There is a constant stream of rumors and reports about when leagues and events will continue in the sporting world. With news changing every day about when leagues will resume action, we here at Awesemo will bring you the latest updates every day to ensure you are up to date on the status of every major sporting event. Tune in daily to read the latest reports from the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and more.
Check us out on TWITTER, where we talk sports, share articles and have lots of giveaways!
See below for updates on the non-North American sports leagues.
NFL
- Dr. Fauci said June 18 that he thinks it will be tough to have a football season without a bubble and daily testing.
- NFL facilities have begun opening, according to Adam Schefter.
- Thursday’s schedule release accounts for potential extending/shortening of the 2020 season, should the NFL decide to either push the season back a few weeks or cancel a few games. Some of these contingency plans in the schedule include two home and away games for every team to start the season so no team is at a disadvantage should the first four games be canceled; no division games for weeks 3 and 4 should the league cancel those games; and week 2 opponents will have the same bye week later in the season.
- The NFL is planning on releasing its schedule Thursday, according to Adam Schefter, so they seem relatively confident that the league will start on time.
- The NFL is developing contingency plans in case the 2020 season does not start on time. They are prepared to move everything, including the Super Bowl, back a few weeks if need be. They could also end up playing a full 16-week schedule with no bye weeks.
- Von Miller announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the first NFL star player to do so.
- One member of the Chargers organization has tested positive for COVID-19, and multiple others have exhibited symptoms. Additionally, Rams center Brian Allen said he tested positive in March but is now healthy and without symptoms.
- In conference call with league commissioners, the president said he would like the NFL to start as normal with fans in September. League owners made no statements either way whether they saw this wish as realistic.
- NFL executives are planning for the season to start on time, according to Jeff Pash, general counsel for the NFL. By all indications, the league is operating with the full assumption of a normal season for 2020-21.
- Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report said that he is hearing from coaches that they do not expect the season to start on time, and that some believe training camp will not start until fall.
NBA
- Kyrie Irving leading contingent of players hesitant to play amidst BLM protests, others feel money earned by playing could be useful to the movement.
- Per Woj, the NBA is actually targeting July 30 for a return date, not July 31 as initially reported.
- The NBA Board of Governors has officially approved the league’s 22-team return plan. NBA will resume action on July 31.
- Per Woj, the NBA is inviting 22 teams to play in Orlando with 13 from the West and nine from the East. Each will play eight regular season games and play-in games will take place for the eighth seeds. Season will run from July 31 to October 12.
- Adam Silver has told the Board of Governors that the NBA is aiming for a July 31 return to play.
- Woj tweeted that while Adam Silver will meet with the Board of Governors Friday, a final decision on return play is not expected to come from that meeting.
- The NBA has the workings of a return plan with the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex serving as the host.
- The NBA is expected to have return guidelines on June 1. Orlando/Disney World is the leading candidate to serve as host.
- All 30 teams are expected to participate in COVID study conducted by the Mayo Clinic and the Timberwolves.
- According to Woj, Adam Silver said during the Board of Governors meeting that if a positive test would “shut us down, we probably shouldn’t go down this path.”
- Woj tweeted that the NBA is remaining hesitant to return to action with coronavirus testing still limited. They are saving tests for players and staff showing symptoms, and until they can get more widespread tests, it may be tough to convince league members to resume play.
- Per Woj, the NBA has postponed the NBA Draft Combine and Lottery, both scheduled to take place in Chicago later this month.
- NBA had potential plan for return to basketball by opening select few practice facilities, but that plan has reportedly not been met well by players and coaches. Woj reported that concern is player/staff safety, not competitive balance.
- Reports are that the NBA teams have united in their opinion that the NBA Draft should be pushed back to a date no earlier than Aug. 1. The current scheduled date is June 25.
- There have been some reports of pessimism that the league would continue at all, but in a conference call with other league commissioners, Adam Silver said he is open to restarting the league once there is an all-clear from public health officials.
- Mid-to-late June is still the optimistic estimate for an NBA return date, and the league is evaluating stadium availability into August. It is unclear if the league, should this timeline hold, will continue the season where it left off or move straight to the postseason.
NHL
- NHL teams will report to training camp on July 10.
