The NHL 'Sells' Violence?

[NJD Jester]

This is starting to get really funny.

Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post chimed in with her take on the Bertuzzi situation. Good Lord, what is this woman thinking?

The NHL is the Lady MacBeth of sports. What happened between the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche was in part because NHL owners have no faith in their sport and think they have to sell something besides hockey -- namely, bloodshed. The league has marketed violence-as-entertainment for years. And now it hopes to curb vigilante acts like Bertuzzi's?

This statement has no basis in fact. Under Bettman, the league has done everything it can do to downplay physical play and violence. From the marketing of players to rule overenforcement, the league has run away from "bloodshed" like never before, alienating many of its diehard fans.

Clearly, the NHL needs to find a new way to sell itself, for the overall health of the sport. The bloodsport culture is not only getting more dangerous, it isn't working financially, either. According to the league's figures, NHL teams face an estimated $300 million in losses this season, 20 clubs are in the red, and the arenas are so barren they echo. Even in Chicago almost a third of the seats are empty.

Again, who can draw a line between the decline of fighting and physical play in the league and the decline in TV audience and gate numbers.

But what is she thinking referencing Chicago here? That situation has zero, zlich, nada to do with the marketing of the league.

Football and basketball do excellent at the box office without being egregiously violent.

Yeah...never see a cheap shot in the NFL or NBA. Well, maybe not in the NBA...the players are just so apathetic from smoking all that pot.

It has tolerated rule-breaking to the point that some players follow an entirely separate set of unwritten rules about bounties and sucker punches.

These people can't have it both ways. Fighting? Penalized. High-sticking? Penalized? Hunter, McSorley, Bertuzzi, Domi? All severely penalized.

Is there a code? Sure. But the Bertuzzi cheap shot was one player acting like an ass. Any thought to the contrary is Oliver Stone territory, because then you're indicating that the Canucks knew about it before hand...

<JESTER>

[sundstrom]

they talked about this on espn radio this morning and basically said that this woman knows nothing about hockey and hasn't written about it in the last 2 years.

fvck all these people that decide to weigh in after a bertuzzi incident, but otherwise wouldn't know a puck from a rock

[Don]

Again, who can draw a line between the decline of fighting and physical play in the league and the decline in TV audience and gate numbers.

(1) As I noted in the McGuire thread, I am just as much against the "know-nothing" writers who have decided to open their yaps despite not having two clues to rub together.

(2) Funny how hockey's attendance problems seem to be caused by everything from the New Jersey Devils to the price of pie in Paraguay depending on what the arguement of the day is. You completely forget that over the last decade ticket prices have quadrupled, yet you expect the same number of fans to be showing up... economics don't work that way.

[MantaRay]

In two days, this "writer" will get off her soap box and go back to ignoring hockey.

Who cares.

[LOTCB]

The reason you hear these kind of comments from several writers is because they DO NOT want to cover hockey for whatever reason...why, not enough Ray Lewis types in the NHL for you??? Is the game too complicated for these pea-brains?

Cmon already, if you are paid to write ot talk about Sports on a Sports Radio Station, to me it is almost your OBLIGATION to know the major sports...like Mike and the Mad Dog...they dont know hockey, but its called SPORTS radio...why not call it Mike and the Mad Dog on Sports Radio 660, W-We Select the Fans...yes Russo and Mike attempt to talk hockey and they are honest about their lack of knowledge...but to me, your making a million AND your radio station covers a NHL team??? LEARN THE GAME!!!!

Edited March 12, 2004 by Legend Of the Clown Banner

['7']

The NHL doesn't sell violence, it doesn't sell anything

except maybe cheesy comercials with Kiefer Sutherland telling us a stick is a "twig" and John Belushi beating up his sitcom sidekick. The NHL sells the ABC primetime lineup more than it does the sport.

[djstubbs]

I disagree...

That's like saying Football sells Gatorade, wait no it's not...

[JunkYardDog]

Sally Jenkins of the W. Post knows the game of hockey like I know the mating rituals of the Polynesian dragon fly. It's like the old adage, "Say nothing and have others believe you're stupid, then open your mouth and thus remove all doubt."

The list goes on and on. Include the idiots who were on with Stu Grimson and John Davidson last night, especially the jackoff from the Chicago Sun Times (whose name escapes me), complaining about lack of hockey coverage in the Second City yet he is a sports columnist! Go figure that one out! He was complaining about lack of coverage for a sport he covers! He did however tout the fact the the B'Hawks are an original eight club several times. Good for Chi-town. I guess when your team hasn't won since the Kennedy Administration you need to cheer about anything.

Same holds true with Adrian Wojnarowski of the Bergen Record. At times, Woj is a talented writer, but with hockey? Let's just say he is about as bright as a lawnchair.