OK, nobody knows exactly how this Covid thing is going to play out, but unless somebody comes up with a vaccine & an effective treatment (not currently created), the LAST thing to normalize in our society will be things that intrinsically involve mass gatherings, especially in enclosed spaces. For example, the owners of Broadway play theaters are now suicidal.
But look at the major sports. It may be YEARS before people again feel comfortable going to an enclosed arena with 25000 other people (NHL, NBA) or an open stadium with 40-60,000 (MLB, NFL). Although a lot of their respective revenues come from television, a huge amount comes from the butts in the seats. The Owners are locked into humongous contracts with star players, and substantial contracts with everyone else. further, most of the Owners have other businesses that feed the sports franchises, and those businesses are likely to be under extreme distress.
In the Real World, there is a concept called, Force Majeure. When performance of a contract becomes impossible due to an "act of God," or a comparable event, the party prevented from performance may claim Force Majeure and renegotiate the contract. This is not a slam dunk, but where so many millions are at stake I can see an owner or two going that route, especially with a player who may not be performing up to what was hoped when the contract was signed. And if one Owner is successful, it will snowball, certainly.
Just sayin'.
But look at the major sports. It may be YEARS before people again feel comfortable going to an enclosed arena with 25000 other people (NHL, NBA) or an open stadium with 40-60,000 (MLB, NFL). Although a lot of their respective revenues come from television, a huge amount comes from the butts in the seats. The Owners are locked into humongous contracts with star players, and substantial contracts with everyone else. further, most of the Owners have other businesses that feed the sports franchises, and those businesses are likely to be under extreme distress.
In the Real World, there is a concept called, Force Majeure. When performance of a contract becomes impossible due to an "act of God," or a comparable event, the party prevented from performance may claim Force Majeure and renegotiate the contract. This is not a slam dunk, but where so many millions are at stake I can see an owner or two going that route, especially with a player who may not be performing up to what was hoped when the contract was signed. And if one Owner is successful, it will snowball, certainly.
Just sayin'.