- NHL PR Twitter announced that the NHL and NHLPA have agreed on July 10 to formally open training camps.
- The NHL is officially going forward with the 24-team playoff and canceling the remainder of the regular season. See full breakdown of this announcement HERE from ESPN.
- NHL released a memo dictating “Phase 2” return-to-play policy. These include voluntary workouts with no more than six players in a facility at a time, face coverings required at all times when not exercising or on the ice, and testing will be conducted only in excess capacity, that is in ways that do not deprive healthcare workers of necessary tests.
- The NHL has presented a 24-team return-to-play proposal to the NHLPA and awaits their approval.
- Pierre LeBrun detailed “pressing” talks with the Return to Play committee. Check that out HERE.
- The NHL and NHLPA Return-to-Play committee will meet Tuesday afternoon.
- Cities vying to be a hub for the remainder of the NHL season have begun submitting their proposals. The league will have a myriad of factors to consider, not the least of which will be COVID-19 testing, transportation, lodging and locker room availability.
- The NHL is eyeing a July return that would see games played at four or five locations in front of few or no fans, per Panthers president Matt Caldwell. He says this plan is not finalized, however.
NHL has extended self-quarantine for players and teams to April 30. - There is talk of the NHL operating their postseason using a centralized system with 16 teams playing in four cities.
- NHL plans appear to fall in line with the NBA timeline with similar uncertainty about arena availability and whether or not the regular season has effectively been finished. At this time, the NHL is still planning on a full 2020-21 season, regardless of how far the remainder of the 2019-20 season goes.
- Self isolation policy for the NHL has extended even further, now back to April 15.
MLB
- MLBPA officially has agreed to report July 1. MLB season is expected to be 60 games, to start July 24-26 and end by Sept. 27
- MLB asked players to report by July 1 with expectation of late July season start. Players have until evening Tuesday to respond.
- Players vote against 60-game season as proposed by MLB by vote of 33-5. Best case scenario now is short season played followed by bad blood contract negotiations in the offseason.
- Players were planning to vote on league’ 60-game proposal on June 21, but delayed it when Manfred added a few concessions. They should vote on June 22.
- MLBPA proposed a 70-game season as counter to the MLB’s 60-game proposal.
- Jon Heyman reported that the MLB and MLBPA have come to an agreement on playing the 2020 season, though others are saying that the proposal has merely been sent and no deal has been reached.
- Rob Manfred told Mike Greenberg he is not confident there will be a baseball season just days after saying he was 100% confident there would be.
- MLBPA is done negotiating with MLB, says to just tell them when and where to start playing games.
- Sources told Karl Ravech that the MLB is going to propose a 70-75-game season, much closer to the player’s last proposal than other offers have been.
- MLBPA counters with an 89-game schedule, full prorated salaries and revised playoff schedule. The sides are starting to get closer to meeting in the middle, but this will almost certainly be rejected by MLB.
- MLB has submitted another offer for the players. MLB seems dead set on postseason ending before November (presumably due to ad revenue from the election). Jeff Passan has details of the proposal in THIS TWITTER THREAD.
- The MLBPA has vehemently denied the MLB’s reduced salary/schedule proposal, casting serious doubt on the 2020 MLB season.
- Per Ken Rosenthal, the MLB has rejected the MLBPA’s 114-game proposal and wll not make a counter. It is unclear where this leaves negotiations, but what is clear is the owners are dead set on a shortened season.
- Jeff Passan reporting that the MLB is planning to propose a 50-ish-game season that would start in July. It would pay players their full prorated salaries.
- The MLBPA has officially submitted a proposal to the MLB which involves a 114-game season beginning June 30 and concluding Oct. 31.
- MLB may be hitting a snag due to intense salary reductions proposed by the league. Since the two sides seem so far apart on this, baseball still seems a ways away.
- Per Passan, if baseball is to return, it will have intense restrictions on social distancing and hygiene. Read specifics HERE.
- Jeff Passan reported that the MLB will soon submit a return-to-play proposal to the players union. Players are being instructed to prepare for baseball to come back in the very near future.
- Trevor Plouffe Tweeted that he heard from multiple sources that Spring Training will start on June 10 and Opening Day will be July 1. He said all teams will play at home ballparks.
