A week after Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship against the Miami Heat, the NBA season is finally wrapping up its stint in Orlando. Remarkably inside the bubble no positive COVID-19 tests were registered. The number one priority of safety for teams, coaches, players and personnel was fulfilled.
Along with this, it turns out that the decision somewhat helped from a financial standpoint. According to Sports Business Daily’s John Lombardo, while it cost the NBA approximately $180 million dollars to run and rent out the Disney resorts, they were able to avoid the loss of $1.5 billion in expected revenue. TV viewership, virtual ads/fans and sponsors helped contribute to this value.
Although this number might seem good on paper, it isn’t as much of a profit. Taking account of losses due to the pandemic, it’s a lot smaller. Even with players re-negotiating their salaries, a notable decline is still expected. Exact numbers are yet to be released with teams completing their audits (a thorough financial examination).
Ultimately, this was simply something the NBA did to temporarily dig them out of a hole. A long off-season awaits, and if a return is made with no fans, they will have to scramble for other sources of income.