By Christian Novarro









Left to Right: Roger Goodell, Adam Silver, Rob Manfred (Wikimedia Commons)









It was a cute idea, but the H-O-R-S-E competition was a complete failure. I appreciate ESPN and the NBA trying to get creative and keep the fans engaged by any means necessary, but Sunday’s contest just didn’t get the job done. JJ Redick put it best with his tweet on Sunday night: “H-O-R-S-E could not be worse. I gave it 5 min. Hard pass”. That’s coming from a guy whose sole purpose on an NBA roster is to hit 3-pointers. Nonetheless, people still watched, highlighting just how desperate we are for some competition. Major sports organizations like the NBA, MLB, and NFL are very aware of this. Hell, UFC President Dana White bought an island where he could put on fights… an island… let that sink in. Sure, not being able to fill stadiums with fans is crippling from a financial standpoint, but these sports could gain something potentially more important: the undivided attention of the sports world.

Right now, it’s the NFL that has everyone’s attention. The NBA's H-O-R-S-E Competition was just a sad distraction from the only sports-related event with actual excitement: the NFL Draft. Next weekend is the start of this year’s NFL Draft that features an extremely stacked rookie class. Last year, the three-day event averaged a record high 6.1 million viewers, shattering the previous year’s viewership of 5.5 million. During the same timeframe, the NBA playoffs averaged 3.95 million viewers. Sports fans, like myself, would rather listen to a collegiate athlete’s name get called than watch an Eastern Conference Playoff Game. The NFL draft is a big deal as it is. Without any playoff Hockey and Basketball to compete with, the spotlight on this year’s event should be brighter than ever. We won’t be able to hear the normal boo’s flung Roger Goodell’s way from his basement, or watch our favorite Day 1 prospects hold up their respective jerseys on the stage, but the event should still be entertaining nonetheless.





Unlike the other major sports leagues, the NFL is still operating the way they typically would in April. Players are still being signed, and teams are still making trades as they prep for next weekend’s event. It’s the only sport with any newsworthy content to be digested by us starving fans.





If I had to guess, Roger Goodell is still operating with the belief the season will start on time. Now that might not be the case, but the NFL has enough time to come up with adequate contingency plans. If the season is moved back, he could opt for either a shortened schedule or increased use of indoor stadiums for a season that extends deeper into Winter. As a betting man, I’d put my money on Goodell settling for no less than a full season. Whether it be with no fans in a remote location or just later in the year, you can count on Roger Goodell doing everything in his power to get us a full 2020/2021 season. Right now, it’s business as usual for the Commissioner and the NFL. If Goodell can also get the league ready to go the second he gets the green light from health experts, It will be the NFL yet again reigning supreme.

As for the MLB, you might not think it, but they potentially have a lot to gain from this extremely unusual situation. MLB President Robert Manfred recently announced a plan trying to get Baseball back as early as May. I won’t get into all the details, but essentially the plan is for games to be played in Arizona and at other spring facilities without fans, and apparently, many health officials think it could work. Players are almost always at a safe distance from each other when on the field. With the right precautions surrounding the game and players, we could be watching meaningful baseball games very soon. If the MLB can get live games in May, the benefits would be insurmountable. Baseball is losing traction to sports, like the NBA, among the younger generations. Their slow pace doesn’t help, but it was the MLB’s choice to monetize content rather than make it more widely accessible that’s hindered the game’s popularity. The NBA thrives on social media sites like Twitter and Instagram where accounts post anything from highlight dunks to players goofing around on the bench. If anyone even tries posting something from a baseball game, they’re probably getting sued for stealing MLB property. This lack of publicity has hindered the MLB’s ability to reach the Millennials and Gen-Zs that are addicted to their phones. To put this claim into perspective, my good buddy always likes to ask people who they believe is today's most popular baseball player. The usual response he gets is someone like Mike Trout or Bryce Harper; his response is Tim Tebow. Despite not recording a single at-bat in the Major leagues, his fame from college football and his mediocre NFL career has helped him generate a greater social media following than any active player in the MLB. That’s telling.





In an attempt to garner more interest and engagement, the MLB tried out some innovative ideas during their shortened Spring Training which included conducting in-game interviews with the players. I don't know how feasible it is to do interviews for each game, but it turned out to be very entertaining. I remember one particularly funny interaction between ESPN broadcasters and a few of my New York Mets players which is linked below.

https://www.mlb.com/mets/video/dom-smith-interrupts-interview?t=spring-training

The MLB has the unique opportunity to reignite interest in America’s Pastime. If they can bring us baseball in May, while embracing some fun innovations to the game during a very unconventional year, they could come out real winners. For now, however, it’s the NFL and their NFL draft that will carry the limelight.



