“Combining athleticism with enjoyment is what defines Michelob ULTRA, and that’s why we are incredibly honored to partner with the NBA and celebrate this historic return of basketball,” said Ricardo Marques, Vice President of Michelob ULTRA. “Michelob ULTRA Courtside is a truly groundbreaking virtual fan experience that will not only bring the energy of the fans to the game, but also bring the athletes closer to the fans.”

“Michelob ULTRA Courtside” will give fans special access to games throughout the season. Starting July 30, fans can visit www.ultracourtside.com and follow Michelob ULTRA’s social channels for details on how to win access.

PROGRAMMING

Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association agreed to expand the 2020 Postseason to 16 teams, beginning with eight best-of-three Wild Card Series preceding the Division Series. Each of the new Postseason games will be exclusively televised by ESPN and TBS. The higher seeds in the Wild Card Series will serve as host for all three games, which will run Sept. 29-Oct. 2.

Baseball is back and FOX Sports jumps in on Saturday, announcing plans to introduce “virtual fans” to its live MLB broadcasts. Utilizing Pixatope software, the network teams with Silver Spoon Animation and SMT to deliver the viewing experience. The company also cemented talent, with a lead broadcast team of Joe Buck and John Smoltz reuniting with Ken Rosenthal on Saturday at 7p on FOX. Joe Davis and A.J. Pierzynski cover all the action at 4p for the Giants/Dodgers while Adam Amin teams with Eric Karros at 1p for Brewers/Cubs. Veteran broadcasters Kevin Burkhardt, Aaron Goldsmith and Emmy Award-winning reporter Tom Verducci also contribute to FOX Sports’ game coverage throughout the season.

SHOWTIME Sports and Premier Boxing Champions revealed a lineup of nine live boxing events and eight world championship fights including one world title unification bout. The schedule comprises 22 matchups from bantamweight to heavyweight and features some stars such as Gervonta Davis, Leo Santa Cruz, Jermall Charlo, Jermell Charlo, David Benavidez and more. The slate starts Aug. 1 1 and runs through the end of 2020. Initially, each live telecast will be presented without fans in attendance from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Speaking of boxing, Mike Tyson returns to the sport to face off against Roy Jones Jr. The exhibition will take place on Sept. 12 at 9p on pay-per-view as well as on multi-media platform, Triller, which has also obtained exclusive streaming rights to the soon-to-be-released, ten-part docuseries featuring behind-the-scenes, pre-fight footage, releasing two episodes per week leading up to the match. The fight, titled “Frontline Battle,” is the first event of a series produced under Mike Tyson’s Legends Only League.

ESPN detailed on-site game coverage plans for the NBA restart, including the production of 20 NBA Seeding Games and up to 44 NBA Playoffs games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. ESPN’s game coverage tips off on July 31, and will include eight game telecasts in three days. On site will be play-by-play voices Mike Breen, Mark Jones and Dave Pasch, analysts Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Doris Burke and reporters Lisa Salters and Cassidy Hubbarth. Additionally, ESPN commentators Rachel Nichols and Malika Andrews will also serve as sideline reporters for select

NBCUniversal delivers “Championship Sunday” this weekend with all 10 Premier League matches presented live simultaneously at 11a with coverage across seven NBCUniversal television networks and five matches exclusively streamed on Peacock and NBC Sports Gold. NBC Sports Group’s lead Premier League play-by-play announcer Arlo White will call Leicester City v. Manchester United on NBC and Universo, joined by analysts – Arsenal legend Lee Dixon and former Chelsea player Graeme Le Saux. Also, Gary Taphouse will call the Chelsea v. Wolverhampton Wanderers match on USA Network and Telemundo, joined by former Ipswich Town and Charlton Athletic midfielder Matt Holland; while Jim Proudfoot and former Premier League footballer Andy Townsend call West Ham v. Aston Villa on NBCSN. Elsewhere, on CNBC offers Everton/Bournemouth; GOLF Channel features Arsenal/Watford, with the remains games on Peacock and NBC Sports Gold.

The weekend also sees NBC Sports launch the first game of the PLL Championship Series, lining up production innovations for the two-week, 20-game tournament. Paul Burmeister, Ryan Boyle and Todd Harris handle microphone duties, while broadcasts offer a social media integration tagboard will be featured allowing fans to show how they are engaging with the action on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. In addition, PLL game betting lines will be displayed on NBC Sports broadcasts, while a number of cameras and microphones will be strategically placed around Zions Bank Stadium to capture amplified and engaging audio during game action, including new microphone locations on goalposts, stadium camera loops featuring 400-plus PLL fan cutouts, locker room access and a minimum of four mic’d up players and coaches per game to provide on-field commentary throughout the games.

