ESPN’s Doris Burke is the latest prominent sports figure to say she tested positive for COVID-19. Also: ESPN, Fox and NBC have added old NFL games to their schedules; Fox has committed to a full season of eNASCAR; and more.
Burke tested positive for COVID-19 but says she’s fine now
ESPN NBA analyst Doris Burke tested positive for COVID-19 but says she has since recovered, she told ESPN colleague Adrian Wojnarowski on a podcast Friday. Burke said she began feeling symptoms before broadcasting Nuggets-Mavericks on ESPN March 11 — the same night the NBA suspended its season after Jazz C Rudy Gobert tested positive — and spent three days wracked with fatigue thereafter. She was tested on March 17 and found out she was positive this past Wednesday. [ESPN.com 3.27]
ESPN, Fox, NBC to air old NFL games
ESPN, Fox Sports and NBC Sports have each announced plans to rebroadcast old NFL games in the coming weeks. ESPN will carry a five-week slate of Monday Night Football games starting with Chiefs-Rams from 2018 this Monday. The lineup also includes Falcons-Saints in 2006 and a Colts-Patriots game in 2005 that originally aired on ABC.
FOX and FS1 will carry old NFL games on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays over the next month, starting with Super Bowl 51 on FOX this coming Sunday and running through Super Bowl 31 on FS1 May 1. The Thursday and Friday games will air in primetime on FS1 and the Sunday games at 3 PM ET on FOX.
Finally, NBCSN will air a full week of old Sunday Night Football games starting Monday, with the network carrying two games per night. The first night features a doubleheader of Colts-Giants from 2006 and Broncos-Patriots from 2013. NBCSN will also air old SNF games on Sunday nights throughout the month of April. [ESPN PR 3.27, Fox Sports PR 3.27, NBC Sports PR 3.25]
Fox commits to full eNASCAR iRacing season
Fox Sports announced Tuesday that it will broadcast the entire eNASCAR iRacing season, with FOX and FS1 set to simulcast the virtual races starting this Sunday. FS1 carried the inaugural event last week and averaged the largest TV audience ever for an esports event.
Fox will continue to use its regular NASCAR broadcast team of Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Larry McReynolds on the broadcasts. [Fox Sports PR 3.24]
Plus: NBA and IndyCar plans, Finebaum, Disney movies
The NBA is considering playing at least some games, including the NBA Finals, in Las Vegas should the season resume this summer, CNBC reported Thursday. … IndyCar is optimistic that it can begin its season in May with its annual Detroit doubleheader and could reschedule its canceled St. Petersburg race as its season finale, according to Motorsport.com. … SEC Network will resume simulcasting The Paul Finebaum Show on Monday after a two-week absence. The show had been continuing on radio during its TV hiatus. … ESPN announced this week that it will air sports-themed Disney movies on Friday nights for the time being. It aired “The Rookie” this past Friday and will air “Glory Road” next week. [CNBC 3.26 via Sports Business Daily 3.27; Motorsport.com 3.26; ESPN PR 3.26, 3.27]
