Does the Nfl Continue to Sellout Games
COVID-19 and its resulting variants from delta to omicron has forced two-plus years of cancellations, postponements and adjustments for the sports-event industry. As events have come back online, here is a regular look at where things stand and storylines that have been emerging. You can also see our past reporting on what the sports-event industry has had to address. To stay updated on everything in sports, you can also subscribe to the SportsTravel newsletter.
SOCCER: Qatar Mandating COVID-19 Testing For World Cup Fans
Posted: Thursday, September 29
The idea of having to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test has been gone from U.S. arenas and stadiums for months as the sports world has effectively ruled the pandemic over way before President Joe Biden did recently.
But there are still moments where what was thought to be in the past becomes the present and one of those moments was Thursday when the 2022 FIFA World Cup organizers in Qatar announced that all fans must show a negative test when they arrive to watch games when the World Cup starts November 20.
All visitors aged 18 and over must also download a government-run phone application tracking people's movements and health status, called Ehteraz. Fans already needed to have a Hayya Card (Fan ID for the tournament) via qatar2022.qa, which alongside a valid match ticket is the only way to enter the country during the World Cup.
"A green Ehteraz (showing the user does not have a confirmed case of COVID-19) is required to enter any public closed indoor spaces," World Cup organizers said. "Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 while in Qatar will be required to isolate in accordance with Ministry of Public Health guidelines."
Visitors must be able to show a negative result from a PCR test taken in the 48 hours before arriving or from an official rapid test taken within 24 hours regardless of vaccination status. Vaccination is not mandatory for visitors. Rapid antigen tests taken in the previous 24 hours before landing in Qatar will only be accepted if they are from official medical centers and not self-administered. No further tests are required in Qatar if fans do not develop symptoms of COVID-19.
Players and staff with the 32 World Cup teams will have to take rapid antigen tests every two days in Qatar, as will referees and match officials, FIFA said. Masks must be worn on public transport, including the subway system that many fans will use to get to the eight stadiums in and around Doha.
Qatar has recorded nearly 450,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 682 deaths from the disease, according to data gathered since 2020 by Johns Hopkins University. More than 97% of the population in Qatar has had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the data states.
MLB: Canada Lifting Vaccination Requirement Changes Playoff Picture
Posted: Tuesday, September 20
One of the biggest COVID policies in North American sports may be ending as the Globe and Mail in Toronto has reported that the Canadian federal government will drop its vaccination requirement for visitors to the country by the end of this month.
Changes for arrivals at land, air and sea ports of entry, are planned but a mask requirement for people on trains and planes will remain in place, the Globe and Mail reported, adding aviation and travel industries have pushed the government to relax the rules that cover international travel.
This would affect all major sports leagues that have teams in Canada, with each season since those teams were allowed to play in its home markets marked by the question of which players would not travel with teammates to games because of their individual refusal to get vaccinated. While the NHL only had one unvaccinated player last season, the NBA had others who did not travel to Toronto to play the Raptors — famously unvaccinated Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets as well as Philadelphia's Matisse Thybulle, who missed two playoff games between the 76ers and Raptors in the Eastern Conference first round.
The potential lifting would affect the stretch run of the Major League Baseball season and a potential postseason appearance by the Toronto Blue Jays, who entered Tuesday night in the first wild-card spot in the American League. Should it hold onto that spot, the Blue Jays would host a first-round series against potentially a team like the Tampa Bay Rays or Seattle Mariners. While the Rays did not have any players on the MLB restricted list for its last visit to Toronto, the Mariners placed reliever Drew Steckenrider on the restricted list and starter Robbie Ray also didn't make the trip.
The vaccination requirement to this point has affected other MLB teams in different ways. The Kansas City Royals had nearly a dozen players skip the trip to Toronto earlier this season while National League MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt sat at home when the St. Louis Cardinals traveled north of the border. The New York Post reported last week that should there be a World Series between the Blue Jays and New York Mets, the Mets franchise was worried because they "still have multiple stars who remain unvaccinated." Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt ripped MLB's coronavirus protocols in July after he was scratched from a start and added to the COVID-19 injured list, saying "it's ridiculous we're still doing it. Stop testing it. Stop acting like COVID is far worse than a lot of other things."
