03/18/20: French Open takes a Fall

Wednesday March 18, 2020

The French Open became the latest event to fall as a result of the coronavirus, with the French Tennis Federation announcing the Grand Slam event would be moved from May to September in a move “to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in organizing the tournament.” The move places the tournament right after the U.S. Open, which runs Aug. 31-Sept. 13.

PROGRAMMING

The Kentucky Derby is also seeking cover in September, as Churchill Downs shifted the race from May 2 to Sept. 5, while the Longines Kentucky Oaks will now take place on Sept. 4. The dates are contingent upon final approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission which we expect to receive on Thursday, March 19. Churchill Downs Incorporated CEO, Bill Carstanjen, stated: “Throughout the rapid development of the COVID-19 pandemic, our first priority has been how to best protect the safety and health of our guests, team members and community. As the situation evolved, we steadily made all necessary operational adjustments to provide the safest experience and environment. The most recent developments have led us to make some very difficult, but we believe, necessary decisions and our hearts are with those who have been or continue to be affected by this pandemic.

The PGA TOUR is extending its cancellations, announcing that four additional events will be scratched: RBC Heritage (April 13-19); Zurich Classic of New Orleans (April 20-26); Wells Fargo Championship (April 27-May 3); and AT&T Byron Nelson (May 4-10). In addition, the PGA of America postponed the PGA Championship (May 14-17) for a date later this year, to be announced. Also announced today, the USGA is currently holding the dates for the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club as scheduled (June 18-21) but will, as all of us are, continue to monitor the developing situation and follow recommendations by government authorities.

WrestleMania will live on, however. WWE announced that while WrestleMania and all related events in Tampa Bay will no longer take place. The event will now stream live on April 5 at 7p on WWE Network and be available on pay-per-view from a closed set at WWE’s training facility in Orlando.

The UFC postponed its next three events, the last of which was slated to be held on April 11. “As you’ve heard me say, I’ve been in the fight game for 20 years, and this is what we do: We find a way to keep our events going no matter what,” UFC President Dana White wrote in an email obtained by ESPN. “But this is different. The whole world is being affected right now, and nothing is more important than the health and safety of you and your families.”

NASCAR further suspended its season until May as part of the CDC’s recommendation to postpone gatherings for the next eight weeks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The series plans to return to the track at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on May 9.

UEFA opted to postpone this year’s European Championship until 2021 as a result of the outbreak. The tournament was set to kick off in Rome on June 12 and was to be played in 12 different host cities across the continent.UEFA ruled the competition will now be played between June 11 to July 11 next year, allowing time for domestic competitions to conclude.

The AVP announced a revamped schedule due to the pandemic, cancelling events in Seattle and Austin and adjusting the rest of its schedule to try to save a six-tournament season that would now launch in New York on June 19. The Huntington Beach Open that had been slated to serve as the May 1-3 season opener will become be the finale from Oct. 2-4.

The American Basketball Association cancelled the remainder of the 2019-2020 season which will include the Final Eight, ABA Championship Game and ABA All-Star Game scheduled to be played in Binghamton, NY in mid-April. “These are difficult times indeed,” stated ABA CEO Joe Newman. “But the health concerns of fans, players, coaches, and personnel are far more important as all sports leagues, entertainment and other industries take these measures to fight the spread of the coronavirus. This will pass. We will get back to normal if people follow the sage advice of health experts and do those things that will reduce risk to themselves and others. We fully expect to begin playing again in the fall.”

We have some ratings news, courtesy of Univision’s LMX matches over the weekend. Friday saw Monarcas Morelia/Querétaro on TUDN garnered 234,000 Total Viewers delivering double-digit audience gains compared to last year’s match on TUDN between the same two teams. Saturday pitting Leon/UNAM (1 million total viewers) and Chivas/Monterrey (415,000). Sunday brought Toluca/Atlas (473,000 viewers) and America/Cruz Azul (1.1 total viewers).

On the programming front, ESPN will launch a 64-player bracket showcasing the best college basketball players of all time. The bracket will be comprised of men’s and women’s players, through the 2019-2020 season, who made their mark on the history of college basketball. Results will be revealed beginning March 19. Players were chosen by ESPN based on their overall play as college basketball players, factoring in both regular season and NCAA Tournament performance, statistical achievements and awards.

After losing a slate of races to cancellation, Motor Racing Network will now re-air a previous classic race from each respective track that was scrapped with programming starting this Sunday. Races will air at 1p at MRN.com and on select MRN Affiliate stations and feature races from Homestead-Miami Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Dover International Speedway.

Westwood One is filling time with a rerun of 15 Great Games in NCAA Tournament History, after the NCAA cancelled this year’s winter and spring championships. The three-week run of games will begin Thursday at 8p with the 1979 NCAA championship game between Michigan State and Indiana State, which starred Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is mulling name, image and likeness legislation that would allow unlimited outside compensation for athletes based on their fame, according to CBS Sports. In addition, NAIA athletes — unlike those governed by the NCAA — could represent their schools while earning that outside compensation. If the measure passes, the NAIA would be the first college organization to allow athletes to earn money from outside entities based on their fame.

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

Glu Mobile is now offering MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2020 on the App Store and Google Play, in collaboration with MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge serves as the cover athletes. “In 2019, the Tap Sports Baseball franchise delivered 21 percent year-over-year bookings growth and surpassed $250 million in lifetime bookings,” said Nick Earl, Glu President and CEO. “I am consistently impressed by the talent, drive and commitment of this development team as they continue to deliver a deeply entertaining and competitive experience for baseball fans.”

ESPORTS

Gfinity announced the departure of its CEO, Graham Wallace, and executive chairman, Garry Cook, according to multiple reports. John Clarke, currently global brand and marcomms officer, will replace Wallace as chief executive, while Gfinity president and co-founder Neville Upton succeeds Cook as the company’s chairman.

Flashpoint suspended its lineup of live matches and will now shift to online competition as a result of coronavirus worries. Flashpoint had already opted to hosting its CS:GO matches from its studio in Los Angeles. Dates for upcoming matches are expected soon.

Overwatch League locked in a revised schedule for its online contests, designed to “eliminate the need for travel while maintaining a level playing field for the teams, so all matches are taking place based in the regions where teams are currently residing.” All teams will compete in three regions to minimize latency issues for online competition. The league is currently evaluating changes to the structure of the 2020 playoffs—including format and qualification—to account for this change.

The LEC and LCS are both back in play, with the leagues set to resume competition online, after both leagues temporarily halted their seasons as a result of the coronavirus. LEC matches will resume March 20, while LCS starts back up on March 21.

BLAST announced that TV2 Norway secured the exclusive Norwegian TV & Online rights for the BLAST Premier 2020 season. In addition, TV2 Norway will be sending two Norwegian teams to take part in the Elisa Invitational, a BLAST Premier Qualifier. “We are really excited to be able to broadcast Blast Premier in Norway. Esports has come a really long way and BLAST is a prime example of that. TV 2 has more than 25 years of experience as humble custodians of the Norwegian peoples’ passion for sports, and we aim to do the same for esports.” Vegard Jansen Hagen, TV 2 Sports Editor-in-Chief

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On This Day
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