Sports On Pause

Sports are no longer on pause because of COVID-19, but in recent days we’ve seen sports pause as athletes have used their power to protest systemic racism and police violence against Black people.  In what we hope is the final episode of the podcast, Donnovan and Richard discuss why it’s important for them to shift […]

COVID-19 has changed the way everyone thinks about the physical spaces we work in, live in and visit. And that goes for sports venues as well. What does the future hold for those in terms of construction and safety? Richard and Donnovan are joined by two guests to discuss.  Ryan Sickman is the Global Director […]

The NFL is moving ahead on its season amidst a pandemic and social unrest around racial injustice. Like Major League Baseball, there will be no bubble involved. But unlike MLB, there will be fans in some venues. Can the league pull it off? Richard and Donnovan are joined by two guests to get some perspective. […]

As players in other sports opt out and test positive, bubbles are proving to be the way to go to keep everyone involved safe from COVID-19. The NHL has had two positive tests since mid-July and none in its bubbles, the TV product has been pretty much exactly the same — minus fans in the stands […]

Just about a week into the season and already the Miami Marlins have seen their campaign paused due to a major COVID-19 outbreak and other series are being postponed due to positive tests around the league. Richard and Donnovan discuss the trouble Major League Baseball is in with two guests. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle shares her thoughts on the […]

Three leagues. Three situations. Three broadcasters. The NBA, NHL and MLB have landed on different plans to get back to playing. And how the games will be broadcasted will depend on the situation. Richard and Donnovan are joined by three veteran voices of the games to discuss how they will be working during the most […]

While lockdowns of varying degrees continue across the United States and Canada and other sports return in bubbles, Major League Baseball is set to become the first North American league to hold games on both sides of the 49th parallel. While a proposed exemption still needs federal sign-off from Ottawa,  Ontario premier Doug Ford is very confident MLB […]

Major League Soccer is set to return to action this week. And although COVID-19 is doing its best to make sure the MLS is Back Tournament doesn’t get off the ground as planned — including increasing numbers of positive tests, travel issues for Canadian clubs and games being postponed — the first step in returning to play was the negotiations […]

The Notso Amazon Softball League was founded in 1983 to provide recreational softball for lesbians, bisexual women, queer women, queer-allied women and trans people of all skill levels. The not-for-profit organization was one of the first rec leagues in Toronto to cancel its season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.  Laura Couch is the league’s Vice President. She joins Richard and […]

Listeners will remember Dr. Andrew Morris from Episode-1. He is an antimicrobial expert, professor at the University of Toronto School of Medicine and an avid basketball fan. During his first conversation with Richard and Donnovan, Dr. Morris said COVID-19 might not just impact this season but also next, and that bubble leagues weren’t practical.  This past week, […]

Leave it to baseball to make a global pandemic even worse. While sports leagues around the world are attempting to make the best of a really bad situation, MLB and the MLBPA are turning America’s Pastime into something of a sideshow. Richard and Donnovan slide head-first into the conversation with long-time MLB reporter Shi Davidi. […]

Though any drama around the Premier League title is non-existent thanks to Liverpool’s dominant performance through its first 29 games, there is definitely intrigue around the return of English football. Rob Harris is the Associated Press’ global sports correspondent. He joins Donnovan and Richard to talk about the return of professional soccer in England and some of the […]

In recent weeks, controversy has been swirling around the Canadian Football League and its discussions — or lack thereof — with the CFLPA on return-to-play protocols, requests for federal funding and more. This should have been Week 1 of the CFL season, and Richard and Donnovan have the latest on what’s happening… or not. CFL […]

Pro athletes have careers many sports fans can only dream of, but they are people, too. And, just like the rest of us, athletes are dealing with isolation, stress and a lack of facilities to keep in shape, even as leagues are preparing to return. So, what are they doing? Matt Nichol is the owner […]

The Toronto Wolfpack are in a unique position in sports —a franchise based in Canada that plays in England’s rugby Super League. It’s a trans-Atlantic set-up that has always had challenges, but never more so than it will this season, if there is one. The Super League is currently on pause due to COVID-19, but […]

The PGA returns from its pause in 10 days with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Heightened safety measures are in place to ensure the health of all involved, but those are is just one aspect of how things have changed. Donnovan is joined by tournament director Michael Tothe, […]

The NHL is the first of the paused big North American team sports to put forth a return-to-play plan. It has outlined four phases for resuming team activities, the playoffs and the draft lottery, with Phase 1 being the current stoppage and adhering to physical-distancing guidelines. Brian Burke spent four decades in the NHL as a player […]