- Jeff Passan reported that MLB officials fully expect baseball to happen in 2020. However, there is not consensus on when or how. The prevailing plan at the moment is to have a plan by the end of May/early June.
- Rob Manfred stated in a letter to baseball ops employees that he fully expects for baseball to return this season.
- MLB announced a coronavirus antibody study that would have 10,000 tests taken nationwide over the next two days, per Jeff Passan.
- Jeff Passan wrote a story today (April 7) detailing a potential plan to start the MLB season as early as May. It would involved all 30 teams playing in the Phoenix area in front of no fans, using the Diamondbacks’ stadium and nearby spring training fields.
- In the meantime, players and personnel would stay in local hotels while maintaining isolation other than traveling to fields for games.
- At this time, MLB says the plan has been discussed bu no decision has been made as of yet.
- Jeff Passan reporting that the players and league are agreeing on terms for when to start the 2020 season. They will not start until:
- No bans on mass gatherings to limit fan attendance.
- No travel restrictions.
- Games do not pose further health risks for players or fans, as determined by medical experts.
- The current MLB timeline falls in line with the NBA and NHL, and MLB front offices have stated their preference for at least a month of preseason before officially kicking off the season. Whether the MLB will grant that request, however, is unclear.
- Jeff Passan reported that MLB may agree to an abbreviated Spring Training of sorts in mid-May, starting the regular season in early June. Passan also said this could lead to a neutral-site World Series to avoid weather concerns if the Series takes place in November or later.
May 29
- La Liga has an official return date of June 11. Their plan is to have games every day from that date through July 19.
May 28
- The Premier League has been cleared to return on June 17.
- Serie A has been cleared to resume play June 20.
May 24
- La Liga has been cleared to return to play starting June 8. ESPN reporting that June 12 is the target date for games to resume.
May 22
- The SEC announced in-person sports activities can resume June 8.
May 19
- The Belmont Stakes will run June 20 in front of no fans, making it the first leg of the 2020 Triple Crown. It will also run only nine furlongs.
- The Kentucky Derby will run second on Sept. 5 and the Preakness will be the last leg and take place on Oct. 3
May 18
- Several other states are moving ahead with plans for sports to continue with no fans at the end of May/beginning of June, including California, Texas and New York.
- The EPL has received the go-ahead to begin training effective May 19. Social distancing measures will still be in place, so contact training will still not be allowed.
May 17
- The ATP and WTA are both suspended through Aug. 3 and there are rumors that the U.S. Open could be pushed back to November. The French Open has officially been moved to Sept. 20 through Oct. 4.
May 14
- Florida governor Ron DeSantis stated that if sports leagues wish to resume action in Florida, the state will “find a place for you.” That means both states with Spring Training facilities have opened their doors to professional teams this week.
May 13
- Arizona governor Doug Ducey ended many restrictions in Arizona, including those on professional sports. All Arizona-based pro sports will be allowed to resume May 16.
- La Liga is eyeing a June 12 return, according to league president Javier Tebas. Likewise, Italian League Serie A is planning to return the next day on the 13th.
May 11
- The UK government has given the Premier League permission to resume play on June 1. Games will be played behind closed doors with no fans in attendance.
May 8
- The Bundesliga is officially set to return in one week on Saturday, May 16. There will be no fans in attendance and the reason will conclude June 28.
May 6
- Angela Merkel has given government approval for the Bundesliga to resume game play without fans. The tentative date is May 15.
May 5
- The U.S. Open, typically played in New York, may move to the Indiana Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., about 2 1/2 hours equidistant from Los Angeles and San Diego. The USTA is desperate to hold the Open and is willing to push back if necessary. They say they will have a better grasp of the viability of a location change next month.
- La Liga, which has been hesitant to return to action amidst the coronavirus outbreak in Spain, announced it plans to continue play in June, with start dates ranging from the first week of the month to the last weekend. However, that is an extremely tentative plan.
- We have another TV golf special coming up with Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson taking on Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff on May 17. The match plans to raise over $4 million for COVID-19 relief.
May 1
- Despite some optimism earlier this week that Serie A could return to playing with training beginning in a few weeks, that is seeming less likely now. Sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora said he does not see return to training leading to return to games anytime soon, and teams should begin thinking about next season rather than finishing this one.
