Hometown Broadcasting Sports Thursday 5/14/20
14 May 2020 Sports
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has opened the door for professional sports to return to the state. Ducey said Tuesday that professional sports, including MLB, the NBA, the NHL and the NFL, can resume without fans Saturday. The state is starting to reopen during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with Ducey saying on social media that Arizona is “trending in the right direction.”
The governor said he has had discussions with “leaders of some of these leagues” but did not say which ones or elaborate on what activities might take place in Arizona. Last month, he said he had spoken with Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and was open to hosting games. Other sports such as basketball and hockey have considered playing the remainder of their regular seasons in hubs, with several teams playing in one location.
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UFC249 was supposed to set an example for all other sports leagues. If handled well, the event — one of the first to take place amid the coronavirus pandemic — could have been a blueprint for other leagues to follow.
While UFC 249 went off without many hitches, the event wasn’t exactly safe. UFC deviated from a number of safety procedures it was supposed to follow during the event, according to Kevin Draper of the New York Times.
The Times acquired a 25-page document that outlined all the health and safety precautions UFC was expected to take during UFC 249. Commentator Joe Rogan was a major part of those deviations, as he insisted on shaking hands with every fighter, including a bloodied Justin Gaethje. UFC president Dana White also ignored safety protocols, refusing to wear a face mask and gloves. While those involved with the event felt it was safe, UFC 249 didn’t go off without one significant issue. A day before the event, Ronaldo Souza and two of his cornermen tested positive for the coronavirus. Souza was taken off the card, and UFC 249 went on as planned.
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The contract dispute between former XFL commissioner Oliver Luck and league owner Vince McMahon spilled into the public eye Wednesday through a series of filings related to Luck’s wrongful termination lawsuit. In response to Luck’s suit, filed April 21 in Connecticut federal court, McMahon’s attorneys said he fired Luck “for cause” and cited three examples of failures to comply with “multiple” XFL policies and directives. Luck’s attorneys followed by unsealing the termination letter and Luck’s response to that letter, calling Luck’s firing “a weak and pretextual attempt to avoid the lawful contractual obligations.” Luck also claimed that the XFL did not utilize a “30-day cure period” to address its claims before firing him, as provided for in his contract.
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The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Wilson Sporting Goods Co. announced a multiyear global partnership today that will make Wilson the official game ball of the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League (BAL).
The partnership will tip off at different times by league. The NBA Wilson game ball will first be used during the league’s 75th anniversary season in 2021-22. The other debuts will be during the 2022 WNBA season, 2021-22 NBA G League season, 2021 NBA 2K League season and the inaugural BAL season.
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