Is there reason for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to smile?

I have come to the realization that Gary Bettman is the chief cheerleader, salesman and upholder of franchise values by the simple of use of his tongue and mouth. I have also come to terms with the fact that he will say nothing that will negatively impact said values. So it stands to reason that when conditions for franchise success become compromised or exposed as sour, then spoonfuls of salt need to be taken when the Commissioner speaks.

But now that news has broke that even the NFL commissioner is cutting his own salary, while the NHL “whistles past the graveyard” as one writer put it recently, it seems that the NHL politicking style doublespeak has reached critical mass.

This appears to place the NFL in a more sympathetic position with thousands of fans who have lost their jobs, homes or lost hours of work in lieu of layoffs. And let's be honest the NFL players, senior HQ brass and ownership won't feel much of a pinch at all. The only question is the amount of NFL profit. It may be down or up, but the NFL will never actually lose money.

If the NBA, MLB and even the NFL can show some weakness, then surely the NHL is Offside for not acknowledging the obvious, being the poorer cousin years or decades before the financial downturn occurred.

Now if your league is safe and secure overall, you have extra comfort in making cheerless claims and actions. Also, another important reality is the positioning of the media that covers your sports empire. The media that covers the NFL will never turn against it and will only come across as positive. If you want an example, ask yourself why the NFL and banned substances hasn't become the story that it should.

But if your league is in real peril, then you have much less wiggle room. The media already smells and sees blood in the NHL's waters with several teams in trouble. The media feeding frenzy to dump a bleeding NHL or commissioner overboard is at its' all time high and will only get worse with the economic downturn.

As such, I fully expect Gary Bettman's next media scrum to include the question, "Based on the NFL commissioner's move to cut his own salary in appreciation of the economic realities faced by thousands if not millions of fans, would you consider making the same gesture, if not just for symbolism?"

Either way, Gary Bettman is painted into a corner. Why? Up to now, his message has been “stay the course” or “what me worry?” If he says no to this request, he comes across as arrogant and out of touch with the majority of NHL fans. If he agrees, it will be shown as only done under duress through the leading actions of the NFL and the burden by the NHL media to make that gesture. Thus, a positive response will make him look disingenuous.

But being painted into a corner is nothing new for Gary Bettman. Comments in the past by the NHL Commissioner about the health of the financial state of the NHL have proved out to be dubious later.

What is different now is that comments made by the NHL Commissioner are clearly coming across to both fans and media as dubious the moment they are made. Individual team circumstances, in Phoenix as one example, were portrayed as nothing to worry about a very short time ago but the situation has been dour for a long time before the comments were made. So while comments are being made by the NHL leader, they aren’t upholding franchise value since few media and fans believe them.

To be fair, I present a generous option, which I don’t believe to be the case: Perhaps Gary Bettman’s responses are being generally directed by his bosses, the 30 board of governors. If so, then I truly feel for Gary since he is stuck between the NHL’s southern teams and the hard place that is the board of governors’ direction.

Perhaps those comments were made without all the information. If the staff are withholding this information from the head of the NHL, then the situation is much more concerning to league stakeholders including the fans.

If you haven’t been watching the drama closely, the current spin being employed by the NHL leader is that if things can turn around in Chicago so dramatically after many losing seasons (on ice), then similar transitions can be expected in the usual troubled southern cities once those GMs get their act together. This conveniently avoids the hard reality that Chicago has had a fanbase that has demonstrated its strength in the past. As well, a miserly owner has been replaced, which has allowed fans to end their silent protests of staying away. The NHL leader once again tries to escape the reality that NHL hockey fanbases can be nurtured but they can’t be created without the seed of a strong grassroots connection to playing the game itself. Show me strong minor hockey or ball hockey leagues in the southern markets and I’ll eat this blog. Otherwise, to Gary Bettman the term “fanbase” seems to mean nothing more than an entertainment marketing and ticket pricing challenge rather than a non-starter for franchise expansion and relocation.

So for these markets, franchise value is compromised if those current locales don’t enjoy prospects of reaching financial health. Some have never reached health. Others have only tasted it with a long Stanley Cup run. If this is the case, then bargaining position for franchise sale is lowered leaving relocation as the only sound business case. The only other option is for the team to be a billionaire’s tax write-off and ego stroke. And ego strokes don’t last long if the team continues to be the league’s on-ice welcome mat. And tax write-offs instantly become plain old money losers if profits on the billionaire’s main interest are reduced in a recession.

Such is the “perfect storm” now facing the NHL board of governors. This is the backdrop for Gary Bettman’s every comment to the media and the fans.

Rumblings, off the record of course, from board of governors have said that Gary has started to use the same rosy and dubious statements in board meetings that he is using with the media. Eyes were rolling between governors during Gary’s statements in the board meetings. If that credibility continues to be eroded and then lost within the NHL board of governors itself, then Gary Bettman’s days are numbered. If that were to happen, his tongue would become his noose.

If you don’t agree with this blog, then by all means have you say on the forum under “Offside Blogs”. http://manitobamythbusters.com/forum/

Chris
Chair, Manitoba Mythbusters
www.ManitobaMythbusters.com
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