= DOWN SIDES

Darren Paterson, Sports Editor

() piss out of me. That, combined

with the fact that the CFL is done and
there’s no NHL in sight, means I’m not
exactly in a good mood right now.
Therefore, I’d like to take a little time to
cool off by reflecting on the down side of

kay, we’re back again, and
looming finals are stressing the

sports.

This week’s subject was inspired by the
last two kick-ass BC vs. Saskatchewan
CFL games, both of which came down to
the last play and both of which had the
outcome in question for the whole game.
However, as I was watching the western

 

 

finals with my father and his friend, the

subject came up that games in the NFL~

are rarely as exciting or nail biting as that.
Indeed, the outcome of most CFL games
is in question until the very end and that
fact, combined with the long-bomb pass-
es that characterize the league, would
make you think that the CFL is the dom-
inant league of the two. But it’s not.

How can this be true? Well, there are
two, interconnected, reasons: television
and marquee players. Which end is the
tail and which is the head is hard to say,
but these two things have combined to
create a loop of success that feeds itself.
First the TV networks pay big bucks ‘to
obtain the broadcast rights of NFL
games. Then that gives the NFL enough
money and public support to bring in the
top players from across our continent.
Finally the emergence of all these top
players provides TV networks with a
product to sell and therefore they contin-
ue to pump more money into their
investment. And so on and so forth...and
thanks to this cycle, the NFL is the most
watched football league while the CFL is
considered inferior football. Yet the truth
of the matter is that even with lower-cali-
bre players, the CFL provides better
entertainment every weekend than the
NEL. And it does so without receiving its
due accolades.

The same is true in hockey. Hockey
fans across Canada are now starting to

realize what has been true for many years;
that the minor league games are more
exciting than the NHL. Scores in the
minor leagues are still in the 7-1 or 5-3
range, and young players, eager to win
themselves a spot in the big leagues, play
with determination and energy every
night. I admit that I, too, once said, “the
NHL is better because they have the best
players in the world,’ yet even I tire of
watching my Todd
Bertuzzi, put in a solid effort only once

favourite — star,
every few games. Because, hey, once
you're making upwards of a million dol-
lars a year, why try hard and risk being
injured and losing a few years’ pay-
cheques?

 

What I’m trying to say here is that it’s
unfair that the more entertaining leagues
in sport often miss out on the attention
they deserve just because the big-name
players play in another league. ’m also
trying to say that it’s just plain stupid that
TV networks are able to decide the suc-
cess or failure of a league merely by what

they choose to put on the air. Television
networks should pick up the sports that
entertain, because the fans will watch
them. The fact that big names draw big
bucks represents, to me, the down side of
sports.

  

 

 

gain, yet another week without
negotiation has passed by in the
world of the NHL, and as we

roll into December the worse things look
for a shortened season. However, there
have been a few notable developments in
the whole mess, and a large development
in the area of Canucks ownership.
Starting with the league-wide stuff, the
NHL has invited its general managers to a
meeting in New York on December 2.
The rumoured order of business will be
for the NHL to make GMs aware of the
shut-down date for the season. Also, the
NHLPA has begun doling out lock-out
payments to the over 730 union members.
The payments started with each player
receiving a $10,000 payment in November

Lockout Gorner

Darren Paterson, Sports Editor

and they are slated to receive another
$10,000 in December, as well as $5,000
to $10,000 per month in the new year.
The $10,000 is roughly 3.6 percent of the
players’ average monthly salary of
$277,000, which is what they earned dur-
ing the 03/04 NHL season. The money
comes out of a pool that has been built
on the strength of union dues, etc., but it
has yet to be seen how many players will
accept the payments and how many will
choose to reject the gratuity.

Also, Forbes magazine reported that
NHL losses are not as bad as they’re made
out to be. Forbes reported that the NHL
actually lost $96 million US, a far cry from
the $224 million that the league reported.
The difference was explained as money

that the owners make
through their team’s build-
ing that isn’t reported in
the NHL’s financial break-
down. (Things like the Ice
Capades. Yay!) Said NHL
representative Bull Daly,
(and I’m paraphrasing
here...) “That’s a crock of
bull! Forbes is a worthless
magazine and the people
who work there are charla-
tans.” Countered the
NHLPAss Ted Saskin, “We
knew the owners were lying
and the skillful and profes-
sional journalism of Forbes
magazine has finally
proved us right. Shout out
to my bros and hos at Forbes, yo.” (Again,
paraphrasing.) He annunciated this state-
ment by gesturing his fist in the air as if
greeting the aforementioned “bros and
hos.”

And lastly, in the smaller world of the
Canucks, we’ve got a local owner. John
McCaw has finally picked his man, and
rather than sell the team outright, he has
decided to sell 50 percent (aka: half) of

 

the team to local businessman Francesco
Aquilini. Terms of the deal were not dis-
cussed, but Aquilini took great pains at
the press conference to assure fans that A:
he wasn’t going to try and stick his hands
into the running of the Canucks, and B:
the team wasn’t going anywhere. Of
course he doesn’t have much of a busi-
ness to run right now, but I'll let you know
when anything develops in the NHL-
NHLPA battle royale.

becember = 1/eabdw