ESPN has announced its broadcast teams for the NBA’s planned restart at Disney. Plus: Fox plans to use virtual fans on its MLB coverage; the Pac-12 is working on a delayed and shortened football schedule, and more.
ESPN announces broadcast teams for NBA restart
ESPN announced Thursday that it will have at least ten game broadcasters on-site for the NBA’s planned restart at Walt Disney World, including play-by-play voices Mike Breen, Mark Jones and Dave Pasch, analysts Doris Burke, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, and sideline reporters Lisa Salters, Cassidy Hubbarth, Rachel Nichols and Malika Andrews.
ESPN plans to use two broadcast teams through the first weekend of play, with Breen, Van Gundy and Jackson working five games and Jones and Burke three. For ESPN’s planned quadrupleheader on August 1, each broadcast team would work two games.
TNT previously announced that it will have play-by-play voices Kevin Harlan and Ian Eagle and analysts Reggie Miller and Stan Van Gundy on-site at Disney.
In related news, ESPN reporter Holly Rowe will be on-site for the WNBA’s planned restart at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., according to The Athletic. ESPN’s other WNBA game broadcasters will work remotely. [ESPN PR 7.23, The Athletic 7.23]
Fox to use virtual fans on MLB, maybe NFL
Fox Sports announced Thursday that it will superimpose virtual fans into empty seats during its Major League Baseball coverage this season. The fake fans will be both seen and heard, cheering or booing in reaction to on-field events. Per the New York Post, Fox is looking into doing the same on its NFL coverage should fans be barred from those games. [Fox Sports PR, NYP 7.23]
Pac-12 working on delayed, shortened football schedule
The Pac-12 is working on a delayed, shortened football schedule in which teams would play ten intra-conference games starting September 19, as first reported by the San Jose Mercury News. The news was also reported by The Oregonian and Los Angeles Times. Under the plan, which per the Mercury-News could be announced by the end of next week, the conference title game could be pushed back as many as two weeks to the weekend of December 18-19.
The Pac-12 and Big Ten announced last week that they will only play conference games this season. [Mercury-News 7.23; LAT 7.23; Oregonian 7.23]
Also: Team names, Woj, Premier Boxing
Seattle’s NHL expansion team announced Thursday that it will be named the Kraken. The team is scheduled to debut in the 2021-22 season. Meanwhile, Washington (D.C.)’s NFL team announced that it will go by the temporary moniker of the “Washington Football Team” as it develops a permanent brand identity. … ESPN’s suspension of NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski will end Friday, according to Richard Deitsch of The Athletic. … Premier Boxing Champions plans to return starting August 1 with a series of fight cards on Showtime. [ESPN.com 7.23 a, b; Deitsch/Twitter 7.23, PBC 7.22]
