Sports are back in full swing, sort of. As coronavirus claims over 150,000 American lives, major sports in the US are coming back with provisions to keep players, staff, and fans safe. Some are performing better than others.
The NBA has instituted a “Bubble” system that coincides with a 22-team playoff-style season and no fan presence, like many sports are instituting. Under strict guidelines, players are housed on the Walt Disney World Orlando campus where no player is allowed to leave or have contraband brought in and their health is closely monitored with regular testing and rings that monitor vital signs of each player.
Overall, this has been a resounding success as the NBA hasn’t seen a new case of COVID-19 in the last two testing cycles. It’s looking very likely that The Bubble format will be able to continue uninterrupted for the remainder of the season.
Expected to begin on March 26, the MLB season was postponed due to coronavirus. Now, Major League Baseball is playing a truncated 60-game season with a 16-team playoff.
Under MLB’s new rules, players aren’t allowed to hug, high five, or fist bump. However, they are not sequestered to a single location like NBA players, the rules allow MLB players to proceed with their lives with the provision that they “ensure they all act responsibly.”
It’s no surprise that this hasn’t worked as planned for the MLB as states and cities have varying guidelines for their citizens to handle pandemic safety responsibly. 18 people in the Miami Marlins organization have tested positive for coronavirus, leading to major interruptions in the MLB season.
It’s clear that without the right measures in place to ensure that your people are being safe and acting responsibly from end to end, it’s difficult to ensure the safety of those around them. If you are open or opening, do your best to account for as many contingencies as possible because, for the time being, coronavirus will be present in our new reality.
Consumer Trends
The Consumer Confidence Index dropped 5.7 points from June to July as coronavirus surged across the US. This is likely due to consumers’ short-term outlook on a precarious job market and extended stimulus support.
Social Media
- Snapchat recorded 9 million new daily active users in Q2, moving the popular closed-network social media platform up to 238 million.
Online Shopping
- Of 1000 people surveyed in the US, shoppers bought apparel at nearly the same rate as they bought groceries in May 2020.
Deep Dive: Grocery
- Consumers are spending less time at the grocery store, but they’re buying more each trip.
- This is no doubt due to concerns about being in crowded places that are known centers for virus spread.
- Consumers are spending more on groceries for two reasons:
– Because less frequent visits haven’t stunted the need for groceries. People are stocking up.
– Eating out is on the decline as more people opt to prepare meals at home.
Business Trends
SMB
- Small and medium-sized businesses have felt the biggest impact locally as many have had to close their doors or experienced a loss of revenue/customers since the start of the pandemic.
- Many may not survive as they operate on thin margins in communities that are concerned about coronavirus.
eCommerce: CPG
- In May 2020, CPG eCommerce dollar share grew by 4% YoY as coronavirus drove more consumers to shop online.
Commercial Real Estate
- Commercial real estate is in the midst of a downturn as people flee from offices, hotels, and malls.
Hawke Media is not exempt, as coronavirus restrictions came, went, and came again we shut down our office to ensure the safety and security of our team. We have switched to a completely remote model until restrictions are lifted and it’s safe to return and we can restructure our physical space to our new reality and current needs.
This article originally appeared in the HawkeMedia blog and has been published here with permission.
