Wisconsin Sports Headlines – 4/23/2020

The Latest Sports Headlines: 

>>Packers’ Draft Needs Clearly Defined:  Wide.  Receiver.

(Green Bay, WI)  —  When the Green Bay Packers make their first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft tonight (Thursday), the team’s needs are clearly defined. Green Bay needs help at wide receiver in a draft that is deep in talented athletes who play the position. Draft analysts say the team also needs help on the defensive and offensive lines – but – barring a trade, expect general manager Brian Gutekunst to go for a receiver first.  Picking up another one later in the draft wouldn’t be unexpected. The event is virtual this year, with participants making selections from their homes.  A big audience is expected – of football fans who are starved for any kind of action.

>>Bucks Brook Lopez Is Strong Contributor For Bucks Going Forward

(Milwaukee, WI)  —  Seven-foot center Brook Lopez is rewarding the Milwaukee Bucks for picking him up last year.  Lopez has developed into one of the top 3-point threats among NBA big men. If and when the season resumes, he will keep playing a major role.  He first signed a one-year deal, then Milwaukee tied him up for four years and 52 million dollars in the off-season.  His 3-point shooting efficiency has fallen from 36 percent to just under 30 percent this year, but Lopez was averaging a career-high two-point-four blocks-a-game when play was stopped. He has an important role in helping the Bucks become the best defensive team in the league.

 

>>Playing In Empty Stadiums Not An Option For Minor League Teams

(Grand Chute, WI)  —  Playing this season in empty stadiums isn’t really an option for minor league baseball teams like the Class-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Major league teams can absorb the losses for a while because the fans in the stands only represent 30-to-40 percent of their yearly revenue.  The Timber Rattlers depend only on ticket sales and fans buying hot dogs and drinks.  The team draws an average of 35 hundred fans to its games and it needs that money to pay 29 full-time workers and another 400 seasonal staff members.  One effort to survive financially is based on the sale starting last week of stock, something like the Packers.  No voting rights, no increase in value, just a membership certificate for 50 dollars.  The Rattlers say they have sold 300 so far.