April 30
- The return of the Bundesliga has been delayed at least a week as coronavirus cases in Germany increased over the last few days. Originally, a meeting was schedule for today to plan a return to games on May 9, but that meeting has been pushed back a week to May 7. Now games will start no earlier than May 16. There is still a decent possibility that Angela Merkel will move for a countrywide lockdown if cases continue to increase.
April 29
- NASCAR is expected to return on May 17 at Darlington. After that, they will run a number of races over the following month, effectively returning to their racing schedule in full.
April 27
- Top Italian soccer league Serie A expects to resume team practice May 18 with social distancing measures. La Liga, however, is unlikely to resume anytime before summer, per Spain’s health minister.
April 25
- Arizona president stated that he views a return to fall football as unlikely and that fall college sports could begin next year.
- TNT is broadcasting a charity two-on-two golf special featuring Peyton Manning, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Tom Brady. There is a rumored location and date — May 24 at Medalist Golf Club in Florida. However, that is not final as of yet.
April 21
- The Bundesliga appears to have a firm plan for finishing their season with games beginning May 9. Games would be played with no fans in attendance. Teams are already practicing, so all that is left is for the Germany health ministry to approve the plan.
April 15
- Dr. Anthony Fauci stated that the only way to resume play in the various sports leagues is with no fans in attendance and keeping players isolated in hotels. Ideal plans would also involve league games being held in a single location.
- The president announced that he will include professional league officials in discussions regarding reopening the country. Names include Adam Silver, Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft and Mark Cuban
- The PGA Tour announced it plans on resuming play on June 11 at the Charles Schwab Invitational in Ft. Worth. There would not be fans in attendance if that comes to fruition.
- Dana White announced a plan for a UFC pay-per-view on May 9, a contrast from last week when Disney shut down White’s plans for UFC 249.
- MLS is pessimistic about its mid-May return date, per their announcment.
April 10
- The XFL has, by all indications, permanently closed up shop and laid off virtually all of its employees. It canceled the remainder of the season a few weeks ago, but now the league is saying it has no plans to resume in 2021.
- Though the UFC had plans to hold UFC 249 in a remote location, those plans have seemingly fallen through as Dana White announced the cancellation of the event.
- The USTA is reportedly desperate to stage the U.S. Open in 2020, but they are willing to push back the date. They will do everything possible to ensure the tournament is not canceled like Wimbledon was.
April 8
- The Bundesliga is looking to be the first pro sports league to return to action, announcing their plan to resume play at the beginning of May. Teams have reportedly already started training. The plan to play involves all 36 stadiums and games will be held without fans.
- La Liga, on the other hand, has eyed late May all the way until late June as realistic restart dates.
April 6
- After some confusion last week, the Open Championship has officially been canceled. It was originally scheduled to take place July 16-19.
- The PGA rearranged its schedule for majors, moving the Masters to November and the U.S. Open to September. The Ryder Cup will still take place in late September if plans hold.
April 3
- The WNBA season is postponing the season until further notice. It was schedule to start May 15, but there is no start date estimate at this time.
- NASCAR announced all races through May 3 are canceled a few weeks back, and now it says that it is eyeing Memorial Day weekend for its next race (the Coke 600).
April 2
- Reports say that the Open Championship, held in mid-July, has been canceled, though The Royal and Ancient Golf Club stated that a decision has not been made as of yet.
April 1
- Wimbledon has been officially canceled. The U.S. Open, set for late August/early September, is still scheduled to go on for now.
- UEFA has suspended their leagues indefinitely, as well as Euro 2020 qualifiers.
March 26
- The Wimbledon board will meet next week to determine a course of action for the tournament. The options being mulled are to hold the tournament as planned in late June/early July, postpone to a later date or cancel all together. The All England Club stated that it has ruled out holding the tournament without fans.
- The Indy 500, usually held Memorial Day weekend, will now take place Aug. 23.
March 25
- Heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury were scheduled for the third fight to take place in July, but they are now looking at early October for the second rematch.
March 24
- The IOC has officially announced the postponement of the 2020 Olympics. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of host country Japan, said they will postpone the Olympic Games until next summer, though the IOC was less specific with their statement. Their assertion is that the Olympics will be moved back to 2021, but would not commit to a time of year.