PokerGO’s newest series, High Stakes Duel, debuts live on July 30 at 9p out of Aria. The series will pit poker’s biggest stars against each other, week to week in a heads-up match with a potential total prize pool of $12,800,000 in Round 8. “This series is different than anything we’ve created before in poker,” said Mori Eskandani, Executive Producer at Poker Central. “If you’re a fan of the game, you definitely don’t want to miss this. The stakes and rivalries will be on another level.”

Pearl Jam frontman and longtime baseball fan Eddie Vedder will be the featured guest on “Off The Mound with Ryan Dempster” on Marquee Sports Network at 10p CT. The show caps off Marquee Sports Network’s full line-up of coverage of the Chicago Cubs’ Opening Day, starting with a two-hour pre-game show at 4p and the Brewers/Cubs at 6p.

The NHL’s upcoming Seattle franchise made waves with its announcement that the team would be known as the Kraken with a name, logo and color unveiling at Climate Pledge Arena. The team begins play in 2021-22, and will sport a primary color of deep sea blue with secondary colors of ice blue, shadow blue, boundless blue and red alert.

Meanwhile, the NFL’s Washington franchise will be known as the Washington Football Team for the upcoming season with player numbers featured on helmets although the team will retain the burgundy and gold color scheme. “The decision to use ‘Washington Football Team’ for this season allows the franchise the ability to undertake an in-depth branding process to properly include player, alumni, fan, community, and sponsor input,” the team said in a press release. “To date, we have been pleased to see so many people putting forward their vision of what the new name and design should be on their social media channels and we look forward to including their feedback as this process progresses.”

Charlotte’s Major League Soccer franchise will be known as the Charlotte Football Club, who will sport a blue, black and white crest is in a circular shape. “The Charlotte FC brand truly embodies our city with a design that reflects Charlotte’s rich history,” said Charlotte FC Owner David Tepper. “When we were awarded the team in December, I spoke about this club bringing the city together. To reach the point where our fans can actually know our name and see our colors is a significant milestone.”

Beyond Meat is partnering with the newly formed non-profit Social Change Fund and NBA star Chris Paul to help fight “health disparities in the Black community and beyond.” The Social Change Fund was created by Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and a group of industry executives in response to the continued issue of racial injustice. “We are honored to join in partnership with Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony in support of the Social Change Fund. Beyond Meat is dedicated to serving broader social goals, using what’s on the center of the plate as a critical starting point,” said Ethan Brown, Founder and CEO, Beyond Meat. “And we are excited to support and work with the Social Change Fund initiative to address racial inequalities in nutrition access and health outcomes in America.”

Under Armour announced new partnerships with rookie basketball stars from the WNBA, locking in deals with Bella Alarie, Kaila Charles and Tyasha “Ty” Harris. As part of the multi-year deals, Bella, Kaila and Ty will step onto the hardwood this season in the upcoming UA HOVR Breakthru, Under Armour’s first basketball performance footwear designed for female athletes.

Pepsi is teaming up with the Yankees’ Aaron Judge to encourage fans to use their “Judge Free Pass” to “ditch their responsibilities and unapologetically enjoy Opening Day.” The collection of creative include custom voicemails, automatic replies and away messages from Aaron Judge himself. Fans that opt to use their “Judge Free Pass” can download a toolkit featuring the content.

With the NHL resuming play on Aug. 1, league partner Jägermeister is looking to help with the “toastable moments fans share at the game to the comfort of their home” via Jägermeister NHL Return to Hockey Sweepstakes. Fans can will a chance to win an exclusive interview experience with Men in Blazer or the ability to upgrade the at-home watching experience with unique hockey prizes as part of the ‘Shot of the Night – Elevate Your At Home Game Watching Experience.’

Rising basketball star Jalen Green signed his first licensing deal, inking his first trading and memorabilia deal with Upper Deck, giving the leader in authentic memorabilia and collectibles rights to produce signed collectibles. Fans can find the first signed Upper Deck trading cards of Jalen Green in packs of 2019-20 Goodwin Champions, releasing today in hobby shops across North America and at https://upperdeckstore.com.

