tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796383459721793585.post2428331675454453486..comments2023-10-23T15:54:13.715-04:00Comments on The Dark Blue Jacket: DBJ's six-pack for Game 1: NashvilleTomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03563836029433927521noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796383459721793585.post-55107678146082861972013-01-20T18:38:09.364-05:002013-01-20T18:38:09.364-05:00Okay, I'll grant that you could have mistakenl...Okay, I'll grant that you could have mistakenly typed "and" when you meant "and/or". We all make mistakes. I simply do not wish to be lumped in with the whiners.<br />As for the rest of your reply, you do present a strong argument (In the Socratic sense.) and we could certainly debate which of us is right/mostly right/could be right with some changes/what have you. I will disagree, to a small degree, about hockey in the U.S. being a niche sport. Yes, it has been and, at this time, still is a niche sport. But when Nashville, Tenn. can rightfully be called a hockey city, when the Carolina Hurricanes can be a major sports draw in their area, when the San Jose Sharks can distract Bay Area residents from the 49ers and Raiders, then it is fair to say that hockey is growing in popularity. It will certainly take awhile, but I can foresee the day when hockey supplants basketball as the third major American sport. The Old Grouchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01235393209892391481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796383459721793585.post-64133206983802556872013-01-20T13:15:18.609-05:002013-01-20T13:15:18.609-05:00Respectfully, I think I have an appreciation for N...Respectfully, I think I have an appreciation for NHL fan anger at least as well as the next guy. If I made an error, I used "and" when I could have used "and/or" in the sentence which offended you so. There certainly were petulant "fans" who never vowed to spend money on the NHL, and there certainly were fans who promoted the notion of a boycott without being petulant. Yet the Venn diagram circles DID overlap.<br /><br />But to address your point: I agree, Major League Baseball won't allow a work stoppage because the fans DID walk away in sufficient numbers to meaningfully affect the bottom line. And they have taken a long time to come back. It's arguable to say that they ever have come back in such numbers.<br /><br />As to hockey, the <a href="http://deadspin.com/5951872/inside-a-secret-nhl-focus-group-how-a-top-gop-strategist-is-helping-hockey-owners-craft-their-lockout-propaganda" rel="nofollow">NHL hired noted public opinion pollster/shaper Frank Luntz to convene a focus group on Friday, October 12</a> to determine how to best shape its message. I think it safe to make a presumption that combining this knowledge with the fact that the NHL has had three lockouts in 20 years (as you mentioned) suggests that the NHL needs to be mindful of the language it uses yet can rest reasonably assured that the fans would indeed come back. <br /><br />This makes intuitive sense to me as the NHL (at least in the States) is a niche sport with a small but rabid fanbase. The NHL appeared to bank on the fact that they could stretch the lockout at least another three months (I still maintain that the end of the lockout one week before the start of the NBC broadcast television season for the NHL was not a coincidence) with an acceptable loss of fan support. Point being: The NHL gambled that their fans are hardcore to the point that they can be taken for granted.<br /><br />So yes, I'll buy your argument that an economic boycott is A WAY (but <a href="http://darkbluejacket.blogspot.com/2012/01/why-i-be-protesting-on-saturday.html" rel="nofollow">not the only way</a>) to grab the owners' attention. But I'll also maintain that the apparent nature of the fanbase makes an economic boycott very, very unlikely. Thus, don't be surprised if there's another lockout in eight years. Dark Blue Jacketnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5796383459721793585.post-54630728660027200372013-01-20T11:10:18.660-05:002013-01-20T11:10:18.660-05:00Boy did you miss the point many of us "I haz ...Boy did you miss the point many of us "I haz a sad" people are trying to make. It has nothing to do with hurt feelings and everything to do with sending the league a message. We're taking as our example MLB. Have you noticed that there hasn't been a strike or lockout in baseball since the 1994 strike? That's because MLB revenues STILL have not returned to pre-1994 levels. <br />The NHL has just had it's 3rd lockout in less than 20 years. I have a prediction for you. If we, the fans, don't send a message to the team owners by hitting them in the only place they care about, their pocketbooks, when this CBA ends, there will be another lockout.The Old Grouchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01235393209892391481noreply@blogger.com