Baseball players and owners struck a deal earlier this week to begin a shortened season, but there's still no guarantee that games will be played.
Axios Re:Cap, our new afternoon podcast, digs in with Boston Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy. We also talk to the CEO of grocery giant Albertsons, which went public on Friday, and we share one surprising thing about the big Amazon announcement. All in 10 minutes.
16 of the NBA's 302 players — or 5.3% — tested positive for the coronavirus after league-wide testing, the Players Association announced Friday.
Why it matters: It's the first in a series of regular tests for the players, with the league set to restart on July 30 in Orlando, Florida. Players who participate in voluntary workouts at their team's facilities will also be tested every other day beginning next week, per ESPN.
The National Women's Soccer League will become the first U.S. team sport back in action when it kicks off its 25-game "Challenge Cup" tomorrow.
The intrigue: While leagues like the NBA, MLS and WNBA chose coronavirus-riddled Florida to host their "bubble" operations, the NWSL and two other leagues chose Utah, which has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the U.S.
As universities scramble to survive the financial fallout of the coronavirus, sports teams are being cut, abruptly ending thousands of student-athletes' careers and exposing a collegiate sports model that many believe is broken.
Why it matters: With concern about the fall football season growing by the day, the fear is that the cuts have only just begun.
The Kentucky Derby has been rescheduled for September 4-5, and is expected to allow spectators on site, but will impose COVID-19 precautions including limited occupancies and barn access, as well as encouraging guests to wear face masks, per a Thursday announcement.
Why it matters: The Derby, usually held in May, is the world's most famous horse race. Kentucky itself has seen a plateau in coronavirus cases, according to state data, and has not experienced the spikes that other states across the U.S. have amid reopening plans.
FIFA announced Thursday that Australia and New Zealand will host the 2023 Women's World Cup.
The state of play: The 2019 Women's World Cup, hosted by France, reached a global audience of over 1 billion viewers — and advertisers bought nearly $100 million in U.S. television commercials during the event, highlighting the growing power of the tournament. It also kicked off an ongoing equal pay fight for the U.S. women's national soccer team after their victory.
Despite multiple positive coronavirus tests and the withdrawal of two top-five players — Brooks Koepka (caddie tested positive) and Webb Simpson (family member tested positive) — the show will go on today at the Travelers Championship.
The intrigue: In the two weeks since the PGA Tour returned, players have recorded notably low scores, suggesting the fanless environment could be helping them focus.
