And We're Back!

And just like that it's Game On! Words NHL fans have longer to hear for months...At least some of them. Many, and rightfully so, are still bitter wondering why this news was announced January 6th and not Sept or October 6th. Why men in suits and meeting rooms were bickering away seemingly oblivious or just simply indifferent about the loyalty of the fans. Of the people who have made their game such a financial success padding their bank accounts while emptying our own. I agree that, for the overall health of the league, the players and owners needed to divide the pie in an equitable and fair way for everyone involved, but what's fair about all this to the fans? To the guy running a sports bar or souvenir shop? Working the concessions at the rink? What about the guys playing in Europe whose job was taken by an NHL player? A guy making a lot less money then his temporary substitute, who needs this income and now gets to watch this player return to the glamor of the big leagues and a seven figure salary. What about the kid who worships his favorite star player and wants nothing more than to watch him on a Saturday night? These are the people truly affected by the lockout and the NHL and NHLPA, if they have any common sense (not something they've demonstrated thus far) will have the PR machine working overtime to apologize to them. Unlike in 2004-05 there seems to be much more ambivalence, much more animosity towards the league and the players. People are simply fed up, sick and tired of feeling like they're being used, taken advantage of by millionaires and billionaires who seem to care about little more than lining their pockets. This isn't to say that they don't care about and love the game. That they have no emotional investment in it. They wouldn't have reached the games highest level without that drive and passion for it, but what this has really shown is the true nature of sport in the modern world. It's drawn back the curtain and revealed that sports entertainment and business are one in the same. The players are professional athletes, men who play a game for a living, and make a very good one. They may only have a short time to earn such an income so can hardly be blamed for wanting to maximize that opportunity. The owners are businessmen and making money is the name of the game. However, the fact remains that it is getting very hard to tell where the game ends and the business begins. They've seemingly blended into one another seamlessly and leave the rest of us wondering what it's all about. When that much money is involved, a reported 3.3 billion per year, there will undoubtedly be people lining up to grab their share, but how is that supposed to sit with the people contributing to that income? The cost is such that an average family can hardly afford to go to a game in a large market and it's as if the players and owners are seeming detached from the reality of how fortunate they are to make such exorbitant sums. Yes, the fans are the ones who drive demand, buy the jerseys and tune in for every game so we have to shoulder our fair share of the blame. Will we stay away? Will will tune out the TV? Some undoubtedly will, and good on them. Perhaps this is the only way they will learn, but I fear it will only fall upon deaf ears. The saddest realization is that many of us won't because the game means that much to us, despite the way those in charge have treated it. But the reality is we do it for the love of the game...We can only hope this rubs off.