Posted on 08/08/2020 4:07:57 AM PDT by Kaslin
With the pandemic affecting most every manner of entertainment this year, one of the anticipated breaks in the entertainment void has been the return of professional sports. Over the past couple of weeks Major League baseball, the NBA, and the NHL have restarted their schedules, with some mixed results. To go along with some softening of interest from fans due to the political activism on display, there have also been coronavirus outbreaks on a number of the baseball teams interrupting the schedule.
Also gearing up is the NFL, as training camps opened this week while the league is still grappling with how it will manage the coming season. As of now the schedule will begin without fans in attendance and there are varying measures on how badly this will affect the NFL and individual team owners. Estimates range that league-wide losses could be about $5.5 billion, and possibly as high as $7 billion. Now there is another challenge for teams as the number of players who will not participate has been determined.
On Thursday the players’ union had its deadline for players to announce if they would elect not to participate this coming season over Covid concerns, and 66 players declared they will opt out from playing this season. The league reached an agreement for compensation payable to those who declared they would be opting out from play. If the player has a verifiable medical cause they will be paid out a stipend of $350,000, and those choosing to sit out due to concerns will be paid $150,000 against future salary payments. Following Thursday’s deadline, anyone who removes themselves due to a medical reason can get the stipend payment, but voluntary options are not reimbursed.
Those declines affect the rosters of most every team, with the exceptions being the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Los Angeles Chargers. Most impacted are the New England Patriots, which following the departure of some notable free agents -- including mega-star Tom Brady -- now see eight players refusing to join the team this season. The Kansas City Chiefs are also particularly affected. Running back Damien Williams will not be playing. Also out is starting offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, and his possible replacement would have been the new draft pick, Lucas Niang, except he has elected to bypass his rookie year over concerns.
The majority of those players who chose not to play were logically found to be linemen. Between the OL and DL positions, those involving the most assured physical contact, there are over 30 players listed.
While these departures will present challenges to coaches, the longer impacts felt by the franchises are yet to be measured. The stadium revenues vary widely by team, but you get the sense of the impact when the top three franchises -- Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and New York Giants -- receive over 50% of team revenue from stadium operations. The Raiders will lose significantly as they were poised to begin play in their new home of Las Vegas, and questions are in the air for the Rams and Chargers, as they are set to begin play in a new stadium. Also uniquely affected is Tampa Bay, as they just signed Tom Brady and saw a significant rise in season tickets as a result. The night it was announced he was signing with the team 7,000 requests for season tickets were placed; now that will be unrealized revenue.
The full list of teams and players is available here.
Watch for a bump up in claimed injuries by players once the season starts. This way they’ll be fully paid while not playing. Hopefully it kills the league.
I think most of the COVID restrictions are ridiculous, but these guys are smart. Having constant close physical contact with others during the course of your work is not necessarily a good idea.
66 players will likely be followed by more imo. This along with their kneeling and praising BLM, flying BLM flags under or over the US flag, the constant referencing of BLM by the play by play twirps (this is a gimme) and the lack of energy without attendance should seal their fate.
I’m not interested enough to find how many are white, but it would be an easy way for them to avoid the BLM pressure to kneel without looking like their disrespecting the flag and anthem. After that quarter back was allowed by his teammates to be injured when he didn’t kneel last year, they know it can be dangerous to disagree.
Now they can kneel all the time.
The author doesn’t mention the colors of the players, so why you bring it up is beyond me.
They should just cancel the season without pay. They are nonessential workers, and no one wants to watch a bunch of kneeling crybabies anyway.
Ditto for all sports, is anyone really even watching Baseball or Basketball?
If teachers can get paid for not showing up...
BOYCOTT THE NFL!™
Good, let them collect the 600$ a week instead. Football is a declining sport anyhow.
I have yet to watch or listen to any MLB but do check the Covid cancellations. They’re up to 21 cancelled games. With ratings crashing and MLB’s blm self inflicted wound, you’d think ownership would write off this season. These players who are opting out, are they locked up, hiding at home? Are they really that terrified of the sniffles? Someone should explain to these brainiacs that the virus doesn’t age you fifty years which would make having it dangerous.
Oh no! Who will kneel during the national anthem now?
I think the mentality of these players is no different than the people that took advantage of $600 p/w unemployment. Why work when you can whine Covid, stay home and collect.
Covid is the new “the dog ate my homework” excuse for wriggling out of just about anything.
Funny how the Kraft team has the most. Any connection to whom is buddy with?
These players will not receive their full salary for 2020 if they don’t play. I believe they will get a $150,000 payment that is an advance against their 2021 salary.
Those who refuse to play dont pay
“They are nonessential workers, and no one wants to watch a bunch of kneeling crybabies anyway.”
The FR Sunday NFL thread would cry over that.
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