 | FranksWildYears (48)
06/21/2007 | I don't see the woes of professional hockey being significantly different than the woes of any other sport. There's too much money chasing too little talent. The primary consideration of owners isn't selling tickets by putting on a great game, it's alternative revenue streams. If you are in the business of selling TV rights, merchandise, sponsorships, corporate boxes, luxury hospitality and $7.00 beer, is it any wonder that people aren't primarily focused on keeping a good team together in order to put asses in the seats? How many "marquee" players stay with a team for more than 3 years? The great dynasties in any sport are built upon the development of a system that included the whole team over the long term. Now a days the most that a GM thinks about is that one big free agent signing that will boost season ticket sales for one season.
(4 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | irishgit (138)
06/13/2007 |  An organization that that is probably the most short-sighted, greedy and worst run professional league in history has managed to dull a brilliant brutal game down to the point of utter boredom.
I'm a hockey fan, and I stopped watching in any remotely serious way five years ago.
To address the issue that boycotts don't work in professional sports, I would suggest that while that may be true, continued support hasn't fixed the NHL, or caused it Board of Governors to sway an inch from their path.
In the core markets (the Canadian teams, and most of the north east teams) fans still flock to the games which continue to sell out with regularity. In the marginal markets (particularly the southeastern US) fans stay away in droves, which has more to do with the traditional disinterest for the sport in those markets. (Which begs the question about why the NHL expanded there in the first place, but that's another issue)
My point is that those very teams who are successful, who pack the fans in, and have a healthy bottom line, are almost without exception the most conservative teams when it comes to changes to the status quo.
So the game gets duller, and television revenues shrink to the point of non-existance, and the league lumbers towards another crisis.
(4 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | SpartanPride (21)
06/13/2007 | The managment may be crap, but hear me out, I will never give in to basketball
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | twansalem (36)
06/13/2007 | Well I said in my NBA review that boycotting a professional sports league isn't going to help increase it's quality, which is exactly why I say boycott the NHL. If the NHL no longer exists, it won't bother me any. The decline in the popularity of hockey should help out the NBA which has been struggling a little with ratings lately.
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