A slate of National Governing Bodies are joining forces to launch the Giving Game, ina move to support and sustain U.S. sports federations and their athletes on their journey to Tokyo in 2021. Giving Games launched today on what would have been Opening Ceremony in Tokyo. “America’s athletes need our support to compete in 2021,” said Max Cobb, Chair of the National Governing Bodies Council. “At a time when America feels extraordinarily divided, this is an opportunity to come together in our common love of country and sport for the pursuit of success on the world stage, raising funds to directly support our athletes and our sports that sustain them, and their dreams, during this critical next year.”

World TeamTennis added Dolby Laboratories as Official Entertainment partner for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. The deal marks Dolby’s first sports league partnership of 2020 and the brand now joins a host of sponsors on a league-wide level, including GEICO, DraftKings, Guaranteed Rate, Wilson, Har-Tru, Weatherman, Zenni, UTR powered by Oracle, the USTA, Chosen Foods, EleVen, Greenbrier Tourism and KT Tape.

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

The Pro Football Hall of Fame tapped Bleacher Report as its exclusive social media partner to share never-before-seen interviews and footage across its B/R Gridiron social channels. The deal marks the first time in the HOF history that it has partnered with a media company to share exclusive content. Additional videos fans can view on the Hall’s Video on Demand platform include: uncut versions of each Enshrinement speech from 2014-2019; more than 50 exclusive one-on-one interviews with enshrinees from 2014-2019; David Baker’s “Knocks of the Doors” from 2016-2019, plus outtakes; Baker’s live “knocks” on CBS Sports and FOX Sports to notify Centennial Class of 2020 enshrinees Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson, respectively; and other behind-the-scenes action captured in the moments before Hall of Famers delivered their Enshrinement speeches.

Peacock created its first pop-up channel: “Road to Tokyo,” a 24/7 stream dedicated to Olympic and Paralympic classic moments, documentaries and studio programming. Peacock will also feature a collection of on demand content that includes 10 documentaries produced by NBC Olympics. Additionally, three exclusive, new specials will run: Dreams Live On: Countdown to Tokyo examines the journey of star athletes, such as Simone Biles and Allyson Felix, preparing for next year’s Tokyo Olympics; Lighting the Olympic Flame: Iconic Ceremony Moments looks back at past Opening Ceremonies with interviews with participants like Michael Phelps and composer John Williams; and The Olympics & Paralympics: Inspirational Moments presents

FanDuel Group and The Ringer locked in a strategic partnership designating FanDuel as the exclusive Sportsbook, Racing, and Fantasy Sports partner of The Ringer, a leading sports, entertainment, and pop culture website and podcast network. The partnership includes an array of fantasy and sports betting contests that will be promoted across The Ringer network, including “The Ultimate Ringer,” a contest with bettors picking multiple NFL games per week through the regular season.

ESPORTS

Misfits Gaming Group is broadening its partnership with the NBA’s Miami Heat and Orlando Magic that enables both NBA teams to include all MGG properties in strategic partnership opportunities and provides MGG with access to a wide variety of non-endemic brands interested in the esports market. “We’ve been a partner of MGG from its early stages and have been proud to watch it grow into one of the premier franchises in esports,” said Glen Oskin, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for the Miami HEAT. “This new partnership including the Orlando Magic allows MGG and our partners to increase their visibility throughout the state of Florida while allowing Florida’s NBA franchises to further extend our footprint in the esports space. It’s a win-win situation for all of us.”

ESL inked a one-year deal with Huya, a leading game live-streaming platform in China. The deal will see the ESL Pro Tour for CS:GO and Dota 2 licensed exclusively to Huya in 2020, delivering a dedicated stream in standard Mandarin and other Chinese languages and dialects. The deal covers all upcoming Masters properties from the ESL Pro Tour such as the ESL One tournament series, the Intel Extreme Masters and the ESL Pro League circuit. Furthermore, under a separate sub-licensing agreement, Huya acquired the rights to broadcast DreamHack CS:GO and Dota 2 tournaments.

VENN unveiled its distribution line-up ahead of launch as a live 24/7, free premium network across the world with initial platform partners that include Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming and Twitter. VENN will also expand on a variety of additional hardware and connected-TV platforms, including: VIZIO Watch Free; Xumo; and STIRR. “We’re proud to welcome VENN as the first gaming television network to broadcast 24/7 live on Twitter,” said Rishi Chadha Head of Gaming Content Partnerships at Twitter. “Bringing round the clock gaming content to our audience for the first time needed the right partner, and VENN’s celebration of diverse digital pop culture and personalities is a natural fit. Gamers on Twitter will now have the opportunity to watch, and engage with, live programming within the same feed, continuing the tradition of Twitter as the home of the gaming & pop culture conversation.”

