What’s been going on in the sports world? We are beginning to see a return to normalcy. Major League Baseball is in full swing, welcoming back fans, and The Dan Le Batard Show is coming back. But the Tokyo Olympics are up in the air. Here are four important news updates for all of the sports fanatics.
Stadiums are once again welcoming fans.
The Atlanta Braves were the first team to open their ballpark to 100% capacity for the remainder of the Major League Baseball season. Other stadiums are expected to follow suit in the coming months as vaccines continue to be distributed to fans. Even the more locked down states of New York and New Jersey have plans to open up their ballparks to full capacity by the end of May.
Pop-up vaccination sites
A lot of ball clubs are taking it upon themselves to distribute the vaccines. The New York Yankees and Mets are just two of the teams offering free tickets to fans who get vaccinated at the ballpark. Over the last few months, these massive venues have hosted many pop-up vaccination sites so we can get fans back into their seats come first pitch.
Olympics in limbo
Are the Olympics going to be canceled again? The Tokyo Olympics are set to kick off in July 2021 after being pushed back from 2020. However, the host city is enduring a new surge of positive cases. The Japanese government is torn between further delaying the games or ramping up travel restrictions so they can go on. The last thing anyone wants to do is spread the virus through this global event. We may be forced to have no fans in attendance at the games or even further delay this year’s Olympics.
DraftKings making media content
In other news, DraftKings, the popular mobile sports betting platform, has teamed up with Meadowlark Media to produce its own multimedia content. This deal is the first of its kind between a sportsbook and a media company. The first show they announced was the return of The Dan Le Batard Show. After an eight-year run on the radio, Le Batard notably left ESPN to find a company with more relaxed content guidelines and more room for growth. However, should a sportsbook be producing content? They already set the odds and the prices for their bets; should they be telling you where to put your money as well? There is some conflict of interest that could arise from this trend.
Stay tuned for more updates on the sports world as the world reopens.
