Hockey is really hurting. I think 16 or so NHL clubs lost money last year. They signed a bowser of a TV deal. They give far too much of the revenue back to the players. They just need one hockey fight to end in death, and they'll be a pariah.
I love hockey fights, but I do think the NHL should move to stop them. Howe? Simple. Anytime 2 people fight, they should be sent to the penalty box- where they would be arrested, just like anyone else who assaults someone. They would also be suspended for the year, as would their coaches.
This would result in a lot of sticks to the head, but the D.A. could look at the tapes after the game easily enough. This sounds like a bad scene, but a dead player being CPRd and defibrilated(I don't know the verb for that) is a bad scene that would ruin the sport for a generation.
Speaking of "lost for a generation", I always laugh when I hear people brag on college basketball. As far as talent goes, they have little/none. Anyone with real talent these days skips college and goes straight to the good league. If you have a draft pick other than #1, you probably won't even look at the colleges- you'll be off to Europe, or the high schools.
While people might say the game is played better in college, I disagree. The brilliant college coaches usually flop when they get to the NBA, a la Tarkanian or Pitino. They say the college game is more fundamentally sound, but most teams barely have one guy who can score off the dribble, play man to man defense, or post up. Anyone who can score inside is triple-teamed, because the rest of the team is usually inept. Every important game ends in either stalling or free throw shooting. The fact that the US Olympic teams are made up of professionals should tell you all you need to know.
The NBA's rating problem is simple. LA is a fine team, but every other team is mediocre. San Antonio, who won it all last year, is a one man gang. New Jersey has lost badly to both teams. LeBron, the most hyped rookie in some time, isn't in the playoffs. Indy and Detroit are simply Level B.
Los Angeles fans will be happy in 4-5 games or so, but they won't really be rocking, like they did when the Celtics came to town 20 years ago. Those intense games were played between star-stocked teams, and there was an ancient(I'm 27) rivalry behind it. Any chance the Pistons have is dependent upon the injury/conviction of Shaq and Kobe- which will suck the fans away like a vacuum.
The NBA needs to lose some teams, spread the talent around, and try to market a little better. With less teams, there will be less roster spots to put high school kids in, which will lead to more of them being/staying in college. This will produce more skilled draftees, which would help raise the level of play- in both the pros and in college.
Until they do that, they should learn to enjoy #3 status. Hockey will never pass them, soccer has peaked(all those kids who PLAY soccer go home afterwards and watch football- I've been teaching in high school for some time now, and I have never seen a soccer shirt, let alone heard anyone speak of it), NASCAR is a joke to most anyone north of the Confederacy, and boxing is almost back in the bar rooms. The NBA can hold it's position, but it will have to innovate to challenge the Big Two.
2 comments:
Speaking of "lost for a generation, I always laugh when I hear people brag on college basketball. As far as talent goes, they have little/none. Anyone with real talent these days skips college and goes straight to the good league.
There's plenty of talent in both- some of us enjoy watching a team game instead of constant clear-outs and isolation plays. Anyone with real talent does take the sure money, but a lot of delusional knuckleheads ruin their only chance at an education. Of course, the NBA and the NCAA don't care since they're both getting their money. The madness won't stop until the seats are empty, and someday it will happen, just as it will next year in the NHL.
The brilliant college coaches usually flop when they get to the NBA, a la Tarkanian or Pitino.
That's because the inmates are running the asylum - look how often a star whines to ownership to get rid of his coach. Are owners going to risk losing out on their biggest investments?
The NBA is becoming a parody of what it once was. The officiating is bordering on the theatrics of WWE, and the pandering to "name" players rapes the game of any integrity and character it ever had. Like most sports, athleticism and finesse are being replaced by brute strength and this is reflected by how fouls are and are not called, as well as the four step travel, the Iverson palming violation (aka crossover) and the three second violation, called twice a season. This is what is ruining fundamentals, not to mention what used to be a beautiful game. You go ahead and enjoy your aberration - I have more important things to do anyway.
I love hockey fights, but I do think the NHL should move to stop them.
Bah if hockey could go back to the game it had in the late 70s early 80s when there was twice the fighting they would do it in a second. Hockey decided to follow in the NBA's footsteps, ruined their game and now they are doomed.
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