NHL is looking pretty good
So yesterday, I made a draft post in WordPress and planned on completing it tonight. I come online to finish it off and I find that IwoCPO @ Abel to Yzerman has already discussed the very thing I had planned on bringing up.
Does Little Gary have any clue about the opportunity dropped in his lap? The other “big three†sports are all mired in controversy and the NHL, if marketed, could come out smelling like a pretty little rose. A rose perched on the sill of your kitchen. Yes, surrounded by empty beer bottles and crusted mac and cheese bowls, but a rose nonetheless.
Baseball’s lead story: the dirtbag that is Barry Bonds. Football: the absolute dirtbag that is Michael Vick. Basketball: a gambling controversy that’s going to spread to every corner of that league of thugs.
Compared to other leagues, the NHL could be looking pretty good in terms of public relations. No, I’m not talking about TV ratings or contracts, etc. because the NHL is obviously lacking in those departments. But the NHL is the one big league that is not deeply involved in a scandal and they should use this to their advantage in promoting the league.
NBA = Referee Scandal
I’m going to try to quickly explain what has gone down so far: A veteran NBA referee, Tim Donaghy, made calls to affect the point spread on certain games that he and his associates had money on the table. These bets included thousands of dollars and were placed on games over the last two seasons. Some of his associates are apparently in organized crime and other arrests are expected in the future. The FBI is investigating the matter and the NBA is doing all they can to assist the investigation.
No referee, umpire, linesmen or other in-game official has ever been arrested or indicted for game- or match-fixing in the history of the four major sports. …
Gambling long has been a problem in sports, and leagues have made a point of educating players of the potential pitfalls. The NBA, for example, discusses gambling at rookie orientation, even bringing in former mobster Michael Franceze to speak.
Matt @ Detroit Bad Boys wrote about the scandal from the viewpoint of a Detroit Pistons’ fan. It’s safe to say that referee Donaghy was not a fan of Pistons’ forward Rasheed Wallace.
MLB = Steroid Scandal
While the steroid scandal is no longer at the height it once was at with the MLB, it still is a hot topic with Barry Bonds closing in on the home run record currently held by legend Hank Aarons. Bonds is two home runs away from tying the league record of 755 runs. The federal grand jury is investigating Bonds in the BALCO mess and could be indicted within the next six months. Back in March, two San Francisco Chronicle reporters had their book, Game of Shadows, released to the world and they made a very convincing case that Bonds has used steroids. Personally, it makes me sick that he’s going to break Aaron’s record.
NFL = Discipline Problems
Over the past couple of seasons, the NFL has had a lot of problems with their players getting arrested. The league decided to implement a disciplinary system (ex. commissioner Goodell suspended Tennessee Titans’ cornerback for an entire season). Things got worse when Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick was indicted for being a participant in a dogfighting ring with fights being held on his property. Dogs that lost fights were brutally killed whether by drowning, electrocution, shot, or hung. Agents took 70 dogs from the property.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was served a summons to appear in federal court to face charges over competitive dogfighting and brutally killing pit bulls, court documents said.
Vick, who faces up to six years in prison if convicted, was handed the summons Thursday by a U.S. Marshals Service official in the courthouse in Richmond, Va. He and three associates must appear in Richmond next Thursday for bond hearings and arraignments on charges contained in a detailed, 18-page indictment handed up Tuesday.
I certainly would not want to be the Falcons right about now. Not only do they have a PR mess, but Joey Harrington (former Lions’ QB) is their backup. But that’s another story in of itself.
Back to the NHL…
So as you can see, the NHL is doing pretty good right about now in terms of discipline and steroids. I believe the NHL should be promoting its players as good citizens and players. Hockey fans know that hockey players are some of the nicest athletes around and the NHL should use that to their advantage at a time when the other three leagues are struggling.
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3 Responses to “NHL is looking pretty good”
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July 23rd, 2007 at 7:07 am
If the NHL had any sense of humor whatsoever, they would make parody commercials about their athletes versus the rest. Maybe their athletes try to fit in with other pros by holding up liquor stores and smacking strippers.
But I have a feeling that this, too, shall pass them by. No one misses out on a promotional opportunity quite like the NHL.
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:03 am
To be fair, the NHL isn’t exactly without its own scandal at the moment. The revelations that Bettman may have directly tampered with the sale of the Predators between Leipold and Balsillie?
But then again, when you compare that to thug behavior in other leagues which includes dogfighting, violence, and fixed games by betting referees … and Beefy McBeeferson’s march towards history thanks to steroids, Bettman’s scandal seems like chickenfeed. White collar crimes, after all, don’t normally hit home as much as these other things.
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Cupcake- Thanks for the comment. The NHL definitely seems to have a ways to go when it comes to marketing their league. Although I did think they made a large improvement with their commercials this past season.
Michael- I agree that the NHL certainly have their business problems including the matter of Bettman and the Predators, but the league doesn’t seem to struggle with discipline and behavorial problems that seem prevelant in the other leagues.