Destitute in the Desert

The circus that is the Phoenix Coyotes ownership situation continues to be a topic of great concern for the NHL and the Coyotes players. With realignment being shot down by the players association there is little time now to decide where Phoenix would play next year or even if the team should be moved, (which it should) by next season. The franchise is hemorrhaging money (to put it lightly) and the residents of Phoenix had to pick up a $25 million price tag just to keep the team around this year. If I was a tax payer I would be seriously unimpressed throwing good money out the door. I really do feel for the players and captain Shane Doan who illustrated the complexities of picking up and moving the team. These are people with families that would be up rooted, the people who work for the franchise would be out of a job, and yes the few fans that are there would miss their team. Sound familiar Winnipeg? Quebec City? Not to be unkind Shane but you were there when the Jets were uprooted to the south, so you should understand that financial decisions have to be made and that it's not always fair as, while we may like to think it's all about the game, this is in reality big business, although Gary Betman (@commish_Gary) seems to forget that. He had no problem moving Canadian teams, (and yes Atlanta too) but now seems to be willing to move Heaven and Earth to make sure Phoenix stays put. I know that he did help small market teams north of the border like Ottawa and Calgary but they were never losing the kind of money Phoenix is, and never had serious problems filling the stands. The Coyotes are pulling down the leagues overall revenue and while I'm not a business major, that seems contradictory to good financial planning. Whether it's out of pride or spite what conceivable reason is there for keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix? Is it a feasible market? If it is the residence of Scottsdale haven't proven so, and it's not as if they haven't had the opportunity. This is simply another example of trying to force the game on an American market that has no interest. There are other markets out there, Seattle, Kansas City, Quebec City and southern Ontario are the most sensible, and would certainly not lose the kind of money the team is now. Personally I'm not sure why the league looks at contraction as such a dirty word. It would improve the overall quality of the game and the game would be where its wanted. Why bother trying to sell something to someone who has no interest in it? How long can you keep trying to jam it down their throats before the league chokes? Money is tight, times are tough, why spend so much time on an obviously toxic situation where there is a simpler way to resolve it?