The PGA Tour will reportedly resume play in June, but as sports try to a make a comeback, they will look much different than we're used to.

 

Frank Vuono has more than 40 years’ experience in the sports marketing industry, and knows how sports can help with the healing process.

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“It happened after 9/11, it happened after the 2008 financial crisis and I think there will be a lot of people positively predisposed to sports, and that's a good thing,” says Vuono.

The Lyndhurst native and Princeton alumnus is the co-founder of 16w Marketing, and knows firsthand about resurrecting sports after a crisis. He was tapped by the NFL to help keep the Saints in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

 

“New Orleans felt that if the Superdome went dark, that the city might just collapse and a lot of people came to the rescue there,” says Vuono.

Vuono says corporate revenue and broadcast partners were some of the reasons the Saints were able to survive, and that should also be the case for professional leagues post coronavirus, but revenue from ticket sales is different story.

“It's hard to imagine a scenario for this coming fall where we'll have 80 to 100,000 people in a major stadium sitting next to each other,” says Vuono.

 

A poll released by Seton Hall University's Stillman School of Business found 72% of Americans would not attend future games without a COVID-19 vaccine. Vuono says the leagues agree.

“Nobody is trying to jump any lines or show preferential treatment,” says Vuono.

But while the country waits for an epic sports comeback, there are a few distractions to look forward to, such as the NFL Draft next week, which will operate in a virtual format. It’s scheduled for April 23 to the 25.