Mar 24, 2020 - Sports

76ers and Devils owners cut employee pay amid coronavirus fallout

Kendall Baker

Josh Harris and David Blitzer, owners of the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers. Photo: Andy Marlin/Getty Images

Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the sports and entertainment group that owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, has notified full-time employees making $50,000 or more that they will be subject to pay cuts starting as soon as next month due to the coronavirus fallout.

The response: Not great, as you might expect. Ownership considers this a "temporary measure aimed at avoiding layoffs," per NYT's Marc Stein, but fans aren't buying it.

What they're saying: Just search "Josh Harris" (net worth: $3.8 billion) or "David Blitzer" (net worth: $1.3 billion) on Twitter and you'll find out pretty quickly how most Americans feel about billionaires cutting pay to avoid incurring losses that they could presumably withstand.

The harsh reality: As the sports world navigates the evolving coronavirus landscape, more ownership groups will likely enact similar measures.

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76ers and Devils owners cut employee pay amid coronavirus fallout

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