NHL Season Begins: Did Anyone Notice?
The NHL season has begun once again. Did you even notice?
I remember a few years ago working deliberately to schedule a Philadelphia business meeting on opening day. The goal? Witness my beloved Flyers open at home.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out. The meeting was held two days too early. At least I got to enjoy driving by Wachovia Center.
Then came the strike. I have no tolerance for sporting work stoppages, whether it's baseball, football or hockey. These guys make millions to play a game. Let them try working 40-hour weeks as plumbers, call center employees or sales reps for $500 a week. That'd get them back on the fields and arenas quickly, I suspect.
So, I boycotted the NHL last year on principle. Didn't watch a game. Even though I saw the Flyers listed in first place in the newspaper, I didn't even read the game summaries.
Apparently, neither did anyone else but the diehards.
Gone are the major-network TV contracts. Attendance figures are down for at least five teams. The fan base has stagnated. Even popular teams like the Penguins lost $7 million last season. None of that bodes well for the NHL.
The repercussions are clear. Just try to find a game on TV. Oh wait, you can't. Not unless you subscribe to Outdoor Life Network (which only a minor fraction of television viewers do). It used to be you could easily find NHL games on FOX and ESPN. No more.
That's what happens when you can't figure out how to split a ton of money, folks. People move on. Worse, not all of them come back when play resumes. Even baseball and football suffered declines following their work stoppages. The NHL never enjoyed the same vibrancy and popularity, so it's no surprise the sport continues struggling to increase audience and appeal.
Were the games on a major TV network, I'd probably watch. But even then I'd only tune in if Philly were playing. And judging by the looks of their record so far this year, there's not much to see.
Update:
The price of striking? Chicago, with it's storied Blackhawks franchise that brought the world the Espositos, is only 61% full! What a shame. Hockey was enjoying a resurgence, television broadcasts were frequent and then the players and owners killed the enthusiasm with a season-long work stoppage. What a shame, truly.
I remember a few years ago working deliberately to schedule a Philadelphia business meeting on opening day. The goal? Witness my beloved Flyers open at home.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out. The meeting was held two days too early. At least I got to enjoy driving by Wachovia Center.
Then came the strike. I have no tolerance for sporting work stoppages, whether it's baseball, football or hockey. These guys make millions to play a game. Let them try working 40-hour weeks as plumbers, call center employees or sales reps for $500 a week. That'd get them back on the fields and arenas quickly, I suspect.
So, I boycotted the NHL last year on principle. Didn't watch a game. Even though I saw the Flyers listed in first place in the newspaper, I didn't even read the game summaries.
Apparently, neither did anyone else but the diehards.
Gone are the major-network TV contracts. Attendance figures are down for at least five teams. The fan base has stagnated. Even popular teams like the Penguins lost $7 million last season. None of that bodes well for the NHL.
The repercussions are clear. Just try to find a game on TV. Oh wait, you can't. Not unless you subscribe to Outdoor Life Network (which only a minor fraction of television viewers do). It used to be you could easily find NHL games on FOX and ESPN. No more.
That's what happens when you can't figure out how to split a ton of money, folks. People move on. Worse, not all of them come back when play resumes. Even baseball and football suffered declines following their work stoppages. The NHL never enjoyed the same vibrancy and popularity, so it's no surprise the sport continues struggling to increase audience and appeal.
Were the games on a major TV network, I'd probably watch. But even then I'd only tune in if Philly were playing. And judging by the looks of their record so far this year, there's not much to see.
Update:
The price of striking? Chicago, with it's storied Blackhawks franchise that brought the world the Espositos, is only 61% full! What a shame. Hockey was enjoying a resurgence, television broadcasts were frequent and then the players and owners killed the enthusiasm with a season-long work stoppage. What a shame, truly.
posted by Erik Eckel at 9:06 AM
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