Sporting events canceled by coronavirus (COVID-19) deal financial blow to Metro Detroit

Rocket Mortgage Classic to be moved to Fourth of July weekend with no fans

DETROIT – The coronavirus (COVID-19) has already forced businesses to close, shut down sports leagues and canceled major events, and that’s taking a financial toll on Metro Detroit.

The PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit is about to be moved from Memorial Day weekend to Fourth of July weekend. That event stands to lose a lot of money because there won’t be any spectators on the course.

All professional sports are getting hollowed out by the pandemic and resulting lockdown. Metro Detroit is very attached to its teams, all of which have hit rough times in terms of success.

How much is likely lost is an off-the-charts number: $1 billion.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic, like all PGA events, flooded dollars into the Metro Detroit community, and, specifically, the Detroit Country Club, during its inaugural tournament last year.

Now, imagine the course busy with golfers but nobody to cheer them on. That’s the plan now, and The Athletic business senior writer Bill Shea said that’s no surprise.

“Organizations like the PGA and others have TV deals where they realize most of th emoney they make, so they want to get back on in front of the cameras,” Shea said.

It’s going to get very expensive, too, considering sponsors won’t have eyeballs to see their on-site advertising.

“A lot of the marketing you see at PGA events is geared to the thousands and thousands of people walking around, so they’re going to take a financial hit,” Shea said.

Unlike golf’s solitary nature, team sports lie and die by crowds and seem less suited for television audiences alone. Shea said expect teams to get very creative as they try to get back to playing games.

“I think we’ll know by early June if we’re going to get some jump seasons out of these sports leagues,” Shea said. “College football and the NFL -- those are big questions on the horizon, but I think they’re going to try everything they can possibly do to have a season.”

There are many variables involved, so these decisions aren’t likely to be made quickly. Consider trying to get to a Tigers game with social distancing, or sitting in Ford Field, where fans are tightly packed in.

These are all factors the leagues have to consider, and they might not be able to solve them until next season.


About the Authors:

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.