So how do they make up that type of lost revenue?
According to Danni Santana of Front Office Sports, one idea that’s been floated according to industry sources is for Major League teams to consider selling tarp advertising on empty seats.
NEW: Expect to see quite a bit of logos on empty seats this upcoming shortened MLB 2020 season. https://t.co/LyCgzrLaRM
— Danni Santana (@enterSanDan) May 18, 2020
According to USA Today, Major League owners anticipate losing an average of $640,000 per game this season, even with prorated salaries from players. Last year, 11% of MLB’s revenue was brought in by sponsorships. The rest of the league’s revenue was generated into the following categories: 39% local gate/in-park sources, 25% central revenue, 22% local media, and 4% other.
DraftKings Sportsbook Stadium Ads To Cover Seats?
While it might strike some fans as surprising to see possible ads for online sportsbooks at baseball stadiums given its history, Major League Baseball and sportsbooks have been working together since November of 2018 when BetMGM became a national sponsor for MLB.
Since then, both DraftKings and FanDuel & have already partnered with Major League Baseball.
DraftKings reached a multi-year agreement as an authorized gaming operator in July of 2019, allowing DK and DK Sportsbook to use official MLB data, marks and logos with their betting products.
FanDuel followed suit in August of 2019 as another authorized gaming partner. FanDuel and FD Sportsbook also have agreements with the NBA, the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, and the NHL and New Jersey Devils.
With several baseball teams already in agreement on selling logo space on tarps, it would not be a surprise if one of the many online sportsbooks attempts to find a different, creative way to get their name in front of fans, despite no fans in the stands.
New Jersey is one of several states that now have legal, state-regulated sports betting. Here’s the FanDuel Sportsbook in East Rutherford, New Jersey next to MetLife Stadium. pic.twitter.com/1qaeI8Azfs
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) April 7, 2019
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