Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

:oldlol: :oldlol:.. last i checked NHL's popularity never recovered after the lockout. Chime in

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

But it gave all teams an equal chance to compete for the Cup, thanks to the hard cap that was implemented. Isn't that what 80% of users here want- parity around the league?

I really believe the last thing NBA owners are worried about is having their product be "popular". Just my opinion, though.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

What owners want is profitability, and if the NHL's popularity is at an all time low (which I don't think it is), but they're cost of operating is such that they're still generating more revenue, I'm sure they're fine with it.


They rather spend 30 bucks to make 50 than 90 bucks to make 100, even if the 100 is greater than the 50.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

ABC cares though, why should they give the NBA airtime when they could easily air desperate housewives and rake in more viewers = more $$$??

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

NHL was never really that popular and it really hasn't lost any of its popularity since the lock out.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

If ABC dropped the NBA, another network would pick it right up. Basketball is popular nearly everywhere... people tune in from the Philippines to watch games (have relatives messaging me about this). The game almost markets itself, because unlike hockey which requires $400+ of equipment to get started, basketball can be played almost anywhere and with anybody. It will be popular for quite some time even with the lockout, so in terms of money, owners will definitely not lose any sleep over it.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

NHL used to have a network deal I believe with NBC. Now it's on Versus.

It definitely lost quite a bit of popularity.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

It's on both.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

The key to all this is ESPN though. NBA is with the ABC family(ESPN) and thats why they are popular. After the lockout the NHL overpriced themselves, thats why they ended up with Versus and NBC..

If you aint on ESPN, you are not popular, lets see the owners f*ck this up. Remember NHL was on ESPN at one time.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

But you have to think, how many owners will be willing to say that or back it up. I understand that like 10 owners will believe that because they have crappy teams and would love to miss a season if it meant a better chance for them to compete... but there are plenty of owners that won't want to forfeit a whole season and will come to their sense and lower their demands.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

Seems to me there are more hockey games on broadcast than nba, even here in texas. I hate that ABC wont run sunday games until the football season is over.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

Aside from a few exceptions like Mark Cuban who views his team as more of a play-toy for a super fan, the NBA from a owners standpoint is ultimately a business. Let's say the NHL's popularity did never recover. Regardless of popularity, if the majority of teams are now operating at a profit versus a loss before the lockout, then the owners win in the long-run. The same thing applies in this case. The ultimate goal is to make money off of your organization.

If the popularity wanes immediately after the lock-out, but the teams that were operating for years at a loss now break even or start making profit and end up having a more equal chance of winning against big market teams, then from the owners stand-point it's a win. The main problem that many fans have is that they view it from a fans standpoint.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

uh...do you think owners would rather

A. be the owner of a team in the worlds 3rd most popular sport while they lose 20 million per year

or

B. be the owner of a team in the worlds 5th most popular sport while they earn 20 million per year

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

:oldlol: NHL fans are crying for them to return back to ESPN. Fans = $$$, no Fans = loss, it's that simple, you'll eventually have to listen to what your customers are saying.

Re: Ric Bucher: Owners of both NBA/NHL teams, say a whole season lockout is worth it.
 

NHL ratings are the highest since Gretzky's prime right now. They definitely recovered.