Sports Leagues Discuss Plans to Resume Play During ESPN Special

BRISTOL, Conn.-Major League Baseball fans-and by extension the video production crews that televise games-could not be blamed for being disappointed last night when MLB commissioner Robert Manfred Jr. reported on an ESPN special that a 2020 baseball season is uncertain.

We are running out of time. The clock is ticking on this. But the key, the important first step is a willingness on the part of the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) to get back to the table and engage in the process, said Manfred during the two-hour SportsCenter Special: The Return of Sports.

Manfred, who last week said during an interview that he felt 100% certain there would be a baseball season this year, told ESPN host Mike Greenberg that now he is not confident there will be a season.

At issue is a disagreement over player compensation and no agreement with the association on health and safety protocols intended to protect against coronavirus infection.

I think there is a real risk [of a cancelled season], and as long as there is no dialog, that real risk is going to continue, he said.

The interview with Manfred was recorded before the show aired June 15. Later in the day, MLBPA issued a statement on the situation to ESPN.

Players are disgusted that after Rob Manfred unequivocally told players and fans that there would 100% be a 2020 season, he has decided to go back on his word and is now threatening to cancel the entire season, the statement said.

The association denied that it has done anything to delay progress on health and safety protocols. The statement alleged MLB has not negotiated in good faith from the beginning.

This has only been about extracting additional pay cuts from players, and this is just another day and another bad faith tactic in their ongoing campaign, the statement said.

NHLThe special report's look at other leagues was far less dire. The NHL, for instance, is expected back on the ice in early August with games through October. Two hub cities, currently undetermined, will host play, and fans will not be allowed to attend games.

There will be a 24-team tournament. A five-game play-in round for teams that were on the bubble when the league suspended play, will be followed by a regular Stanley Cup playoff series-four rounds of the best of seven, said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

The NHL is relying on medical experts for guidance and is focused along with the players' association on adhering to strict health and safety protocols, he said.

We will carefully monitor with extensive testing all of the players that are in the hub cities and the supporting personnel, said Bettman.

COVID-19 testing will be done every day. If a player or other personnel tests positive, that person will be isolated. Contract tracing will be used to identify others who might have been infected, he said.

We are being told that an isolated case or a couple of isolated cases shouldn't interfere with plans to be able to move forward, said Bettman.

Players, who haven't been on the ice for months, face another potential health risk-not being in game-ready shape when play resumes. For a lot of our players, this is the longest they have ever gone without skating, he said. The league has been flexible on when it will return to play to give players a chance to regain their conditioning.

MLS & NWSLMajor League Soccer, which suspended play in early March after two games due to coronavirus, has picked July 8 to return to action. It will hold a World Cup-style tournament at the ESPN Wild World of Sports Complex at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. There will be three group-stage games and a 16-team knockout round.

Taking a cue from Germany's Bundesliga, which has resumed play within the past couple of weeks, MLS will enhance its video, audio and fan interaction technology, said Don Garber, MLS commissioner.

Playing on an open field does give us an opportunity to use technology in ways we have been contemplating, he said. While he didn't give details, Garber said more cameras, more audio and unique virtual insertion technology will be used. The league also is exploring ways to enhance fan engagement with technologies, such as Zoom. We have a unique open palette.

With nearly 2,000 people due to participate in the tournament, COVID-19 testing will be central to the return, said Garber. Anyone testing positive will be isolated in a hotel room, and contact tracing will be initiated. Players will be tested every other day.

Following the tournament, MLS plans to hold a regular season, playoffs and an MLS Cup championship before the end of the year. My hope, and really my expectation, and I'm optimistic that in the fall we will be able to return into our home markets, complete as much of the regular season as we can and obviously through crowning a champion, said Garber.

The National Women's Soccer League will be the first professional team sports league to return to action in the United States. In place of a regular season, cancelled in April due to the pandemic, the league will host the NWSL Challenge Cup beginning June 27.

The 25-game tournament will take place-without fans-in the Salt Lake City area and with the championship game being played July 26. I think the Challenge Cup will be an incredible platform for us to promote the game and for everyone to see how women play the sport, said Crystal Dunn of the N.C. Courage.

Some of the best-known women soccer players in the world, including Megan Rapinoe, have chosen not to play. Many are concerned about the virus as well as the demands for the tournament, said Dunn.

NBA & WNBAThe NBA will resume play July 30 with the finals possibly going into October depending on how many games are necessary. There will be 22 teams in the playoffs. All play will happen at ESPN's Wild World of Sports C

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