Telemundo Deportes serves up the EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Summer Cup starting today. Coverage will be available to Telemundo viewers via the network’s social and digital platforms, including TelemundoDeportes.com, the Telemundo Deportes App, Twitter and YouTube. “We are proud to champion the diverse eSports community as one of the few media companies promoting eSports in Spanish-language,” said Ray Warren, President of Telemundo Deportes. “The addition of EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Summer Cup to our platform highlights our commitment to the Hispanic soccer fan in a way that is authentic.”

INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES

The NBA named Oris Stuart as the league’s Chief People and Inclusion Officer. Stuart, who is currently the NBA Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, will begin in this newly-created role on Aug. 15 and be responsible for leading the combined Human Resources and Diversity and Inclusion groups. He will oversee diversity and inclusion strategies for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League and its teams, support the growth and development of the NBA’s global workforce, and strengthen commitments to attract, retain, develop and engage diverse talent.

FaceBank Group appointed Gina DiGioia Sheldon to the newly-created position of general counsel. Sheldon will also serve as corporate secretary and will oversee all legal matters for the company, including financings, acquisitions and corporate governance.

VSiN recruited sports betting journalist Ben Fawkes to join the editorial team as Vice President of Digital Content. He joins VSiN from ESPN, where he was General Editor of the brand’s sports betting product, ESPN Chalk. In this newly created position, Fawkes will oversee all written and digital content, including VSiN’s exclusive subscription-based publication, Point Spread Weekly, daily e-newsletter and special issues.

SPORTS BROADCAST JOURNAL w/David J. Halberstam

Halby’s Morsels: Age precautions, MLB, NBA Broadcasts, Howard Cosell+

The Orioles telecasts are being completely revamped for 2020. Longtime broadcasters Jim Palmer,74, Gary Thorne, 72, Rick Dempsey, 70 and Tom Davis, 72 will not be part of the 2020 broadcasts. Palmer will contribute remotely from time to time on TV.
Oldest baseball announcers today: Bob Uecker (Brewers), 86, John Sterling (Yanks), 82, Mike Shannon (Cards), 81 and Dave Van Horne (Marlins), 80.

Is NBC’s Mike Tirico up to the task, replacing two giants, Bob Costas and Al Michaels?

NBC made a commitment several years ago to the talented Mike Tirico, 53, who’s apparently locked in to call Sunday Night Football in 2022, the final season of the league’s contract with Fox, CBS and NBC. Tirico will also serve as NBC’s lead voice in the studio including hosting the Olympics. He’s being asked to follow both. Can he do the challenging?

Guest columnist Lesley Visser compares then vs. now, a sportswriter’s life in pre-digital days, a world of essentially print, with today, when writers serve a vast platform of 24/7 digital tentacles.

The former Globe writer and current CBS Network reporter writes, “A notable difference between then and now can be summed up in one word, Runyon’s. There were no plasma TVs, no Red-Zone feeds to keep people together or apart, no cell phones to divert attention and no Google to settle a debate. It was nothing but writers from every part of the country getting together in one place.”

ESPN delves into an uncharted MLB season

MLB’s local and network broadcast partners are about to delve into something so unusual that they don’t know exactly what to expect. ESPN which produces more games than MLB’s two other network partners, Fox and Turner, has a plan but it’s fluid.

Happy Birthday and many wonderful returns:
Karie Ross, July 25 Former ESPN anchor
John Kelly, July 25 TV Voice, St. Louis Blues
Mel Kiper, July 25 ESPN, NFL Draft
Paul Finebaum, July 26 ESPN, SEC Network
Irv Cross, July 27 Ex-host, CBS’ NFL Today
Marty Brennaman, July 28 Retired Voice, Cincinnati Reds
Dick Ebersol, July 28 Ex-Chairman, NBC Sports
Teddy Atlas, July 29 ESPN, Boxing

Sports Broadcast Journal

In the Know
Which NFL team has the most retired numbers? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
In tribute to Jock Jams 25th anniversary, which group performed long-time stadium staple “Hip Hop Hooray”? Answer: Naughty by Nature. Kudos: Michael Dittelman-Dedicated Sports Marketing/NY; Chris Long-DraftKings/NY; Greg Maltzman-Up Down Digital/NY; Brianne Maciejowski-Miles/Sarasota; Roger Furman-Sports Marketing Communications/Greentown; Matt Deprey-CSPAN/DC; Christian Matthews-Washington Redskins/DC; Alex D. Smith-ESPN/Bristol; John Kukla-KDFW/KDFI/Dallas; Willie Price-American Forces Network/Riverside; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA