Any Hockey Fans Here?

[bobabode]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/nhl-lockout-talks-break-off-again-with-accusations-and-frustration-after-union-offer/2012/11/21/737e136c-343a-11e2-92f0-496af208bf23_story.html

I heard there's no Stanley Cup this year. I guess the L.A. Kings will just have to hold onto it for a while, yet.;) Nice of the the owners to think so much of themselves and their profits that they aren't willing to end the lock out and let the fans and the players enjoy the game. I hope the players union sticks to their guns.

How about a little solidarity from the other major sports? Football, basketball, baseball and hell, even soccer. United we stand and divided we fall, ya know?;) Whaddya think, sports fans? Could you get behind collective bargaining if your favorite team went on the picket lines?

No Stanley Cup? No Superbowl? No World Series? No World Cup? Could you live without?

[finnbow]

I generally don't take sides in labor disputes in professional sports. It's basically millionaires fighting billionaires. Phuck 'em. College sports are better anyway.

[Boreas]

Never cared much for hockey. I guess growing up in a town that didn't have a major league team has something to do with that. I've been peripherally aware of this lockout for a while, mostly because the RT sports guys have talked about all the NHL players working in Russia right now.

Also, I'm with Pat on this. The money these guys make is obscene, players and owners. Hell, I remember Al Kaline, one of the best baseball players ever, used to have to have an off-season in his home town (Baltimore) working behind the counter at a sporting goods store.

When I was watching the World Series games this year in Detroit it suddenly dawned on me that there were essentially no black faces in the crowd. I mean, this is DETROIT, man! No black people in the crowd? What's up with that? Well, what's up with it is that, being poor, most black Detroiters can't afford the price of a ticket. Provably can't afford to go to that many regular season games either.

There needs to be some sort of happy medium between the situation in professional sports today and the way it was in Kaline's day. These guys shouldn't have to have off-season jobs but if they weren't paid in multiples of millions the ticket prices wouldn't have to be out of reach for the majority of fans.

John

[whell]

Also, I'm with Pat on this. The money these guys make is obscene, players and owners. Hell, I remember Al Kaline, one of the best baseball players ever, used to have to have an off-season in his home town (Baltimore) working behind the counter at a sporting goods store.

When I was watching the World Series games this year in Detroit it suddenly dawned on me that there were essentially no black faces in the crowd. I mean, this is DETROIT, man! No black people in the crowd? What's up with that? Well, what's up with it is that, being poor, most black Detroiters can't afford the price of a ticket. Provably can't afford to go to that many regular season games either.

There needs to be some sort of happy medium between the situation in professional sports today and the way it was in Kaline's day. These guys shouldn't have to have off-season jobs but if they weren't paid in multiples of millions the ticket prices wouldn't have to be out of reach for the majority of fans.

John

Trust me, a lot of white Detroiters - including yours truly - couldn't afford the tickets either. And that's not exclusive to the World Series. For a family to go to a regular season game complete with tickets and parking is a serious financial undertaking, not to mention adding in a hot dog and a soft drink.

Baseball players today aren't bench-marking their income against players of yesteryear. They're bench-marking themselves against top tier entertainers, who also are paid in many cases millions per year for their efforts. By comparison, I can also say that it's a relatively rare occasion that we'll venture out to a movie - and its usually a matinee - because the cost of a movie ticket has also sky-rocketed.

[d-ray657]

Baseball has an historic anti-trust exemption that is not based in reason but which has nevertheless been recognized as the status quo. Before collective bargaining succeeded in earning free agency, teams could sell the contracts of players for several times the players' salaries. The players' services had a particular market value that the teams retained by combining with the other teams to restrict the movement of players. With the advent of free agency, teams have to negotiate with players and pay a price that the market will bear. I don't see why any capitalists should have a problem with that.

Professional Hockey, Basketball and Football do not enjoy traditional antitrust exemption. There is a collective bargaining exemption to the antitrust laws when in the context of collective bargaining, the players and teams agree to particular restraints of player movement as part of an overall collective bargaining package. To the extent that the players' unions negotiate some sort of free agency, the players earn what competitive bidding for their services will pay - what the market will bear. Despite the high salaries earned by many players, the value of the franchises have continued to increase. Apparently, the business model has been successful.

Regards,

D-Ray