The Financial Blow of the Coronavirus on Sports

The N.F.L.

For now, the N.F.L. has the least pressing problems because the season ended in February. The league canceled its annual meeting at the end of March.

The biggest date looming on the calendar is the draft at the end of April in Las Vegas. The event is supposed to be a coming-out party for the Raiders, who will start playing in Las Vegas instead of Oakland in September. For now, the league has not changed its plans for the draft, which will draw tens of thousands of fans to The Strip. Mark Davis, the owner of the Raiders, told The Dallas Morning News that the league “won’t put anyone in jeopardy over it.”

Tennis and Golf

It’s too early to say what the ultimate impact will be on the A.T.P., W.T.A., the P.G.A. and the L.P.G.A. A lot will depend on whether events can be rescheduled.

The players are all independent contractors, and they stand to lose millions collectively if they can’t compete for prize money. But the charity partners of the PGA Tour may lose the most. Most golf tournaments are owned by nonprofits, who turn their earnings over to local charities. The tournaments raised $204 million for charities last year. Each lost tournament may cost a local charity one of its more significant donations.

Combat Sports

Late Thursday night, Todd duBoef, the president of Top Rank Boxing, finally succumbed to the inevitable. He canceled the fight night scheduled for Saturday at Madison Square Garden, headlined by Shakur Stevenson’s defense of his featherweight belt.

He said that he is out the money for airfare and lodging for about 100 people, and certain costs for events like the weigh-in ceremonies. But the real losers here are the fighters, who are only paid when they compete.

“Some of these guys have got to pay rent next month, and they may need the money,” DuBoef said. “We are reaching out on a one-by-one basis, reaching out to fighters and advisers to accommodate their livelihoods.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/sports/sports-coronavirus-impact.html