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Unless you have been living in a bunker cut off from the rest of society for the past week or so, you know just how bad the NFL has been handling their business.
Roger Goodell is at the center of a massive cover-up in which he intentionally ignored the visual proof of Ray Rice's domestic abuse. He has also come under fire for an over the top drug policy which hands out stricter punishment for smoking weed than for knocking people unconscious in an elevator. Throw that in with the league's history of intentionally suppressing information about the true impact of concussions in football and you have yourself quite a leader in Goodell.
Football isn't the only sport where the commissioner is under fire, Baseball has had a serious performance enhancing drug issues, an exhibition game that decides who has home field advantage in the World Series, and they still remain a league without a cap based salary structure. The NBA under Stern has had the integrity of their playoff games called into question because a referee was on the take. Not to mention having an over the top racist own a team in the second largest media market for over 30 years in what is a predominately African-American league.
Hockey has had lockouts. That is the big strike against Gary Bettman. The lockouts stem from business related intentions, because that is reality of professional sports now. It is a business first and foremost. Lockouts are terrible when fans are denied something that they love, but nobody's basic civil/human rights are being violated during a lockout.
I much like everybody else am not a fan of the lockouts, but I understand why they are a necessary evil in the current professional sports climate. There is a big picture at hand, these are multibillion dollar industries. If the league is not functioning properly from a financial standpoint, there will be negative consequences, the biggest being that the sport of hockey stops growing. I don't know about you, but I want more people exposed to this great game, not less.
The big lockout in 2004-05 which saw the NHL lose an entire season was tough to take at the time, but there is no arguing the fact that the league is better and stronger as a result. A cap based salary structure was a necessity moving forward, as was improving the quality of on ice play. The quality of play in 2003-04 was atrocious to watch, go back and check out the film if you don't believe me
In came a salary cap to bring the potential of cost certainty to all franchises. There were also rule changes to allow for more freedom to offensively skilled players. Those rules have since been tightened, but are still nowhere close to the awful trap era where a guy like Doug Murray would be considered a valuable asset.
Fortunately, this past lockout did not wipe out an entire season. It too will have its benefits moving forward. A 50/50 partnership between players and owners is something that needed to happen if the league is to continue growing. This growth will in turn allow the players to earn more money as well. I still don't understand why the players fought so long against a 50/50 agreement. It is simple math. A 57/43 split on two billion isn't worth as much as a 50/50 split on four billion and certainly isn't worth more than a 50/50 split on what will be much higher than four billion in the near future. Both league and players will benefit from the current CBA. It is a win win.
Another thing I'll never understand is Americans who feel the need to boo the commissioner as if he has wronged them in some way. It is very puzzling. Americans booing Gary Bettman always struck me as people trying too hard to fit in with the "cool kids" from Canada. Canada lost some franchises during Bettman's reign as commissioner, they will never forgive him for it, they will never let him forget that.
However, the league has grown exponentially during Bettman's tenure and after the likely additions of Quebec City and a second team in Toronto, Bettman will have given Canada more teams in their country than when he started (8 vs. 9).
Contrary to the belief of some, Canada doesn't own the sport of hockey, nobody does. Growing the game and exposing the game to new people should always be a priority. Socio-economics will always be a factor working against the growth of hockey, you certainly don't need internal forces also working against the ability to spread the game. To those that can't get off their high horse and snotty attitudes about non-traditional markets, too bad.
Some of these markets haven't done as well as others, that is fact. But to sit here and say that the league should not have tried to make an attempt at expansion is ignorant and foolish. The key will be recognizing when a market is unsustainable (Atlanta) and moving that franchise to rectify the mistake. I believe the only expansion mistake to this point has been Phoenix, it just hasn't worked out and they are still there. On the bright side, the city that lost their franchise to Phoenix has since been awarded another team.
But back to Americans booing Bettman
That should be celebrated, not booed.
Damn the guy who brought hockey to untapped markets which will eventually lead to great players playing for Team USA. Damn him for growing the game!
Damn him for bringing in a salary cap structure which holds franchises accountable for giving out terrible contracts!
Damn him for introducing outdoor games which are terrific opportunities for the host city to celebrate and bring together the entire hockey community at all levels!
Damn him for allowing NHL players to compete at the Olympics!
Damn him for boosting the average franchise value by 46%!
Damn him for being socially awkward!
Honestly, Bettman's biggest crime is that he is a socially awkward person in a highly visible job.
But he certainly isn't an idiot and hockey isn't worse off for him being commissioner. He is actually pretty darn good at his job. The game of hockey has grown both monetarily and in interest and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. That works for me.
Thanks for reading!
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