back be long enough to permit full advertising revenue (say) a full season before the relaxation of bans on fans gathering in stadiums is even discussed? If I am right here, then higher-priced television deals would be expected for one or two full seasons with no crowds and with the opportunity to fine-tune sports to meet the requirements of television (which would reduce the value of attending at the stadium).

This would only apply if you don't have a current media rights deal - NFL rights currently run through till 2022, and 2021 for MNF. So there's no extra money, unless the contracts are voided as a rights holder can't pay, or the NFL can't deliver content. I can't see either of these scenarios resulting in extra cash.

Also, seeing the cavalier covid approach in the USA over the past few days I'd expect plenty of states to be "open" for full stadiums by the time the season rolls around. Which won't be the approach here.

 

[Dirty Bird]

I remember in Madden 07, stadium upgrades included holographic goalposts
Could we get a holographic crowd?

 

[Dirty Bird]

The only way for the NFL to gain more global attention is to market the s**t out of the 49ers, it is the world's team.

Just my 2 cents.

Too bad for you, 2c rounds down to 0 which is exactly what I think of this opinion.

 

[AJ_2000]

I remember in Madden 07, stadium upgrades included holographic goalposts
Could we get a holographic crowd?

Or they could put screens up in the seats and have the audience beamed in like they did for the draft. "Boooooooooo"

 

[Dirty Bird]

Or they could put screens up in the seats and have the audience beamed in like they did for the draft. "Boooooooooo"

Borussia monfjaocuencos in Germany is letting fans pay for cardboard cutouts of themselves to be in the stand still at games

 

[AJ_2000]

Borussia monfjaocuencos in Germany is letting fans pay for cardboard cutouts of themselves to be in the stand still at games

A bit lo-fi for me. I think we can do a but better than cardboard cutouts and mannequins

 

[aussiedude]

I remember in Madden 07, stadium upgrades included holographic goalposts
Could we get a holographic crowd?

One of the American broadcasters was working on that tech a few years ago. with the aim of making it look like all games were sold out.

I think Fox sports Australia looked into it for the NRL at one stage. But i dont think the tech ever worked or didnt work well. Havent heard about it in years.

 

[aussiedude]

Or they could put screens up in the seats and have the audience beamed in like they did for the draft. "Boooooooooo"

They will just do the NFC South* tradition of pumping in fake noise

*and the Vikings

 

[AJ_2000]

The fins are making plans to get fans back in the stadium this season.

Going to an NFL game in a Covid19 world will entail wearing a face mask, ordering take out and going to collect it from your seat avoiding queues, and 15k out of 65k attendance.

Fins reveal mock-up plan to host fans at stadium

The Miami Dolphins have put together early plans for how to host fans in their stadium during the 2020 NFL season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

www.espn.com.au

 

[Exe Gesis]

ESPN's Seth Wickersham reports the league and team officials have agreed on a proposal to raise the debt limit $150 million for each team to make up for lost revenue in the event that games are played without fans this season.

The proposal will be voted on next week. A recent study conducted by Patrick Rishe, the sports business program director at Washington University, showed the NFL would lose about $138 million in revenue from tickets and game-day fan spending for each week played without fans, and nearly $2.3 billion over the course of a full season. The increased debt limit has been discussed among league executives for weeks, and this pitch would raise that allotted amount from $350 million to $500 million for 2020. It's another step towards the league eventually commencing on Thursday, September 10 with the Texans and Chiefs as scheduled.

Source: Seth Wickersham on Twitter

May 12, 2020, 12:12 PM ET