Many professional sports leagues have found ways to return to American televisions. You know the phrases. The bubble. The, uh, not bubble. However, they aren’t necessarily holding fans’s attention.
In the first months of the nation’s response to the pandemic, politicians, commissioners and fans pushed for sports to return in a time when many are stuck inside on their couches. The return of professional leagues should have been a slam dunk in terms of drawing audiences. But something isn’t translating.
Comparatively speaking, more people are watching the games at the NBA bubble in Orlando than they are for professional hockey and baseball, both of which have also returned in recent months. But the ratings are still low compared to last season.
How has the sports product changed? And what’s it like for these professional athletes to go back to work?
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