I just caught a bit of the NHL press conference where the commissioner announced the cancellation of this season. It was a big coincidence, I went downstairs to get lunch and flipped on the TV. According to TiVo it was set to record the English Premiership match of the week but that was pre-empted. Two thoughts from what I briefly heard:
- Does this give the owners any room to reorganize their business along the Single Entity Model ( court-room tested, soccer approved ) which would allow them to share revenues and control players more. Would that be an acceptible setup for current hockey owners or do they want unfettered control under a franchise model.
- The commisioner stated that last year the owners infused the NHL with $500 million in cash outlays. I wish I could spend money like that. I wish just one or two of them would decide they’d rather lose less money and invest in MLS, purchasing a team is just a cool $25 mill plus the promise to get a stadium build ( much harder ).
Finally, as a point of comparison, a number floated around about how much MLS lost in its first 3 or 4 years of operation is around $300 million. The league is still not profitable, thanks to costly stadium leases for teams in DC, Colorado and New York, but the outlook is promising. With more teams getting their own stadium, revenues go up significantly – not just from game day but ancilliary events including concerts, and other spporting event .