Yeah I guess three more games got canceled this weekend.
Too bad, I used to like football, pre-Covid.
Doesn't look good for this season, especially with the 2nd and 3rd waves of Covid already establishing themselves.
The National Football League is dealing with its first coronavirus outbreak. The league has
postponed Sunday’s game between the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers after multiple Titans players tested positive for Covid-19.
It’s possible that the NFL will contain the virus from spreading and affecting more games. But what if it doesn’t? What happens if more games are canceled or the season is suspended?
A lot of money is at stake for the league and its partners. TV networks including ESPN, Fox, NBC and CBS collectively pay the NFL nearly $6 billion annually for the rights to televise games. There also are
implications for consumers, because the cost of sports telecasts factors into monthly cable bills.
A look at the key questions:
Is it possible the NFL may have to shorten the season?
At this stage,
the outbreak is limited. The league is trying to reschedule the Titans game within a few days. However, if down the road the league does have to make the difficult decision to cancel entire weeks of play, it has some plans in place. Its schedule already has flexibility to ensure that critical divisional and conference games get played. It’s also possible to extend the season a bit longer than usual. A Super Bowl in April is better than no Super Bowl.
The NFL and the Coronavirus
I
f the season is shortened, what happens to the fees the TV networks pay for games?
A former NFL official said if more than two weeks worth of games were canceled, the NFL might technically incur a penalty and owe refunds to media partners. But that scenario is unlikely; sports-rights experts say the league and TV partners probably would figure out an economic solution in negotiations over the next round of deals.
ESPN’s Monday Night Football deal expires after next season while Fox’s Sunday afternoon and Thursday packages, CBS’s Sunday slate and NBC’s Sunday night deal are all up in 2022. The league is looking to lock in long-term contracts sooner rather than later, and deals could be wrapped up during or after this season, said Patrick Crakes, a former Fox Sports executive. “If there is money lost anywhere, the negotiations are a place to figure that out,” he said.
What if the season is canceled?
Good question. Looking more and more like a possibility every day.