By Chris Mackey
The NHL has cancelled the remainder of the season. Is it a good thing or bad thing? Right now, it’s bad. But in the end it’s good. A second prominent sport in America will have a salary cap, more than likely, and maybe that will cause the other two, baseball and basketball, to follow suit.So, the NHL has cancelled the remainder of the season. Everyone has know for quite some time that this was coming. I’m actually surprised that it didn’t happen sooner.
Hockey isn’t a prominent sport in America. Everyone knows this. However, I am of the belief that hockey was actually starting to take off in prominence. And this happened.
The NHL lockout was about money. What else is new? But, it wasn’t because the players were asking for more, it was because the owners wanted to give them less. Wait, say that again? Yeah, the owners wanted to give their players less because of the money they had been losing over the past couple seasons. $273 million one year and $224 million the next. They claim that the players were receiving 75 percent of the revenues. However, the players union contests that claim.
Tuesday saw a flurry of sudden negotiations in the hope that some of the season could at least be salvaged somewhat. But in the end, no comprimise was reached and the season was subsequently cancelled.
What’s next? Obviously since both sides have until the tentative start of season to come to an agreement on a salary cap, the biggest hurdle for both sides to clear. The owners are looking for a cap somwhere between $42-$45 million. Obivously the players are looking for a number a bit higher than that. Of course, both sides are going to counter offer until the number is agreed upon. They have plenty of time to do that now.
When the cap is set, what will happen then? The players who went abroad will come back, all players will get their contracts restructured and everything will go back to the way they were. Right? Almost. While the players will be making a lot less money, which is a great thing, the fans are going to have a hard time coming back. While I’m not a hardcore fan, or much of a fan at that, I wouldn’t just go back to the sport and act like nothing happened. I missed a whole season of my Colorado Avalanche or Detroit Red Wings. Albeit it was for a good reason, but still, I was denied and I have moved on to say, a smaller league like the USHL. A lot of fans will of course accept the league with open arms. But if the league wants to bring all fans back, and even new ones. They need to do something big. Something that calls out and says, "Hey, we know we had to cancel last season, but everything is good now and we want to bring you back and this is what we’ll do to do it." I think they should offer free tickets. Have exhibition games be free. You know, stuff like that.
Now, on to my question: Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I truly believe it’s a good thing. All sports need to have salary caps. Football has one, hockey will have one. Maybe basketball and baseball owners can get a hint from this. See, with a salary cap in place, ticket prices will drop since owners won’t have to play their players as much so more fans will come to the games. And that’s not all. Maybe concession prices will drop too. I don’t know about you, but I think baseball tickets these days, and the prices of food at the games, are way too steep. I’m almost at a point where I don’t want to pay it so therefore I won’t go. I don’t think I’m the only one here. I wouldn’t be surprised to see baseball and basketball fans asking for their sport’s own respective salary caps.
In the end, this might prove to be a very good thing all across the board. Two sports have, or will have salary caps, and maybe the other two prominent sports will follow suit. So, let us all hope sports fans that someday, that’ll happen.