CONSPIRACY THEORY
Every fan has a favorite conspiracy theory. NBA is no exception. Some people like the idea that the commissioner of this organization, David Stern, falsified the 1984 draft. Others prefer a story with a secret disqualification of a basketball star for problems with gambling. But we will turn to the beginning of the 90s, when the NHL was supported by hordes of fans, and the game has never been so good. Wayne Gretzky at "Los Angeles". Mark Messier at the New York Rangers, on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup. Mario Lemieux, Steve Aiserman, Ray Bourke, Patrick Roy and many, many others on top of fame. Skeptics, who believed that hockey did not take root in America, disavowed their views. Suddenly, in many cities in the United States, the game caught up in popularity (and in some places even surpassed!) Basketball.
Now we are gradually returning to conspiracy theory. Stern realized potential troubles in 1993. In that year, the NHL was looking for a new agent, and the NBA chief, digging deeply in his office, found a suitable official. A person so incompetent that hockey simply did not have a chance. Basketball got rid of the annoying competitor once and for all. Stern recommended one of his personal assistants, Gary Bettman.
MARKET THEORY
The theory is right or not, but it worked one hundred percent. On Thursday, Bettman will enter the 15th year of his reign, and so far no major North American professional league has had such a stupid agent. The marathon of bad ideas continues. The last one is a true classic of stupidity: move the All-Star Game to the middle of the week and give televisions to the little-known Versus cable channel in order to compete with NBC's rich selection over the weekend. He sincerely believed that this would allow Sid Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin to absorb the entire sports environment. The result was stunning: the rating of viewers popularity - 0.7! In other words, only 474,298 homeowners in the United States preferred All-Stars to the heroes of their favorite series. Compared to the 2004 all-star show, the numbers have fallen almost four times!
Fans could have laughed so hard if it hadn’t been so sad. Confusion would inevitably lead to the resignation of a negligent leader, if not for a simple truth: Bettman will never leave. For those who grew up on hockey and live their favorite game, the agent’s suicidal route is the worst nightmare. One terrible initiative is replaced by another. You can write a book about Bettman's imbecile maneuvers leading to a stroke, but the problem remains. Its essence lies on the surface: Gary does not respect the game, its history, its fans. He sees himself as a marketing genius, but in practice is the worst of the merchants. Instead of influencing the market, adapting it to the offered product, Bettman changes the product, adjusting it to his own plans. As a result, the league is bloated and overestimated, disoriented and does not know where to go next. She lost her incendiary, became less interesting, lost her roots and was too difficult for an unexpanded fan.
THEORY OF CEILING AND WALLS
Under Bettman, the NHL experienced a miserable amount of positive emotions. New technologies and the Internet have stepped forward. Thanks to the powerful influx from the countries of Eastern Europe and the former USSR, there are much more talents on ice now than it was in 1993. The abolition of the red line rule and the league’s fight with hooks are also unconditional advantages. Some shooters like shoot-outs, but not others. But there are still more minuses.
You can praise the salary ceiling system to heaven, which equalized the team’s chances and increased competition, but you can’t help but notice that it kills the elite of professional hockey every day. The elitism that has always made this game great. Even the brightest of the stars needed a starry environment to shine brighter. Wayne Gretzky in the mid-80s was provided invaluable assistance by Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Glenn Anderson, Jari Curry and others. The talents of one bulged out surrounded by many, sparkled with new faces, shocked the imagination of fans. In the end, hockey is a team game. The salary ceiling scattered stars across cities and towns, and what did we get? The economic flexibility of Atlanta in exchange for the sparkle of the former Edmonton.
Or take at least a calendar. According to him, teams are doomed to play eight matches with neighbors in the division or 32 games against four clubs. According to Bettman, this alignment will establish new rivalries. But what about the old ones? How, for example, to be “Detroit” with “Toronto” and their crazy fans, divided by a highway running into Wayne Gretzky Boulevard? They can no longer visit each other on a visit each year. And how is it possible to establish “new rivalries” by waging a merciless struggle with fist fights? An uncompromising hockey battle without a fight is the same as non-alcoholic beer. According to some reports, last week 22 (!) Clubs were eager to return to the old, long-time schedule. But the overwhelming minority, led by the commission agent, left everything as it is.
OUTLOOK PRACTICE
This is the Bettman NHL. Fourteen years, four bankruptcies, three relocations, two lockouts, one lost season and the complete absence of a leader. The league’s business is so bad that even the cherished Pittsburgh fans, armed with the best talent since Gretzky’s time, are 50 percent likely to move to Kansas City. Bettman's lawyers recall his victory over union leader Bob Goodenau during the last strike. But they forget that Pyrrhic victory erased from the NHL life a year and a countless number of fans. Meanwhile, the expected salary ceiling for next season is comparable to the average spending of clubs in the pre-lautau period ... Was the previous collective agreement too bad? But who took it? Gary Bettman in 1994.
God alone knows what will happen next. Only he knows how to make things worse. Only God can imagine what kind of nuts Gary will try to tighten, in order to eliminate distortions in other places. Do you think a rating of 0.7 is the limit? Then take a look at the new uniform developed by Reebok based on Bettman’s patterns and presented with great fanfare last week. “The evolution of the hockey form,” the agent said proudly. And behind his back giggles fans vividly imagining how people with a couple or three extra pounds would look tight in these clothes. Laugh, for there is nothing left for you to do. David Stern's bizarre world is about fifteen soon.
Translation by Vladimir BYCHEK