The NHL vs The NBA Playoffs

Yes, that is Charles Barkley, who gets paid to watch and analyze NBA games, saying he would rather watch the NHL playoffs than continue to watch the dismantling of the Boston Celtics at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.  This was during game 5 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Final.  And, it's not the first time Barkley has said he would rather be watching the NHL playoffs than the NBA.

This years playoffs have been beyond exciting, with many having gone into overtime, including Thursday's Eastern Conference Final game 7, needing double overtime to decide a winner.

The unpredictability and parity of the NHL playoffs is what has made it so exciting.  Who would have thought the Ottawa Senators would have reached the Eastern Conference Final when few would have thought they would have made the playoffs when the season began.
Or, what about the Nashville Predators sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round.

While there will be always favourites and underdogs, it's possible for an eighth seed to win the Stanley Cup like the Los Angeles Kings did in 2012, when they captured the franchise's first title.  The Nashville Predators could  be the next, though the league has done away with seedings after switching to a divisional playoff format.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, this years NBA finalists, were basically penciled in for a third straight showdown before the playoffs began.  On their way, the two teams only lost once, Cleveland losing to Boston in game 3 of the ECF.  It will be surely as exciting of a final as any other year and will finally provide the drama that has been missing from the NBA playoffs.

The NBA playoffs have basically been blowout and blowout.  That isn't to say there haven't been any of those in the NHL.  There's been a couple of 7-0 games, but those are far and few in between.  Otherwise, the games have been close and the hockey great.

Yet, the NHL's ratings get buried by the NBA's.  It's been that way forever and unlikely to change as Americans just don't seem to gravitate to the sport as Canadians do.  Of the fans who do watch the sport, it is often said that they are more passionate about hockey, compared to fans of other sports.

In 1994, following a thrilling seven game Stanley Cup Final between the eventual champions, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, Sports Illustrated declared that the NHL was poised to pass over the NBA.

Thanks to a lockout that wiped out half of the next season and the New Jersey Devils introducing everyone to the most offensive phrase to the sport "neutral zone trap", the NHL never surpassed the NBA in popularity.  Even as the NHL has expanded to more non-traditional hockey markets, it has found growing the game hard.

Why is that?

Part of it is that the NBA's stars are recognizable compared to the NHLs.  With a few exceptions, NHL players are bland and conforming, otherwise they would be chastised by the dinosaurs of the game.  That isn't the case with the NBA.  Their personalities are allowed to blossom and then some.

Basketball is played everywhere in America and by everyone.  All one really needs is a ball and they can head down to any park or school and there will be a hoop.  They can play from sun rise to sun down if they want.

For many Americans, the only ice that they know about is the ice cubes in their drinks. In the warmer states, there may not even be a ice rink.  It would be hard for people to take up the sport and become fans if they couldn't even play it.

Hockey is also very expensive to play that could cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in equipment.  It is no surprise that many families, even in Canada, have been passing over the sport, as it is becoming unaffordable.

Hockey will always be a niche sport and while it would be great if the NHL could rival the NBA, NFL, or MLB, they may be better off trying to break into China, where even a fraction of the more than 1.38 billion people becoming NHL fans, could be a big success for the league.

'Ad' Nauseum

In a time long, long ago, a NHL rink was devoid of any advertisements.  There weren't any beer or car logos soiling the white ice or the rink boards.  Those times have changed and then some.  Starting in the 1980s, teams began to sell advertisements on the boards, then the ice.  Over time, the ads have evolved.  Now, thanks to technology, they can be digitally projected onto the glass for the viewers at home.  During the 2016 World Cup of Hockey (more on that later), digital ads were injected into the television broadcasts, while the fans at the Air Canada Centre saw old fashion banners on the boards.  Today, if a game was played without any advertisements, it would actually be a shock, as fans have become completely use to them.

It could be worse.

It could be like in Europe, where ads litter the ice completely, as well as the players.

NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, has gone on record as saying the NHL has no plans on ads on jerseys...for now.  But, as NBA teams take to the floor with a small ad patch on the left chest on their jerseys, beginning in 2017-18, how long will NHL owners continue to sit on the bench and watch as money slips through their hands.  Its not like ads don't already appear on NHL jerseys, after all, albeit on practice jerseys.

When the NHL and Reebok were set to introduce an entirely new uniform system, which Reebok had dubbed RBK Edge, a rumour swirling around was that goalies would wear a different colour jersey, much like they do in soccer, and would feature advertising.  Thankfully, it didn't happen, along with the players having to tuck in their jerseys into their hockey pants.  So, the idea of ads on jerseys have been kicking around for some time, it's just that the NHL wasn't willing to be the first.

Back to the World Cup of Hockey.  The NHL tested the waters of how well ads on jerseys might be received by fans by placing tech company SAP's logo on the shoulder of all eight World Cup jerseys.  No financial terms were released.  Fans, suffice to say, do not like the idea of any advertisement on the jerseys.  It should be noted that the retail jerseys fans can buy didn't feature the ads.  But, that might only have been because the SAP sponsorship was announced after the the jerseys were already on sale.  Don't be surprised if the all-star game jerseys are next to be tested out.

The Cleveland Cavaliers became the latest team to sign an ad deal just a couple of days ago, signing with Goodyear.  They are the sixth team to do so.  The deal is reportedly for $10 million over the next 3 years, as the NBA test the waters and whether or not to continue with ads after those 3 years.  Goodyear's winged foot logo will even appear on hats and t-shirts.  Admittedly, the logo which is in Cleveland's colours, didn't look out of place on the hats and t-shirts, and if one didn't know it was Goodyear, might think it was just part of the design.

NHL teams won't command $10 million a year.  Other NBA teams won't even get that much.  Even the big market NHL teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs or Chicago Blackhawks would be unlikely to be able to charge that much.  But, they should still get a premium over what lesser teams like the Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers might be able to ask for.  It has been suggested that the league could generate an extra $120 million in ad revenue.  

My opinion on the ads is that the NHL should stay away from them.  The jersey is sacred and shouldn't be sullied by an advertisement for McDonald's or Molson or anything else.  It would a kin to selling one's soul.  And for what?  The price of a third liner or fifth defencemen?  Sure, some teams could use that extra revenue, but if you are already losing millions every year, then you've got some bigger problems. 

Will it happen?  Unfortunately , probably.  It is unlikely to happen until for another few years as the NHL studies how it goes down with the NBA.  In the end, ads on jerseys may become as normal as ads on the boards and ice.