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It is easy enough to understand why commissioner Gary Bettman does not want National Hockey League players anywhere near the Olympics. There has been no evidence in the past of a boost in TV ratings or attendance for the league after participation the Winter Games. If anything, the NHL’s regular-season games that follow an Olympic tournament suffer in comparison to the passion, talent, and sportsmanship demonstrated during the international tournament.
There are other reasons to avoid the commitment, as well: Potential injuries to stars whose salaries are guaranteed by the NHL teams; scheduling problems caused by the hiatus, and by the long travel time to East Asia; the time-zone difference at these Winter Olympics, and the next one in Beijing; a lack of adequate financial compensation from the International Olympic Committee; and the potential loss of All-Star Weekend, which is mostly a payback to sponsors and hard-core local fans.
Alex Ovechkin would rather be playing in the Olympics than participating in 3-on-3 exhibitions during NHL All-Star weekend. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Still, as another All-Star extravaganza looms in Tampa, it is hard to ignore the notion that this event looks dumber than usual when it arrives as a prelude to the Olympics. These are frivolous skills competitions and 3-on-3 tournaments involving players who would much rather be in South Korea, performing in real hockey games alongside their countrymen. And then there is the tone-deaf, politicized choice of Kid Rock as the headliner, another message that does nothing to suggest open borders or diversity.
This all leads to the question of whether the NHL owes anything at all to the sport of hockey on the conceptual, global level. The players certainly think it does.
“This is not just about me but all the NHL players who want to play and have a chance to win gold for their country,” Alex Ovechkin wrote, in protest of the NHL decision. “Our countries are now not allowed to ask us to play in the Olympics. Me, my teammates and all players who want to go all lose. So do all the fans of hockey with this decision that we are not allowed to be invited. NHL players in the Olympics is good for hockey and good for Olympics.”
In the name of good business practice, it seems, Bettman and league executives have embraced in recent years a more insular worldview – unlike other major sports leagues. While the NBA, for example, pushes into every corner of the world, the NHL is all about America First; expanding within domestic borders to outposts such as Las Vegas and Seattle.
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It is easy enough to understand why commissioner Gary Bettman does not want National Hockey League players anywhere near the Olympics. There has been no evidence in the past of a boost in TV ratings or attendance for the league after participation the Winter Games. If anything, the NHL’s regular-season games that follow an Olympic tournament suffer in comparison to the passion, talent, and sportsmanship demonstrated during the international tournament.
There are other reasons to avoid the commitment, as well: Potential injuries to stars whose salaries are guaranteed by the NHL teams; scheduling problems caused by the hiatus, and by the long travel time to East Asia; the time-zone difference at these Winter Olympics, and the next one in Beijing; a lack of adequate financial compensation from the International Olympic Committee; and the potential loss of All-Star Weekend, which is mostly a payback to sponsors and hard-core local fans.
Alex Ovechkin would rather be playing in the Olympics than participating in 3-on-3 exhibitions during NHL All-Star weekend. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Still, as another All-Star extravaganza looms in Tampa, it is hard to ignore the notion that this event looks dumber than usual when it arrives as a prelude to the Olympics. These are frivolous skills competitions and 3-on-3 tournaments involving players who would much rather be in South Korea, performing in real hockey games alongside their countrymen. And then there is the tone-deaf, politicized choice of Kid Rock as the headliner, another message that does nothing to suggest open borders or diversity.
This all leads to the question of whether the NHL owes anything at all to the sport of hockey on the conceptual, global level. The players certainly think it does.
“This is not just about me but all the NHL players who want to play and have a chance to win gold for their country,” Alex Ovechkin wrote, in protest of the NHL decision. “Our countries are now not allowed to ask us to play in the Olympics. Me, my teammates and all players who want to go all lose. So do all the fans of hockey with this decision that we are not allowed to be invited. NHL players in the Olympics is good for hockey and good for Olympics.”
In the name of good business practice, it seems, Bettman and league executives have embraced in recent years a more insular worldview – unlike other major sports leagues. While the NBA, for example, pushes into every corner of the world, the NHL is all about America First; expanding within domestic borders to outposts such as Las Vegas and Seattle.
The post NHL All-Star Weekend Looks Like Silly Alternative To Olympics appeared first on HD Sports News.
source http://hdsportsnews.com/nhl-all-star-weekend-looks-like-silly-alternative-to-olympics/
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