Good morning, all! I hope you had a terrific weekend!
As we enter year two of the pandemic, the hope is we are rounding third and heading for home. How have major league sports managed to stay afloat, in the last year without or very few fans permitted to attend events? When it comes to the NFL, MLB, NBA and a lesser extent the NHL, the answer is simple: television. Revenue from TV contracts has contributed to these leagues, staying above water.
In the Sunday Boston Globe, Michael Silverman noted how game-day revenue factored into each league's over-all revenue, pre-pandemic:
- NFL: "Game-day revenue accounted for 38% of overall $16 billion”
- MLB: 40% of overall $10.5 billion
- NBA: 40% of overall $9 billion
- NHL: 50% of overall $5 billion
This means, of course, soccer, the WNBA, Minor League Baseball, many sports at the collegiate level, etc. are not so fortunate. They need fannies in the seats in order to make a go of it. Consequently, for many of these sports, 2021 may turn out to be more significant than 2020.
Golf's changing guard
Phil Mickelson is starting to play more on the PGA Champions tour. Tiger Woods’ professional golfing career is on hold. We are witnessing a changing of the guard with no better example than Round 3 of Saturday's Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Was there any moment more exciting than the powerful Bryson DeChambeau opting to belt his drive over the water on hole number 6 at Bay Hill? There he was, the physics major in college, pumping his arms in the air, cheered on by a limited but exuberant gallery, as the ball sailed over the water and landed in the rough.
Moments before DeChambeau's dramatic shot, Jordan Spieth excited the audience with a hole-in-one on number 2. Spieth, 27, has 14 professional wins, including three majors, but he has been in a slump. Entering Sunday's final round, the last tournament he won was The Open at Royal Birkdale in 2017. He is very much in contention to end that streak. Win or lose, Spieth seems to be turning his game around. Golf will need him to be part of the new guard, as the game transitions to the next generation.
Sportscaster Dan's Monday Musings
Wonder how NY Jets QB Sam Darnold feels, being told by Jets management they love his abilities but they will listen to trade offers?...Bryan Mata is considered the Boston Red Sox best pitching prospect. Now the 21-year-old righthander has been sidelined. He has a slight tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. For now, Tommy John surgery is not recommended, but outside of Masahiro Tanaka, we all now how this story usually ends...Love the optimism that spins out of spring training this time of year. Word is the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen, which leaked more than an old bathroom last year, has morphed into a group of hard throwers. With the tandem of Joe Girardi and Dave Dombrowski, do not rule out the Phils in the NL East.
So we are off and running on a new week. Have a superb Monday and thank you for your support.
SPORTSCASTER DAN