With the cancellation of most major events earlier this year, the return of live sports — albeit with some of the “live” parts absent — was supposed to be a lifeline for marketers. Recent weeks have shown that sports, historically one of the safer media bets, are anything but free from current tumult, whether related to the novel coronavirus or rising protests around social justice.
“I think it’s a gut punch for the industry that is trying to find its way back,” John Rowady, president and founder of sports marketing agency rEvolution, said of the unrest rattling the sector.
