The NBA Coming to Walt Disney World

by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 4, 2020

“Hey, NBA owners, you just voted to get the season restarted. Where are you headed?”

“We’re going to Walt Disney World.”

Well, that’s basically the story according to the Associated Press. AP is reporting that owners voted to approve 22 teams – each team in a playoff position before the coronavirus shut down the season, plus six teams within six games of the playoffs – to get the season going at the ESPN Wide World of Sports facility at Walt Disney World. That leaves eight teams out for the season.

AP noted, “The format calls for each team playing eight games to determine playoff seeding plus the possible utilization of a play-in tournament for the final spot in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference postseason fields, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the league had not yet revealed the vote result publicly.”

It is expected that players would be arriving at the Disney complex in mid-July, with an NBA champion to be crowned in October.

It’s been widely reported, including by Keith Smith of YahooSports, that Disney and the NBA have agreed that Disney World’s Coronado Springs would serve as the primary resort hotel for the NBA.

The NBA’s plan to reopen in July would follow on NASCAR, which restarted racing late last month and the PGA Tour’s plan to restart on June 11-14 at the Charles Schwab Challenge. The NHL is working on getting back on the ice, while baseball’s owners and players seem bent on squabbling.

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

PRESS CLUB C Podcast with Ray Keating – Episode #5: Interview with Thom Brennaman – TV Play-by-Play for the Cincinnati Reds & FOX NFL

Ray Keating once again upgrades the podcast with a great guest. Thom Brennaman, Cincinnati Reds play-by-play TV announcer and play-by-play announcer for the NFL on FOX, is that special guest. 

Thom and Ray talk about Brennaman’s broadcast experience and some of his fellow Reds announcers; the NFL’s noteworthy accomplishments with this year’s draft; NASCAR getting out front on re-opening among major sports; what lies ahead for baseball; and what the Reds were up to in the offseason and what the team promises to look like whenever the first pitch is tossed out for MLB season. Thom also plays “Tell Me Your Favorites” and talks about some matters beyond sports. Despite being a ridiculous Reds fan, Ray manages to act professionally. Enjoy the conversation!

Click here or on the graphic above.

Major League Baseball in the Mix to Buy Regional Sports Networks from Disney

by Ray Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 18, 2019

When Disney bought assets from Fox for $71.3 billion, part of the deal was 22 regional sports networks (RSNs). However, the government said Disney couldn’t keep those networks. The forthcoming sale of these RSNs means that Disney is likely to recoup some $13.5 billion of its Fox purchase price, and Major League Baseball (MLB) might be in on picking up 21 of those RSNs.

The U.S. Department of Justice decided that its regulatory approval of the Disney-Fox deal was contingent upon Disney selling the RSNs. The Justice Department apparently worried, given Disney’s ownership of ESPN, about some kind of monopolization of sports broadcasting. Given the dynamism of the video marketplace, this government mandate was firmly rooted in economic ignorance, but that’s a point left to be explored in another piece.

One of the networks – the YES Network – reportedly has been secured by Amazon in collaboration with the Sinclair Broadcast Group. This is the network that carries the Yankees, and the team is part owner. This sale is said to be for $3.5 billion.

There are three bidders that have reached the final round for the remaining 21 RSNs – Ice Cube’s Big3, Sinclair, and Liberty Media Corp., which is teaming up with MLB. Liberty owns the Atlanta Braves and the Formula One Group. 

It’s widely reported that this package will be sold for approximately $10 billion. Interestingly, this is down notably from assorted estimates for a sale price in the $20-$22 billion neighborhood. 

Arguably, the most interesting outcome would see MLB in on the ownership for these 21 RSNs, and what that might mean for expanding opportunities for broadcasting baseball.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, with three books - Reagan Country: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, Heroes and Villains: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story and Shifting Sands: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – published in 2018. In addition, the second edition of Warrior Monk: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel was published in January 2019. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.