NBA=
The NBA revealed the schedule for the resumption of the 2019-20
season at the Disney World complex near Orlando, Florida with the
first game of a doubleheader on July 30 featuring the Pelicans
facing the Jazz to be followed by a Lakers-Clippers matchup. The 22
teams going to Disney will play their “seeding” games in a 16-day
span ending August 14. The NBA will be using three arenas at
Disney, and other than the two-game slate on the opening night
there will be somewhere between four and seven games played each
day.
The NBA and its players association announced that 16 of 302
players tested positive for the coronavirus during the first wave
of mandatory exams conducted in advance of the league’s planned
restart. No player names were disclosed from the results, though a
number of athletes – including Nikola Jokic, Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy
Hield, Jabari Parker and Derrick Jones – have either acknowledged
they’ve tested positive or have been reported to have done so.
According to league protocols, any player that tests positive must
remain in self-isolation until being cleared by a physician to
rejoin his team.
The league and the union also announced they have finalized their
agreement to continue the suspended season next month at the Disney
World campus near Orlando. The joint statement said that “stringent
health and safety protocols” have been put into place to help
ensure a safe environment in which teams will be isolated in
hotels, a necessity with COVID-19 cases haven sharply risen in
Orlando and Florida in general in recent weeks.
AUTO RACING=
The Indianapolis 500 has been rescheduled for Aug. 23 with
Indianapolis Motor Speedway announcing it intends to have the
historic race run with 50 percent of fans in attendance. IMS has a
total seating capacity of approximately 250,000, which would make
the Indy 500 the largest-attended sporting event to take place
since the coronavirus pandemic should those plans hold. The premier
IndyCar Series event had been postponed from its traditional slot
on Memorial Day weekend due to the COVID-19 shutdown, but IMS later
announced it will hold an IndyCar-NASCAR doubleheader on July 4
weekend without spectators.
NFL=
Colts Pro Bowl linebacker Darius Leonard said he and his family
were racially profiled and asked to leave a Chipotle restaurant in
South Carolina and vowed to take action to hold the franchise
accountable. The third-year pro said in a video posted on Instagram
that he spoke to Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol and received an apology,
but requested that the company “step up and take a step forward and
to change instead of just apologizing.” Leonard said he was asked
by the store manager to leave after white patrons accused him of
verbally abusing them. Niccol said in a statement that the manager
has been suspended and Chipotle will conduct a “thorough
investigation” into the incident.
NHL=
A team that loses in the NHL’s qualifying round won the draft
lottery and will get the first overall pick. As part of the
league’s revamped lottery that comes with a 24-team playoff format,
several teams that could resume the season had a chance at one of
the top three picks. That’s exactly what happened, and the league
will need to re-do the lottery for that selection after the play-in
round. The Kings won the second pick and the Senators have the
third and fifth selections. Detroit dropped to the fourth pick
despite finishing last in the NHL.
GOLF=
Phil Mickelson made five birdies on the Back 9 and shot a 7-under
63 to take the Round 2 lead at the Travelers Championship, where
two more players have withdrawn with one announcing he has tested
positive for the coronavirus. Denny McCarthy said he felt sick
Thursday night and later tested positive for COVID-19, which
prompted he and Bud Cauley to both withdraw after the two were
paired up in the first round. Brooks Koepka, Webb Simpson and
Graeme McDowell all pulled out prior to the start of the tournament
after all came into contact with someone who tested positive. On
the course, Will Gordon and Mackenie Hughes are a shot back of
Mickelson at 12-under par, while Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
and others are four shots off the pace. Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson
and Tony Finau are among those who missed the cut.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL=
Clemson said 14 more football players tested positive for the
coronavirus this week, bringing the team total to 37 members who
have had the disease since the school reopened facilities for
workouts earlier this month. Clemson said it has conducted 430
tests of its personnel with 47 coming up with COVID-19. It said
that 28 of those have completed a 10-day isolation period. No one
has been hospitalized for the virus, athletic spokesman Jeff Kallin
said.
Oregon and Oregon State will no longer refer to their rivalry games
as the “Civil War” due to its connotation to the era of slavery in
the United States. OSU athletic director Scott Barnes said both
schools would contact athletes and alumni to discuss coming up with
a new name for the annual series between the in-state universities.
The name has been most associated with the football series that is
traditionally held in late November.
MLB=
Just days until MLB teams report for training camp on July 1, the
Blue Jays still don’t have a home, but the decision is expected
“very soon,” according to team president Mark Shapiro. The
Canadian-U.S. border remains closed by the Canadian government as
part of its effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The team
had hoped to plan on splitting its games between Toronto and its
spring training facility in Florida, but a recent spike in COVID-19
cases there has alarmed team official and led them to petition
local government officials to allow games in Canada.
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