Quote:
Originally Posted by Corral
Pro sports is a spectacle. Without fans in the stands it is a shell of itself. Generally poor entertainment value. Money aside, its an interesting question to me whether these games would be played at all if nobody was watching on tv or streaming.
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I think viewership is a separate issue from whether or not the games are played this season, and one from which it is impossible to remove the equation of money. As I understand it, the reason the League was so determined to finish the season was because they had already been paid in full by the networks for a complete 2019–20 hockey season. The alternative to playing was to return a huge amount of money, or to agree to a massive rebate as compensation on subsequent payments.
So, even if no one was watching, I suspect the NHL would have gone ahead and played out the schedule anyways as part of their contractual obligation, and as the most palatable alternative to returning hundreds of millions of dollars.