Minus the nose.
Oh what a cause it is. To commit to a cause that you truly believe is going to shape the future, regardless of what it does to your surroundings. While it would be ideal to drive to shape the future by keeping the present in mind, ever so often there comes along a cause that your willing to devote everything to and hope it all comes together in the end. This is the case with the players and NHLPA in the latest in the trilogy of NHL labor stoppages. It has been well documented as anyone who has the patience to still care can tell you, but Donald Fehr has been a very crucial part of this whole process. With respect to Fehr’s past work with the MLB, the players now had someone leading them that had resolved a CBA favorably, giving them hope that they could actually stand up to the owners and Gary Bettman this time around. Thus, the players could unite under the idea of reconciliation revenge against the owners and their farms. They decided that no matter what, they would not lose this battle with Colonel Bettman (He reminds me of Colonel Sanders of KFC) and they would make him pay as much as they possibly could, with his job hopefully. This is the notion that could bring the whole thing down.
Let us rewind a bit. So the NHL came forward with an insulting proposal, something like a 13% drop in HRR sharing for players, from their current 55-ish% (NOTE: Numbers are not important to understand the point of my rambling here, so they are approximated.) which is definitely something to be up in arms about. Think about all the great, new and sellable aspects of the game:
Ø Shootouts
Ø Players like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin
Ø Young guns embarrassing whole teams (See: Toews v Avs)
Ø Small market playoff success
Ø The Winter Classic
While the owners contribute to the success of the Winter Classic, the other options on the list seem to include players succeeding, individual player skill, or the players themselves. That’s a whole lot to stoke the fire that was the players’ collective ego after the last lockout. That coupled with Don Fehr at the helm, look out. With their initial offering, the NHL owners and Bettman gave the players another log to add to the fire: pure spite.
Now, we are four days passed the projected start of this season, with no end in sight. Endless observations can be made at how shortsighted this really is for both the owners and the players. Like why I’ve still seen plenty of NHL marketing expenditures in the Denver area yet owners are crying for more money; why so many players bolted across the pond to sign contracts and “stay in shape”; but the real observation is this, why are players willing to give up a huge chuck of their salary for this season instead of giving negotiating a real shot and aiming for a 50/50 split? They’re united with a cause to believe, in a revolution of sorts. That is powerful stuff. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been inspired enough to believe in something so much that I would consider damaging it.
Not directly or exclusively, but the players are hurting their product. For a group of players that has long been hailed as the most well-polished overall group of professional athletes, for the most part, they are acting in a manner that shows the fans that they aren’t only victims of the owners’ disregard, but also the players’. It will take years for the NHL to get back to the 80 MPH it was doing as we watched the LA Kings hoist the cup. Instead the owners (driver) and the players (passengers) all grabbed the shifter and threw it into reverse, an left the car (fans and employees) to rot in the desolate land of NHL Lockout: Round 3. The players have decided they would rather upgrade other products instead of the NHL, simply to spite and disregard anything the owners have to say. Leaving fans out to dry. Dropping everything to pursue a cause with reckless abandonment. ‘Winning’ this labor dispute is now their goal, hoping they come back to a product and a following similar to the one that they had built and left behind.
There won’t even be a fraction if this thing drags out much longer. No one ever rants or raves about a former 4th place finisher that comes back to take 4th. There is no upward mobility for the NHL in the hierarchy of major sports, their only real chance at gaining ground lost in the rear view. The only reason there was so much promise around the NHL and it’s future were its’ recent accomplishments in major broadcast deals and audience numbers, not to mention record revenue generation. Largely in thanks to the players being the best – across the board – than they have ever been. While I recognize this is a much more complex issue than a gleaming amateur opinion piece can delve into, the deeper issue is the back story to how the players have gotten where they have gotten, by playing second fiddle to the owners and refusing to let the mistake happen twice. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. At the expense of everyone involved.
Let us rewind a bit. So the NHL came forward with an insulting proposal, something like a 13% drop in HRR sharing for players, from their current 55-ish% (NOTE: Numbers are not important to understand the point of my rambling here, so they are approximated.) which is definitely something to be up in arms about. Think about all the great, new and sellable aspects of the game:
Ø Shootouts
Ø Players like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin
Ø Young guns embarrassing whole teams (See: Toews v Avs)
Ø Small market playoff success
Ø The Winter Classic
While the owners contribute to the success of the Winter Classic, the other options on the list seem to include players succeeding, individual player skill, or the players themselves. That’s a whole lot to stoke the fire that was the players’ collective ego after the last lockout. That coupled with Don Fehr at the helm, look out. With their initial offering, the NHL owners and Bettman gave the players another log to add to the fire: pure spite.
Now, we are four days passed the projected start of this season, with no end in sight. Endless observations can be made at how shortsighted this really is for both the owners and the players. Like why I’ve still seen plenty of NHL marketing expenditures in the Denver area yet owners are crying for more money; why so many players bolted across the pond to sign contracts and “stay in shape”; but the real observation is this, why are players willing to give up a huge chuck of their salary for this season instead of giving negotiating a real shot and aiming for a 50/50 split? They’re united with a cause to believe, in a revolution of sorts. That is powerful stuff. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been inspired enough to believe in something so much that I would consider damaging it.
Not directly or exclusively, but the players are hurting their product. For a group of players that has long been hailed as the most well-polished overall group of professional athletes, for the most part, they are acting in a manner that shows the fans that they aren’t only victims of the owners’ disregard, but also the players’. It will take years for the NHL to get back to the 80 MPH it was doing as we watched the LA Kings hoist the cup. Instead the owners (driver) and the players (passengers) all grabbed the shifter and threw it into reverse, an left the car (fans and employees) to rot in the desolate land of NHL Lockout: Round 3. The players have decided they would rather upgrade other products instead of the NHL, simply to spite and disregard anything the owners have to say. Leaving fans out to dry. Dropping everything to pursue a cause with reckless abandonment. ‘Winning’ this labor dispute is now their goal, hoping they come back to a product and a following similar to the one that they had built and left behind.
There won’t even be a fraction if this thing drags out much longer. No one ever rants or raves about a former 4th place finisher that comes back to take 4th. There is no upward mobility for the NHL in the hierarchy of major sports, their only real chance at gaining ground lost in the rear view. The only reason there was so much promise around the NHL and it’s future were its’ recent accomplishments in major broadcast deals and audience numbers, not to mention record revenue generation. Largely in thanks to the players being the best – across the board – than they have ever been. While I recognize this is a much more complex issue than a gleaming amateur opinion piece can delve into, the deeper issue is the back story to how the players have gotten where they have gotten, by playing second fiddle to the owners and refusing to let the mistake happen twice. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. At the expense of everyone involved.
