Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

The Athletic’s NBA Arena Rankings: Some buildings are always a spectacle , on 7/8/20 mostly ignored the Barclays Center in the survey of its writers. Despite the team's epic failures and mismanagement, Madison Square Garden won best arena, given the noise and ambiance. Staples Center, home to both the Los Angeles Lakers and (for now) Los Angeles Clippers) also got votes. Interestingly enough, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home to the Indiana Pacers, won kudos for a loud crowd and "the unique look compared to any other arena in the NBA (outside of maybe Barclays Center in Brooklyn)." Exactly: the Barclays Center's something of a copy, but, unlike in Indianapolis, the tight crowd doesn't add as much to the game. Barclays didn't get mention as either among the best--or worst--arenas. But it did get a mention. Not the best crowd TD Garden, home to the Boston Celtics, won best crowd, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder's Chesapeake Energy Arena and the P...

Hockey's back, or is it? N.H.L. Announces Plan to Return Straight Into the Playoffs , the New York Times reported yesterday, noting it was the largest league to announce such a plan. It involves jumping right to the playoffs, in two pending hub cities (none in New York, of course), with the end of the tournament in the fall, suggesting a later start for the next season. Each Conference will be assigned a "hub" city with secure hotels, arena, practice facilities and in-market transportation. "Let me assure you that the reason we are doing this is because our fans are telling us, in overwhelming numbers, that they want us to complete the season if at all possible," Bettman said in a video . See screenshot above. That's not so clear. What the fans think From FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos Yes, a Seton Hall poll (my coverage ), said 76 percent of sports fans said they'd would watch broadcasts of the games with the same interest as before.  ...

ESPN reports today on shifting attitudes from those running the universe of pro sports:  "To months in, the landscape has shifted, from fear of one positive test shutting down a season to the gradual acceptance of risk." From the Athletic, 5/20/20,  Sources: NBA in serious talks to restart season in Orlando, Disney World the frontrunner : The NBA is in serious discussions with Disney about the property, which has gained clear momentum over cities such as Las Vegas, sources said. It remains unclear when the games would begin, but multiple sources say the prospect of players fully training in mid-June and playing by mid-July has been the most popular and possible scenario discussed. NBA commissioner Adam Silver told the Board of Governors on May 12 that he aims to decide on the season in two-to-four weeks, and that he wants to wait as long as he can to make final decisions. ...For the NBA, Orlando/Disney World’s controllability as a playing site — with a private property ...