The potential lifting of the requirement would also affect international sports in Toronto including Formula 1 and the ATP and WTA Tours, which hold a major event each summer in Toronto and Montreal. Novak Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, was not allowed to play in this year's ATP Nations Bank Open because of his status.
On June 20, the Canadian government suspended vaccine requirements for domestic and outbound travelers, federal government employees and federally regulated industry workers. While Canada's vaccination requirement may be dropping soon, the United States still requires all entrants to be vaccinated.
NFL: New Season, No COVID Restrictions
Posted: Friday, September 9
The 2022 NFL season started in the same location where the 2021 season ended: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with the Rams playing in front of a sold-out home crowd.
The result may have been different: The Rams lost 31-10 to the Buffalo Bills, a team many are picking as a Super Bowl favorite this season. It also started a different season for the NFL — the first since 2019 in which there are no intensive COVID-19 protocols.
After a 2020 season that was held in stadiums with restricted numbers in attendance — if any at all — the 2021 season had some lightened protocols but still with plenty of testing. The league also had to, like every other professional league that was in action during the omicron surge, adjust the schedule in limited circumstances.
In 2022, that is no longer the case. There is no testing even for unvaccinated players. Unvaccinated players are also no longer required to wear masks at team facilities. While a positive test means a player must isolate for five days — which happened in the preseason for Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins, who remains unvaccinated and missed a key game last year when he test positive while in the NFC playoff hunt as the Vikings eventually were shut out of the postseason.
Another thing that is in the past for the NFL: vaccination mandates for fans at games. Most notable last season were the mandates in Las Vegas and Buffalo, where two fans were charged for using fake vaccination cards after posting them on social media.
And as always, the demand for tickets to NFL games is seemingly insatiable; ticket sales were up 5% over the same time before training camp, reported Sports Business Journal. Bobby Gallo, senior vice president of club business development, told the publication the NFL it will set a record for gross ticket revenue even with no new stadiums opening after last year saw the public debut of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
NBA: Testing Still Mandatory for Unvaccinated Players This Season
Posted: Wednesday, August 31
Unvaccinated NBA players and team personnel must submit to weekly COVID-19 testing this season, the league told clubs in a memo Tuesday according to multiple media reports.
The policy for the coming season was agreed to by the National Basketball Players Association. There will be certain exceptions to the mandate, the league said, such as when an unvaccinated person is considered to have been "recently recovered" from COVID-19.
Canada's vaccination policy for travelers will mean a continuation of last year's NBA policy for players who would have to miss games at the Toronto Raptors. The NBA told teams this week that players who are not fully vaccinated and have not been given a medical clearance will be barred from traveling to play the Raptors. Canada's mandate for incoming foreign travelers to be vaccinated has been an issue all season for Major League Baseball, most notably when 10 Kansas City Royals did not travel to a recent weekend series with the rest of their teammates.
The league had a 95 percent vaccination rate last season but most of the attention was focused on one player who was famously unvaccinated, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who missed most of his team's home games in the regular season because of New York City mandates that were eventually lifted.
This coming season, testing will not be required except when "directed by their team physician or a league physician or government authority," the league said. Face masks also will not be required, though they will be recommended for use indoors in cities where coronavirus levels are classified by government officials as high.
"It looks like we'll be on our normal track in terms of when the season starts, in terms of our protocols around the game, particularly around the health and safety of our players," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at the league's Board of Governors meeting in July. "I have learned over the last 2½ years not to make any predictions when it comes to COVID, but only to say we'll be prepared for anything that comes our way."
The league said it is strongly recommending that those people remain up to date with their vaccination status, including all boosters that are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All players and team personnel will be required to get tested when exhibiting symptoms, plus they will be required to report those symptoms, as well as any positive or inconclusive results of tests not administered by the team or the league. Players and personnel will also have to report when someone in their household tests positive for COVID-19.
TENNIS: Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic Withdraws from U.S. Open
Posted: Thursday, August 25
With the final Grand Slam of the tennis season about to start in New York, one of the biggest stars in the world will not be there — of his own volition.
