| 03.02.05
• FIVE MILLION FOR FIGHTING
So let me get this straight: The Israelis and the Palestinians
are sitting down to talk, and actually making progress, but
the NHL owners and players couldn’t salvage the 2004-2005
season? Interesting.
Now, just because I’m ensconced in the “I pay to
play, not get paid to play” camp, doesn’t mean I
don’t sympathize with the players to an extent. However,
when it comes to players who compete in a sport that draws worse
TV ratings than the World Series of Poker, well, my patience
and sympathy begins to wear thin.
To paraphrase Allen “The Answer” Iverson: “What
are we talking about here? A salary cap? A cap??? I mean, what
are we talking about here?”
No player in the NHL deserves to make MLB, NFL, or even NBA
money yet. Not even Lemieux guarantees a sellout or a bump in
the ratings (damn back spasms). Thus, I understand the league’s
desire to put a limit on things and not drive the sport into
bankruptcy. That being said, I also feel that maybe they could
have gotten this point across without seeming like they wanted
to bitch slap the players in front of their kids. Of course,
what do you expect from a league that markets its product only
marginally better than the North Korean PR machine.
So now I face the reality that not only will there be no Stanley
Cup Playoffs this year, but there might not even be a 2005-2006
season come the fall. The good news is that I’m saving
a chunk of change by not having to buy the NHL season ticket
(and thus retain the ability to watch my Thrashers…who
were just starting to show signs of life). The bad news is that
when the Thrashers do hit the ice again, they might be stocked
with replacement players, thus requiring me to learn an entire
roster’s worth of unpronounceable last names…again.
On second thought, maybe I should just start skating harder
and practicing my post game clichés…
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