Coverage includes:
A five-part Outside the Lines series focusing on the economy’s impact on professional and college sports will debut Monday, June 22. The series, reported by Jeremy Schaap, will air on Outside the Lines (3 p.m. ET Monday, Tuesday, Friday – soccer coverage replaces OTL Wednesday-Thursday) and each SportsCenter throughout the week.

A special Sunday OTL (9 a.m. ESPN, noon ESPNEWS) will examine the recession’s impact on local sports in Beloit and Janesville, Wis. Beloit is home to baseball’s Class A Snappers as well as many youth leagues. Nearby Janesville is the site of a shuttered General Motors plant, the closure of which resulted in the loss of at least 4,000 union jobs throughout the region. Mark Fainaru-Wada reports.

Series Schedule (Details on Sunday’s piece above)

‘Filling the Seats’ (Monday, June 22 SC, OTL) – economy's effect on ticket prices and attendance

Through May, MLB attendance was down more than 5 percent compared to the same period last season. To avert a similar decline, 27 NBA teams will maintain ticket prices the same or lower than next season, while three quarters of the NFL and two thirds of the NHL teams will not raise prices next season. The 2009 Kentucky Derby saw wagering ($104 million) $10 million less than last year.

‘Player Salaries’ (Tuesday SC, OTL) – economy’s impact on player contracts

“The NFL is bucking the trend (of the other major pro sports leagues), increasing its salary cap more than 10 percent for 2009, to $128 million per team. The league benefits from its enormous television contracts, all of which were signed long before the Dow dipped below the economic Mendoza line.” – Jeremy Schaap

‘Downsizing’ (Tuesday OTL, Wednesday SC) -- economy's effect on leagues and teams

The NFL (more than 10 percent) and NBA (roughly 9 percent) have seen layoffs in the league and team offices, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell cut his own salary by a fifth. Half of the 30 NBA teams are losing money, and 12 have accepted loans from the league.

‘Campus Cutbacks’ (Thursday SC, Friday, OTL) -- economy’s impact on college sports

One way schools are trying to save is with less flying and more driving. Michigan State’s basketball and football teams have saved the school more than $200,000 recently, traveling by bus rather than chartering flights. The Miami Hurricanes will do the same for two 2009 intrastate games, saving $140,000. Also, about 130 college teams, or 1 percent, have been eliminated nationwide.

‘Innovative Approaches’ (Friday SC, OTL) -- teams/leagues creating new revenue streams

Several NASCAR tracks are making it possible to buy tickets on no-interest layaway plans, while the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies based some ticket prices on where they finished in the draft lottery. Meanwhile, several NFL teams are partnering with state lotteries, and in Pittsburgh, the Bucs (as the MLB Pirates are known) have introduced “Buck Night” when fans can purchase hot dogs, popcorn, soda and even tickets for $1.