Jeremy Roenick has been suspended from NBC. Also: former Knicks coach David Fizdale is set to return to ESPN; MLS will see a dramatic increase in games on broadcast television; the NBA has formally proposed an overhaul of its schedule.
Roenick suspended for comments
NBC Sports has suspended NHL analyst Jeremy Roenick indefinitely without pay after he made sexual jokes about colleagues Kathryn Tappen and Patrick Sharp during a podcast appearance last week. In a statement obtained by Sports Business Daily, NBC called his comments inappropriate. Roenick has been with NBC since 2010. [SBJ 12.23]
Fizdale reportedly returning to ESPN
Former New York Knicks coach David Fizdale will rejoin ESPN later this season, SNY and the New York Post reported Monday. Fizdale worked for ESPN during the back half of the 2017-18 season, after his firing from the Memphis Grizzlies. As was the case during his previous tenure, he will serve as a studio analyst. [SNY 12.23]
Dramatic uptick in MLS coverage on broadcast TV
Fourteen Major League Soccer matches will air on broadcast television during the 2020 season, up from four last season. The schedule includes ten matches alone on ABC, which prior to last year’s MLS Cup had not televised any matches since 2008. The ABC matches will air on weekend afternoons, including a run of six in four weeks in midsummer.
The other four broadcast TV windows will air on FOX, including a primetime match on February 29. [ESPN PR 12.19, Fox Sports PR 12.19]
NBA formally proposes schedule overhaul
The NBA has formally proposed to its teams an overhaul of its regular season schedule and playoff format, the Associated Press reported last week. The details of the proposal are the same was what ESPN and the AP reported last month: a reduction of the regular season to 78 games, the addition of an in-season tournament, a playoff play-in round, and a reseeding of the final four teams. If approved, the changes would go into effect on a trial basis two years from now. NBA owners will discuss the proposal in April.
According to the AP, the in-season tournament would run from November 24 through December 16 of 2021, though those dates are not set in stone. The regular season would end on a Saturday, rather than the traditional Wednesday, to accommodate the playoff play-in. [AP 12.20]