Golf. It seems like a sport that can safely be played during a global pandemic. Arguably, the safest. While the social aspect is important, at its core, golf is an outdoor, solitary pursuit. One person. One ball (hopefully). Eighteen holes. But during COVID-19, nothing is simple. Richard and Donnovan explore the opening of golf courses […]

In many ways, hockey is as Canadian as it gets. Its history is intertwined with that of the country; the nation and the sport came of age together, sharing an ethos. But hockey in Canada is at a crossroads. Participation numbers are trending down as costs rise and the demographics of the country change, leading to […]

COVID-19 has largely shut the sports-betting industry down. So, what has that meant? And what does it mean for the industry’s future? Donnovan and Richard are joined by two guests to investigate.     David Purdum writes for ESPN Chalk. He talks about what gamblers have been betting on during the pandemic, what neutral sites might mean […]

Remember the fight in sports over the eye test and the data test? When Bill James was belittled for SABRmetrics? Or when battles between “mainstream media members” and “numbers nerds” in hockey were waged on Twitter? Well, the war is over. And while leagues, teams and media outlets continue to work on how to best […]

While the world waits for the return of men’s professional sports, the women’s side of the equation has been somewhat lost in the conversation. In North America specifically, it’s been an important 12 months for women’s pro sports — but the question now is: What will happen to all of that momentum? Jayna Hefford and […]

They both work in sports, but one makes $14 an hour while the other makes $12,000 a week. Richard and Donnovan discuss how the pandemic has impacted people on opposite ends of the financial spectrum with the help of two guests. Isaiah Johnson is a defensive back who played four years of NCAA football at […]

In 2019, Forbes ranked Scott Boras No. 2 on its list of the most powerful agent in sports — the first time he hadn’t held the top spot in six years. Forbes contributor Jason Belzer wrote: “No sports agent in history has negotiated bigger deals than Boras, who manages an astounding $2.38 billion in active [baseball] contracts, the highest total ever for […]

The Chinese Basketball Association had a return to play blueprint, but put those plans on pause in mid-April. The Taiwan-based Chinese Professional Baseball League is playing, albeit without fans, at least real ones. Donnovan and Richard speak with two American athletes about their experiences in those leagues. Jeremy Lin of the Beijing Ducks discusses the CBA’s shutdown, […]

Kate Starbird was an All-American at Stanford and the 1997 NCAA women’s player of the year before going pro. Today she is a computer scientist at Washington State University who studies how information-communication technologies are used during crisis events. She talks to Richard and Donnovan about how real “fake news” — ­disinformation and misinformation — […]

From a concept to a tweet to a phone call, Conquer Covid-19 has reached the masses. The grassroots, volunteer-run organization is comprised of business leaders, entrepreneurs and physicians, and helps to facilitate access to products in short supply that are essential to the health care community’s front-line battle. In this episode, Donnovan Bennet takes listeners […]

Every major sports league in the world is making plans for a return to action, and the NHL is no different. NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr joins Richard and Donnovan to talk about how the organization has been facing challenges, what needs to happen for hockey to return any time soon and the potential salary […]

Donnovan and Richard are joined by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst to discuss the challenges and latest setbacks for the Chinese Basketball Association in the face of the pandemic and how they might translate to the NBA. Then they go deeper on the NBA, looking at the draft, the possibility of quarantine playoffs, what players are saying about […]

With sporting events being postponed or cancelled around the world, Donnovan and Richard highlight two of the biggest: the Olympics and Wimbledon. They are joined by outspoken IOC member Dick Pound, who discusses the process of postponing Tokyo 2020 and the possibility of the Games not happening in 2021 either if COVID-19 isn’t contained. Then, […]

The debut episode of Sports on Pause, co-hosted by Sportsnet’s Donnovon Bennett and Richard Deitsch, features two guests. Dr. Andrew Morris is an antimicrobial expert with a resume as long as your arm. He joins Richard and Donnovan to discuss why COVID-19 is so dangerous for the public and athletes, and what the near-future is likely […]

COVID-19 is impacting the world unlike anything we’ve seen in 100 years, and sports has not escaped its effects. The newest podcast from Sportsnet features hosts Richard Deitsch and Donnovan Bennett in conversation with athletes and executives, health professionals and journalists discussing how individuals and the industry are dealing with the pandemic.