Novak Djokovic, who is famously unvaccinated, withdrew from the U.S. Open on Thursday because he is not allowed to travel to the United States. Djokovic announced his withdrawal hours before the draw for the event was revealed.
"Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open," Djokovic wrote, wishing luck to his fellow players, and said he would "keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again."
While the U.S. Open will mostly be known for Serena Williams' final tournament before retirement, the Djokovic situation also loomed over preparation. When the event posted social media promotions, several eagle-eyed observers noted how Djokovic was not one of the players featured.
Djokovic could have remained in the draw after it was made on Thursday but later withdraw, similar to what he did earlier this spring at tournaments scheduled for the U.S. One player, Liam Broady, criticized Djokovic this week the possibility of denying a spot to a fringe player given the financial stakes; making the main draw at the U.S. Open is worth $80,000 to a player.
"There should be a rule against late withdrawals from slams when you know you aren't going to play," Broady said on Twitter. "Really tough on No 1 seeds in qualifying seeing players they know aren't playing on the main draw list but still having to go through qualifying."
There is one former player outspokenly defending Djokovic: John McEnroe said the U.S. government should allow Djokovic to play, telling Australian media, "He's won a lot more majors than me because he's dug his heels in and found that will, that very few people in sport have ever found. That's part of what made him so great, so he sticks to his guns."
Not playing at Flushing Meadows completes a rollercoaster year of Grand Slams for Djokovic. He was deported from Australia over that country's vaccination mandate hours before the 2022 Australian Open after being in the country for nearly two weeks, then lost in the semifinals of the French Open to Rafael Nadal and won Wimbledon. The win was his first Grand Slam since last year's Wimbledon, gives him one more career Grand Slam than Roger Federer and brings him within one of re-tying rival Nadal for the all-time record.
Djokovic has been mum other than on social media since Wimbledon but said after his men's championship win at the tournament that "I'm not vaccinated and I'm not planning to get vaccinated so the only good news I can have is them removing the mandated green vaccine card or whatever you call it to enter United States or exemption … I don't think exemption is realistically possible. If that is possibility, I don't know what exemption would be about. I don't know. I don't have much answers there."
The past two years at the U.S. Open have been tumultuous for Djokovic for different reasons. In 2020 at a tournament closed to fans, Djokovic was defaulted in the round of 16 after striking a lineswoman with a ball; in 2021, he had a Grand Slam at stake before losing in the final to Daniil Medvedev.
It was weeks after the 2021 Open that the U.S. issued an order requiring vaccination for nonimmigrant noncitizens hoping to enter the country. Djokovic's inability to enter the U.S. led him to withdraw in the spring from high-profile tournaments in Indian Wells, California, and Miami; the hard-court season leading to the U.S. Open is based in the U.S. and Canada, meaning Djokovic did not participate in any of those tournaments.
In February, Djokovic told the BBC "the principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else", but added he was keeping an open mind about being vaccinated in the future. Djokovic has "always been a great student of wellness, wellbeing, health and nutrition" in his words but insisted he was "never against vaccination."
SOCCER: Europe's Revenues Increased Post-COVID
Posted: Monday, August 22
Throughout the major professional sports leagues in the United States, commissioners almost unanimously have been able to give strong financial updates while coming out of the worst of COVID-19, with both the NHL and NBA pleased with the past season's overall revenue and the NFL remaining the titan of money-making sports leagues.
Those positive financial figures are the trend around the world in most parts as well. Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance showed the European soccer industry had held up across the continent with total revenues of approximately $27.6 billion, a 10% rise from the previous season despite in some cases still having to deal with various capacity restrictions depending on the country.
Deferred broadcast revenues from the previous season and revenue generated from the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament played across the continent in 2021 were behind the rise, the report said.
"Clubs across Europe played a significant proportion of matches behind closed doors or with reduced capacity during the 2020/21 season which caused an almost complete loss of matchday revenue," said Tim Bridge, lead partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte. "It's testament to the resilience of the industry, the value driven by broadcast deals and the success of the Euros that the European football market has achieved tenacious growth, in revenue terms, over the past year."
