As the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic continues to rock the economy and decimate the service industry, many sports teams have stepped up to the plate when it comes to supporting the thousands of arena and game-day staff that are out of a job with the sports world ground to a halt.
As of Thursday evening, 30 of the 31 NHL franchises have announced plans to support this workforce with financial assistance and other measures, while MLB clubs pledged $30 million to support the same cause.
In Boston, the Red Sox made good on the league's promise by committing $1 million to support part-time and seasonal workers at Fenway Park and JetBlue Park. The Celtics will also reportedly pay their team-employed, game-night staff through the rest of the regular season — providing some financial security for locker-room staff, official scoring and stats personnel, media-room attendants, ball boys and game-night entertainment.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1240049625593270279
However, the Celtics only serve as tenants of TD Garden, and do not employ and pay staff such as ushers and concession workers. That responsibility falls on Delaware North — the owners of both the venue and the Bruins. And so far, both the Bruins and Delaware North haven't offered much in terms of a response.
So far, hundreds of Garden employees have primarily been kept in the dark with the venue's slate of games and events wiped out — with a return to normalcy likely not on the docket for at least a couple of months, if not longer.
Bruins owner and Delaware North chairman Jeremy Jacobs has caught plenty of flak in the press and online over the last couple of days, but the organization's silence on the matter has also caught the attention of Attorney General Maura Healey, who implored the Jacobs Family to act on the matter while reacting to a Boston Herald story on the ongoing issue.
Last Saturday, a GoFundMe page for TD Garden workers was set up in order to raise $250,000. The page, set up by Gunnar, Lola, Meghan and Jon Larson, managed to raise $34,952 as of Thursday night, with 477 total donors contributing to the fund.
Donations were made by accounts with the names Tuukka Rask, Charlie McAvoy, Joakim Nordström, David Krejci, Kristina Marchand (Brad Marchand’s wife) and David Pastrnak.
While these funds will help those in need during this trying time, the optics are still awfully damning that the Bruins are the only NHL franchise that has yet to commit to helping out its TD Garden staff.
Last week, Bruins VP of Marketing and Communications Matt Chmura announced in a statement that Delaware North was planning on announcing support options in the near future:
"Delaware North has operations in over 50 sports stadiums, ballparks and arenas throughout the world. The hardworking associates at each location, including TD Garden, are facing great challenges due to the impact of COVID-19 on the sports industry. Delaware North at its core is a family company and our top priority is to provide our associates, and their families, with the assurances they deserve during this difficult time. We are actively exploring support options and will have further information in the coming days."
Close to a week later, we're still waiting.
Since Dallas Mavericks owner
Mark Cuban
announced just hours after the suspension of the 2019-20 NBA season
many other franchises have followed his lead.
While the Bruins have still not released any additional information beyond Friday's statement about what they're doing to help their arena and game-night employees, here are the measures the remaining 30 NHL clubs are taking to support those in need:
—
All full-time and part-time employees that were scheduled to work three Ducks games, three Big West basketball tournament games, and two concerts during March will all be paid accordingly.
Alex Meruelo
— The Sabres’ ownership announced that all game-day staff will be paid if these games that are currently postponed are indeed cancelled. However, given that these games are technically just postponed at the moment, it remains to be seen when these workers will actually be compensated.
that all hourly and event staff would not be paid for any canceled shifts moving forward until NHL hockey resumes, a hefty amount of backlash prompted the organization to switch gears in a hurry — with the team announcing on Sunday that it was setting up a compensation program for part-time employees.
— The Hurricanes announced on Tuesday that
Tom Dundon
— Both the Blackhawks and the Bulls will pay approximately
1,200 game-day employees for the remainder of what would be the regular season for both teams.
—
Kroenke Sports and Entertainment announced in a statement on Saturday night that its part-time and hourly employees will still be paid over the next 30 days.
— Much like Cuban and the Mavericks, the Stars and
president Brad Alberts announced last week that workers will be paid by the Stars and American Airlines Center for their usual wages for the seven Stars games that were to be played in March.
— Ilitch Companies, which owns both the Red Wings and the Tigers, set up a $1 million fund to cover one month’s wages for part-time staff for games, concerts, and events that they would have otherwise worked if not for the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
— Oilers Entertainment Group has established an assistance program for its hourly staff that have been impacted by the suspended season.
— Panthers netminder
Sergei Bobrovsky
pledged $100,000 to support the Panthers’ arena workers and other part-time staff, with other teammates pledging to assist in the endeavor. Panthers ownership also will contribute to help part-time employees make up for these lost wages, although it’s unclear what their financial contribution will be.
— The Kings, along with fellow Staples Center tenants in the Lakers and Clippers, have
established a fund to provide financial support to all hourly event staff employees impacted by COVID-19 outbreak. Payments from the fund will be distributed to more than 2,800 active hourly event staff which includes ushers, security officers, ticket sellers, ticket takers, parking attendants, merchandise staff, food and beverage employees, housekeeping and operations staff and stagehands, among others.
— Predators president/CEO Sean Henry did note that the organization is working on a plan to compensate its arena workers and part-time staff during this stoppage. Multiple events beyond just Predators games were postponed or cancelled due to the outbreak.
— Devils managing partner David Blitzer noted that the Devils will pay employees that were scheduled for any event postponed or canceled due to the outbreak.
“For many of us as fans, it’s the people who work the games and concerts at Prudential Center that make the experience so incredible,” Blitzer said. “These are the folks that feel like family every time I step in the arena, so it’s natural to show our support and commitment through this gesture.”
— Madison Square Garden event workers will be paid through their latest pay cycle, with MSG noting in a memo that it's working to develop longer-term plans to support its entire workforce.
Eugene Melnyk
—
Per diem workers at the Wells Fargo Center will continue to be paid for games that they were scheduled to work through the end of March.
— Both
full- and part-time arena and service employees at the Penguins’ home venue of PPG Paints Arena will be paid by committee — with the money drawn from Penguins players, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the Mario Lemieux Foundation.
—
According to Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News, workers at the Sharks’ home venue at the SAP Center will be compensated through the end of March.
— Lightning owner Jeff Vinik announced in a statement that the team will compensate its part-time employees through the end of March — while also announcing a plan to offer assistance to both full-time and part-time workers when it comes to housing, food and other utilities during this crisis.
— Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment is establishing a program that will assist “close to 4,000 dedicated event personnel” during this ongoing pandemic.
— Canucks Sports and Entertainment chairman Francesco Aquilini tweeted last week that the Canucks will help any part-time worker “to avoid financial hardship.” It appears as though the plan will be “based on individual need.”
Marc-Andre Fleury
— Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis has announced a plan that will pay event workers at Capital One Arena through the end of March.
