Hard to believe, but just a year ago, on March 12, 2020, one of the most memorable events in the NBA was recorded, when the league dramatically shut down its activities after it became clear that Rudy Gover and Donban Mitchell of Utah had contracted the corona virus when the Jazz game was canceled in time That the actors were warming up, in a hall full of spectators.
At the time, it seemed like an almost apocalyptic scenario, and since then the sports world has learned to deal with the virus, and with the advent of vaccines we seem to be getting closer and closer to normal, as much as possible, but the huge financial losses of various sports clubs seem to take a long time to recover. from him.
According to Forbes magazine, although the major leagues in American sports have managed to return in one short version or another, the losses of the NBA, the NFL (Football League), the NHL (Hockey League), the MLB (Baseball League) , And the College of Basketball College, have already reached about $ 14 billion. Per year only.
Worse, the value of teams, which is defined in the article as “one of the safest long-term investments for billionaires,” has also begun to decline, with the NHL talking about a 2% drop on average. In the NBA, by the way, the value of the teams did not fall, but it rose by only 4%, the lowest increase since 2010.
Personally, according to Forbes, the baseball players suffered the most damage to their salaries, while boxers such as Canello Albers and Anthony Joshua also suffered losses estimated at $ 30 million each, following their battles scheduled for May and June. And canceled.
Alvarez, by the way, is in the first and dubious place on the list of Forbes athletes who were hit the hardest financially this year, earning about $ 35 million “only”, compared to $ 92 million in 2019. Chris Paul earned about $ 29 million compared to $ 35 million the previous year, and Joel Ambed about. 20 compared to $ 25 million.
But the United States is already looking ahead, and with great optimism. “Vaccines are going to change everything. “I think we will play again in front of full halls much faster than everyone expected,” he said Mark Cuban, Owner of the Dallas Mavericks magazine.
How critical is the return of fans to halls and pitches to clubs? Take for example the NHL, the largest ice hockey league in the world. According to the article, the league earns nearly $ 1 billion a year from television and Internet broadcasting rights, but no less than 70 percent of its revenue comes from ticket sales and purchases made by fans during indoor games. In the NBA by the way, about 40 percent of the revenue comes from fans who come to the games.
Cuban, by the way, marks the Tokyo Olympics as an event that could bring the turning point: “If the American team succeeds in the Olympics, it can take people out, sit in bars and other places together, it will contribute to a feeling of returning to normalcy. It can be the starting point for an amazing summer for everyone. ”