Our Take: This Matters. We are all stronger together. Bravo NHL teams.

By Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports:

The most important front office post in the NFL this season may bear a title that didn’t even exist last year: Infection Control Officer. In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL mandated all 32 clubs name an ‘ICO’ this year. One ICO with Minnesota Vikings has already tested positive for coronavirus.

From Bloomberg News: A new report from the National Association of City Transportation Officials shows big gains for e-scooters before the pandemic — and signs that the micromobility boom could go on.

From our very own Joe Favorito:

We are less than a month in for return to play, and with MLS heading back to stadia and the NFL starting their great training camp experiment, we thought it would be good to ask some of those on the front lines what the lessons…the positive ones…that have been learned around the one non bubble sport so far…baseball.

Keep playing, learning, and adapting.

Drake released his latest video for the song "Laugh Now Cry Later" with Lil Durk that was "part Nike commercial and part an opportunity to play sports with some superstars," featuring Kevin Durant, Odell Beckham, and Marshawn Lynch.

Fans increasingly used vMVPDs and streaming for leagues' opening weekends, Roku says.Sports fans tuned in to opening weekend games, but they increasingly used vMVPDs or streaming to do it.

Analysis of America’s favorite athletes by sport illustrates James’ and Curry’s NBA dominance, MLB’s regionality. 39% of U.S. adults picked an active favorite NFL player, more than the other three major team sports. Respondents selected 137 different MLB players, compared to 121 NFL players, 78 NHL players and 77 NBA players. 59% of respondents picked either LeBron James or Stephen Curry as their favorite NBA player.

From Eoin Connolly and our friends at SportsPro OTT: The extraordinary events of 2020 and the still uncertain path of the COVID-19 pandemic have made it almost impossible to make definitive plans for the future. Here are five broad scenarios for what may come next.

From our very own, Joe Favorito: We are less than a month in for return to play, and with MLS heading back to stadia and the NFL starting their great training camp experiment, we thought it would be good to ask some of those on the front lines what the lessons…the positive ones…that have been learned around the one non bubble sport so far…baseball.

Congrats again to our very own. Ezra Kucharz (DraftKings) and our good friends, Norb Gambuzza and Chris Wandell. The PGA Tour will integrate odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as part of its PGA Tour Live stream of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. This is a first for the Tour, which recently signed DraftKings as its first authorized sports betting operator.

Our Take: If you aren’t currently following Rich Greenfield and the LightShed Partners content, here is a strong recommendation. Sign-Up Impact of Hamilton: Hamilton Illustrates the Opportunity and Challenges Facing Disney+

Scott Rosner, Professor of Professional Practice; Academic Director, M.S. in Sports Management Program, School of Professional Studies, Columbia University, details the turbulence at the university this past spring due to Covid-19 and how it is adapting for this fall. Check out his recurring features on SportBusiness, a strong recommendation from the Sport Hiatus team.

From Sports Business Daily:

Our Take: Fake crowd noise for games is "better than the alternative, which is awkward silence," but it "could be better." How do you find the right mix between crowd excitement and the obvious notion that no fans are in venues? Might in-game data drive audio? Artificial Intelligence? What do you think?

Our Take: The newly formed team of Sportico and JohnWallStreet is a must daily read. Sports consumption methods and patterns may be changing by generation with OTT and Linear viewing realigning, however interest doesn’t appear to be decreasing. Thanks guys. #Thoughtful!

SportBusiness Ben Cronin expands on a theme that has taken center stage this year, more than before, and that should become a core element of any business even beyond sports. It’s an important and delicate matter, that need to be understood, studied and adopted properly and authentically. When done well it can really boost your business.

We say inclusion first, and are ready to explain why.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) enjoyed strong domestic broadcast figures on its return from inside the Orlando bubble, with 3.4 million tuning into Turner to watch the Los Angeles Lakers’ 103-101 victory over the Clippers on 30th July.

From our friends at SportsPro, By Tom Bassam

Our Take: NBA. NHL. Who’s Next?

Referees wore a cloth over their whistles as the NBA restarted its season in Orlando. The coverings are intended to prevent the spread of droplets in the hopes of preventing possible Coronavirus infections.

Exclusive by our very own, Joe Favorito.

There are now more live sports on TV than maybe at any point EVER in July…you flip a channel to see no less than SIX leagues (and NBA2k as well) with no people in the stands but millions of people watching. There was a huge amount of social buzz, brands being are configured into broadcasts and on to signage, gambling lines being posted, and the ability to share cause marketing and social responsibility platforms has never been bigger to an audience tuning in. 

Excerpt from Alex Silverman, Morning Consult

NBA’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ Efforts Likely to Be Well-Received by League’s Diverse, Left-Leaning Audience. NBA fans are more than 1.5 times more likely to identify as Democrats than Republicans. 54% of NBA fans are non-white, making it the only majority-minority fan base among the four major U.S. team sports.

Exclusive Take from John Wall StreetO, Sportico: There are several benefits to pricing every seat the same (or having just a general admission and premium option) in the current environment—none more important than “the need for clarity in communication with fans,” said Patrick Ryan explained. “Teams will have to communicate many things [in a post-COVID world].