There comes a time in every bad relationship when one party simply throws his or her hands up and says enough is enough. It seems that time has come with the NHL and its fans.
After months of fan unrest with every cancellation, the NHL and the NHLPA heard an unfamiliar sound when the league wiped out its latest block of games through Jan. 14: silence.
For the first time, a sport with the possibly the most passionate fans in all of sports were apathetic when the league took more games away. More than anything, that should be on the minds of the owners and players when they sit down at the bargaining table and try to salvage the season.
Perhaps it was more pragmatism. After all, when it had looked like the lockout was close to being over on Dec. 6, the two sides pulled a rug out from under fans and essentially re-inflamed the ongoing Cold War.
Nevertheless, fan apathy or pragmatism was not something that the NFL or NBA had to worry about in their respective lockouts a year ago.
Granted, the NFL is a whole different animal. The NFL dwarfs all other professional leagues in terms of popularity, and their owners' lockout ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tyler Conway
NHL Lockout: Lack of Fan Outcry More Disconcerting Than Work Stoppage Itself
December 24th, 2012 by Tyler Conway Leave a reply »
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