U.S. Pro Sports Prove Big Enough to Handle $13 Billion Sales Hit

Baseball’s World Series and basketball’s championship finals were both compelling events to watch. What’s not so compelling are the huge revenue hits professional sports incurred in their pandemic-ravaged seasons.

The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in Game Six to win the 2020 MLB World Series.

Photographer: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

If you add in football, whose season is ongoing, the three leagues may see their sales fall by about $13 billion, according to various accounts. The drops are unprecedented, but if there’s any good news it’s that debt holders needn’t worry about their investments -- not yet, anyway. The ratings firms have so far remained confident in the leagues’ and teams’ abilities to service their debt.

The National Basketball Association ...