Sports fans are getting antsy as professional leagues, teams and retailers fail to refund them for the cost of tickets after the coronavirus shut down the world of live, professional sports.
Why it matters: An estimated $1 billion in consumer capital is currently held by franchises and ticket vendors, USA Today reports. Teams aren't sure whether they will be able to play some or any of the previously scheduled games, but they are holding on to ticket revenue as 26 million Americans have filed for unemployment.
The National Football League's first-ever virtual draft shattered viewership records on Thursday night, with roughly 15.6 million people tuning in across digital platforms, ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes, per the NFL
Why it matters: It's no surprise the event drew vast interest, given that there haven't been many other professional sporting events for fans to follow during the coronavirus crisis.
Major League Soccer should be celebrating its 25th season right now. Instead, the league is waiting out this pandemic like the rest of us with a tentative return date of June 8.
Why it matters: Despite rising team valuations and soccer's growing popularity among young people, MLS attendance has declined for two straight seasons and the league faces an uncertain future heading into the 2022 World Cup cycle.
The NCAA is moving closer to allowing Division I athletes to earn money from their name, image and likeness (NIL) as early as next year.
Driving the news: Recommended rule changes will be reviewed by college sports administrators this week before being sent to the NCAA Board of Governors, which meets next Monday and Tuesday, AP's Ralph Russo reports.
The virtual NFL draft went off without any major hitches (hats off to the ESPN production team), and while it was certainly low-energy at times, it was the closest thing we've had to live sports in over a month and a welcome distraction.
How it went down: Highlight packages and player analysis filled much of the airtime, and ESPN was ready with plenty of human-interest sidebars (childhood photographs, heartbreaking and heartwarming stories).