Stuck within the financial report were some notable figures. While the overall revenue grew throughout Europe, it was entirely down to the Premier League in England. Excluding the Premier League, the leagues in Germany, Spain, France and Italy reported total operating losses for 2020-21 of nearly $905 million. Italy's Serie A increased revenue 23% to $2.5 billion and England's Premier League rising 8% to $5.5 billion both Germany's Bundesliga and Spain's La Liga both saw reported combined revenues down 6%.
Those gap between the Premier League and others in Europe will only continue to grow when you factor in what they get from international broadcast rights in the U.S. The Premier League's new U.S. TV contract averages $450 million per year, more than double La Liga's and in the case of the Bundesliga, a nearly 14-fold increase. UEFA announced a renewal of its U.S. broadcast rights with CBS, a $1.5 billion deal over 6 years, that is worth 2.5 times the previous contract.
"As the Premier League enters its fourth decade, it's further ahead of the competition than ever before, having emerged from the pandemic without as significant an increase in net debt as many might have expected," said Bridge.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Division II team moves four games from Canada to U.S.
Posted: Tuesday, August 16
An NCAA Division II school in Canada will play four of its six scheduled home games in the upcoming 2022 season in the United States because of Canada's border restriction that requires all visitors into the country to be fully vaccinated.
Simon Fraser will move games from SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field to Blaine, Washington, the college announced on Tuesday. The games affected are against Texas A&M-Kingsville (October 1), Western New Mexico (October 22), Angelo State (October 29) and West Texas A&M (November 12).
"We are all looking forward to a time when the impact of the global pandemic will be behind us," said Theresa Hanson, senior director of athletics and recreation at SFU. "This news is especially disappointing for our student-athletes, but we continue to support them and advocate for ways to ensure they can train and compete. We are looking forward to creating a home-field atmosphere in Blaine for these games."
The program also announced a game against Montana State-Northern scheduled for September 10 has been cancelled. Simon Fraser has two scheduled home games at SFU Stadium remaining, against Central Washington on September 17 and the Shrum Bowl against the University of British Columbia on December 2.
Simon Fraser was predicted to finish last in the Lone Star Conference, which is comprised of all Southern U.S.-based schools except for SFU, Central Washington and Western Oregon. Those three schools are typically in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. In November 2021, SFU, Central Washington and Western Oregon were accepted into the Lone Star Conference, creating a 10-team league. With only three NCAA Division II football schools in the Pacific Northwest, it was an essential move to guarantee a full conference schedule.
Simon Fraser obviously does not have a large following in college football but did make news last season as Kristie Elliott became the first Canadian female to play and score in an NCAA college football game in the 2021 season, during which SFU played two home games and six games on the road. The program's 2020 season was canceled by the pandemic.
NFL: Kirk Cousins to miss Vikings preseason game
Posted: Friday, August 12
One of the NFL's biggest COVID skeptics will miss his team's first preseason game this weekend because he tested positive for COVID for the second time in less than 10 months.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is unvaccinated, was told to isolate for five days after testing positive for COVID on Friday, meaning he would miss the team's Sunday preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Barring complications, Cousins would be eligible to rejoin the team Tuesday. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Cousins had "minimal" symptoms starting Thursday and reported it to the team.
"I like the way he handled it," O'Connell said, "reporting the symptoms and just going through our in-house process here. I'm proud of how he did that, looking out for his teammates and making sure that we'll get him back ready to roll as soon as possible."
The NFL paused its COVID-19 protocols in March. Players are not required to be vaccinated while nearly all league employees and coaches on its teams do have a mandate. Players are not tested on a daily basis but anyone who tests positive must quarantine for at least five days.
Cousins has been one of the most anti-vaccine NFL players in a league that has been overwhelming vaccinated among team rosters. He had to quarantine last preseason as a close contact of backup QB Kellen Mond after he tested positive. He said later he would rather have meetings either outside in the winter — in Minnesota! — or have indoor meetings with everybody plexiglassed off rather than get vaccinations, saying "if I die, I die" when asked about his exposure to COVID.
Cousins then missed a crucial late-season game for the Vikings after testing positive for COVID as Minnesota, a game out of the playoff race, was blow out by the Green Bay Packers and failed to make the expanded postseason.
Source: https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/sports-covid-19-nba-nhl-nfl-ncaa-nascar-soccer-football-baseball-league-season-tournament/
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