Andrew Cuomo is open to the idea of bringing back sports if it can be done safely, but the governor of New York indicated on Sunday that he does not see the point of leagues resuming play if they cannot sell tickets to events.
During his daily briefing, Cuomo said he is exploring ways in which to begin reopening New York’s economy in different phases. He said the state wants to bring sports back, but he wondered aloud how that will be possible if games need to be played without fans.
Cuomo on getting sports back on: “What sports can you do without an audience? What sports can you do economically without selling a ticket?”
— Nick Reisman (@NickReisman) April 26, 2020
Cuomo may not have all that great of an understanding of the business side of sports. Almost all major sports leagues have been preparing for the possibility of playing in stadiums and venues without fans. That would be possible economically because of TV deals, which are a huge source of revenue for leagues. While much of that revenue is still coming in under existing deals, it’s possible there could be ways to increase advertising dollars. With more people at home and fans desperate for live sports content, ratings could — and likely will — increase dramatically for certain events.
Safety should obviously be the top priority, but sports leagues don’t necessarily need fans in the stands to make money. The plans many of them are currently discussing reaffirms that.
