The biggest myth of them all must be the talk about how these negotiations are about saving small market teams vs big market teams. Its almost laugable...
The only thing that would give small market teams a good economical enviorment is if the product, the NHL, were really strong with a national tv contract. For every day that passes by and never comes back the product is damaged. Its obvious that whats most important to Bettman and the owners isn´t the product, if anything its the real small market teams who suffer the most from this lockout. Carolina, Nashville and Columbus among others. The owners could care more about yearly earnings...
The owners wants their frachises to be valuble, a NHL team is often part of a arena concern with several other teams. For a local cable companys owning a concern like that is valuble. And gets more valuble by the day. People are prepared to spend more and more money on these things. If Bettman gets what he want owners will have a product on their hand who they in december 05´ can put on a overhead and show what expenses it will have in 06´, 07´ & 08´.
In order to do this Bettman have to break the union and it will also cost him unrepairable damage of the game on the american market. But the really strong owners won´t care because the value of their product will be higher, it will save them allot worry in the future.
This is not a sport, its a business. Nothing remarkable about that. But public opinion is also important. Bettman can´t afford to destroy his product. And what I can´t get is all the love Bettman gets in Canada. Everywhere he shows up he gets a standing ovation. All Canadian fans don´t care how much and for how long he destroys the game. As long as it will give their favorite franchises a advantage in the future.
What could have saved this season was a united public opinion who wouldn´t take Bettmans crap. Everyone around understands the problem the NHL have had, even the players to some extent. But what Bettman is offering the players is as outreagous as if the players would offerback a proposal more generous then the one in 94´-04´.
The only thing that would give small market teams a good economical enviorment is if the product, the NHL, were really strong with a national tv contract. For every day that passes by and never comes back the product is damaged. Its obvious that whats most important to Bettman and the owners isn´t the product, if anything its the real small market teams who suffer the most from this lockout. Carolina, Nashville and Columbus among others. The owners could care more about yearly earnings...
The owners wants their frachises to be valuble, a NHL team is often part of a arena concern with several other teams. For a local cable companys owning a concern like that is valuble. And gets more valuble by the day. People are prepared to spend more and more money on these things. If Bettman gets what he want owners will have a product on their hand who they in december 05´ can put on a overhead and show what expenses it will have in 06´, 07´ & 08´.
In order to do this Bettman have to break the union and it will also cost him unrepairable damage of the game on the american market. But the really strong owners won´t care because the value of their product will be higher, it will save them allot worry in the future.
This is not a sport, its a business. Nothing remarkable about that. But public opinion is also important. Bettman can´t afford to destroy his product. And what I can´t get is all the love Bettman gets in Canada. Everywhere he shows up he gets a standing ovation. All Canadian fans don´t care how much and for how long he destroys the game. As long as it will give their favorite franchises a advantage in the future.
What could have saved this season was a united public opinion who wouldn´t take Bettmans crap. Everyone around understands the problem the NHL have had, even the players to some extent. But what Bettman is offering the players is as outreagous as if the players would offerback a proposal more generous then the one in 94´-04´.