Madferret
7-18-05, 11:53 AM
Consensus is hockey a lost cause
By ERIN NICKS, Ottawa Sun
Feel free to add the phrase "uphill battle" to the long and nauseating list of buzz words involved with the re-emergence of the NHL. And be aware that the fans won't be the most difficult group to deal with. That unfortunate title already belongs to the American sports media.
When the news broke on Wednesday that the league and its players' association had reached a tentative agreement, it was easy to assume what the reaction in Canada would be. Watching the story emerge across the border -- where the majority of teams and significant income emanate from --was a different matter.
Who exactly has been broadcasting the lockout information to American fans -- ESPN or Fox News? The sensationalistic "reporting" has been delivered with unwavering opinion, and the message is clear: The NHL, regardless of its imminent return, is a lost cause.
This is a loser's league that isn't worthy of anyone's support. The NHL is making its first attempt to climb out from the massive hole it created, but the American media is not content to simply throw dirt on them. They're trying to beat the league down with the shovel. After being force-fed these negative opinions for nearly a year, you would have to assume that being a fan of the NHL in the U.S. is a highly covert operation.
If discovered, the brainwashed masses would likely whip fastballs at the fan's head, or poke them repeatedly with a golf ball mark repair tool. You know --to try and get them to accept a "real" sport. Looking back on the early stages of the lockout, our country was sporting rose-coloured glasses in respect to the state of the NHL. That cautious optimism eventually morphed into a bitter and saddened realism.
However, it's safe to say that Canada, in spite of its disappointment, has never engaged in the type of brutal attacks that the league has been subjected to in the U.S. The perpetual pointed jokes, and questions of the NHL's remaining existence, were they really necessary?
The NHL has proven without a shadow of a doubt that it is more than capable of inflicting irreversible damage upon itself. What additional harm has the American media caused the league by insisting to its viewers that professional hockey will never survive?
The NHL needs to stop groveling for the respect of the American sports media, and it needs to do it now. In this battle of popularity, the media is the lost cause. How soon we forget that NASCAR started as a group that lacked respect from sportswriters (and practically everyone else), but through grassroots ingenuity became a force to contend with.
It's a new reality, but an old idea: You don't need respect to be a success in America -- you simply need money. The sooner that the NHL is able to discern the difference, the better off it will be.
By ERIN NICKS, Ottawa Sun
Feel free to add the phrase "uphill battle" to the long and nauseating list of buzz words involved with the re-emergence of the NHL. And be aware that the fans won't be the most difficult group to deal with. That unfortunate title already belongs to the American sports media.
When the news broke on Wednesday that the league and its players' association had reached a tentative agreement, it was easy to assume what the reaction in Canada would be. Watching the story emerge across the border -- where the majority of teams and significant income emanate from --was a different matter.
Who exactly has been broadcasting the lockout information to American fans -- ESPN or Fox News? The sensationalistic "reporting" has been delivered with unwavering opinion, and the message is clear: The NHL, regardless of its imminent return, is a lost cause.
This is a loser's league that isn't worthy of anyone's support. The NHL is making its first attempt to climb out from the massive hole it created, but the American media is not content to simply throw dirt on them. They're trying to beat the league down with the shovel. After being force-fed these negative opinions for nearly a year, you would have to assume that being a fan of the NHL in the U.S. is a highly covert operation.
If discovered, the brainwashed masses would likely whip fastballs at the fan's head, or poke them repeatedly with a golf ball mark repair tool. You know --to try and get them to accept a "real" sport. Looking back on the early stages of the lockout, our country was sporting rose-coloured glasses in respect to the state of the NHL. That cautious optimism eventually morphed into a bitter and saddened realism.
However, it's safe to say that Canada, in spite of its disappointment, has never engaged in the type of brutal attacks that the league has been subjected to in the U.S. The perpetual pointed jokes, and questions of the NHL's remaining existence, were they really necessary?
The NHL has proven without a shadow of a doubt that it is more than capable of inflicting irreversible damage upon itself. What additional harm has the American media caused the league by insisting to its viewers that professional hockey will never survive?
The NHL needs to stop groveling for the respect of the American sports media, and it needs to do it now. In this battle of popularity, the media is the lost cause. How soon we forget that NASCAR started as a group that lacked respect from sportswriters (and practically everyone else), but through grassroots ingenuity became a force to contend with.
It's a new reality, but an old idea: You don't need respect to be a success in America -- you simply need money. The sooner that the NHL is able to discern the difference, the better off it will be.