3 Things Sports-Connected Franchises and Restaurants Should Consider: Major League Baseball May Start Even Later, If at All

As the world spins through complete uncertainty — not only in dealing with coronavirus, but also with business aftermath — brands connected to professional sports should begin building contingency plans on what to do should sports be dark for an extended period of time.

> There’s a real possibility the Major League Baseball season could be delayed until Memorial Day weekend — or even longer — two MLB executives told USA TODAY Sports. The executives spoke on the condition of anonymity since they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the discussions. No one knows when MLB will be able to begin its 2020 season, but certainly, playing a 162-game schedule starting on April 9 is completely unrealistic. Owners and presidents have a conference call at noon ET Monday to determine the next steps, which is changing by the hour as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across the world.

Here are three things brands connected to sports should think about:

Playing old sporting games: There is a reason ESPN Classic exists, as well as a reason Chicago sports fans still have a giant smile when talking about the ’85 Bears. People love the memories of amazing sports moments. While restaurants may be closed to dine-in guests for the next few weeks, they should still be thinking about what happens next.

E-Games: The rise of video games and game playing continues to spike. What would it look like to stimulate sporting events through a Playstation game? What would it look like to broadcast these? What would it look like to offer betting on these?

Moving From Sports to Something Else: Food challenges. Board games. Bloopers. Old sports movies. There are plenty of entertainment options to entertain guests. Start thinking about what promotions you will have when the dust settles.