Will the NHL boycott games? Should it?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Zamboniman

I can't say I'm surprised by the game postponement decision by the diversity committee. In fact, I kinda expected it, which was one of the reasons I wanted to start this discussion.


Reading the comments is *fascinating* to me. Lots of folks seem to think such decisions don't actually have an effect in these kind of things. When, of course, we *know* they do (thanks to wealthy folks' bottom lines getting affected) and often are the *only* things that have enough of an effect to enact actual change.

But in this case, I am not sure whether this has any affect at all on NHL owners pockets, does it? As I understand it, the reason for playing out the season in the first place was to fulfill TV contracts that were already paid out for the year, and to avoid having to hand back enormous refunds. But the tournament itself isn't generating any new revenue for NHL owners at present, is it?

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[White Out 403]

Boycotting a game before all the facts are out and investigation is done seems unwise.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Really? Because they are in Canada and not playing today...meanwhile baseball

No bubble, in US, playing games today

I'm not talking about baseball, although games were boycotted yesterday and games are being boycotted today. The baseball commish and his support staff are open to criticism as well, no issues with that, but this is a hockey board. You're schtick of deflecting whenever somebody opposes you're point of view is old.

Hockey has a track record of putting issues as important as this one on the back burner, till they are confronted by the masses. See the hazing and bullying issue, the coaches that were penalized for their abusive behaviour earlier this year, and yes racism, its a culture within the game that needs to be addressed more diligently by meaningful action, by all parties, especially the NHL.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by CGY12

I'm not talking about baseball, although games were boycotted yesterday and games are being boycotted today. The baseball commish and his support staff are open to criticism as well, no issues with that, but this is a hockey board. You're schtick of deflecting whenever somebody opposes you're point of view is old.



Hockey has a track record of putting issues as important as this one on the back burner, till they are confronted by the masses. See the hazing and bullying issue, the coaches that were penalized for their abusive behaviour earlier this year, and yes racism, its a culture within the game that needs to be addressed more diligently by meaningful action, by all parties, especially the NHL.

I don't know. Singling out the NHL in this situation seems to me like a veiled form of scapegoating. I don't see how they are any more or less culpable than any of the other big leagues.

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[dammage79]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

Boycotting a game before all the facts are out and investigation is done seems unwise.

What's unwise? Seems pretty cut and dry. And let's not omit the fact the protest also include Junior wannabe SS member who shot ppl and then got protected by the police and went back home across state line before getting arrested. On top of all the other previous incidents that gave the entire movement oxygen.

But yeah, let's go with the wait and see approach and see if the law sides with cops shooting a man in the back 7 times instead of doing literally anything else to prevent that.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I don't know. Singling out the NHL in this situation seems to me like a veiled form of scapegoating. I don't see how they are any more or less culpable than any of the other big leagues.

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Agree to disagree.

[sureLoss]

Lots of players at the zoom call to discuss their decision.

[yourbestfriend]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

This is a difficult one. Again, I think that we have to separate Lebron James the black man with shared black community experiences, from Lebron James the superstar athlete who makes money off of endorsement deals from a multinational corporation that profits off of slavery. That's difficult, but someone can be hypocritical but still right about something. I am one of the first to tear into Lebron for his silence on China, but it has NOTHING to do with how he or other black people feel about the current situation in the United States. Period.

I'm a bit confused as to what your saying, why would we separate his opinions? As Azure posted before, right is right, wrong is wrong. There's no two ways about it. You can't pick and choose your morality because it's convenient.
The racial issues going on in the US right now is wrong.
The China issues (Uighurs, HK etc etc) is wrong.

When one of the most prominent athletes in the world who happens to be a stakeholder in both above issues is deciding to pick and choose his morality because it's convenient (aka $$$), it's understandable, but makes him a huge POS.
Of course Lebron and Nike are two separate entities, and pinning Nike's shadier business practice's on Lebron would be unfair. However, you'd be naive to believe that Lebron not commenting on the China issues had nothing to do with his billion dollar contract with Nike.

[Icon]

I'm ok with a boycott, I'd also be ok without one. Other than the media attention (which is likely mostly in Canada, not the US), I guess I just don't know if it has more impact to matter. Regardless, they'll get the attention this deserves for a few days, hopefully get everyone, and especially maybe the right people thinking more about it, and then see if it'll stick in people's minds when things resume again.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

Boycotting a game before all the facts are out and investigation is done seems unwise.

This isn't about one case. It is one tipping point in a long sad history.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I don't know. Singling out the NHL in this situation seems to me like a veiled form of scapegoating. I don't see how they are any more or less culpable than any of the other big leagues.

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Scapegoating is not the right term IMO. I don't see people suggesting the NHL is culpable with regards to racial inequities. The players and league are responsible though for their response in light of what is happening in pro sports.

The PGA tour is holding the first round of the BMW championships like it was another day at the pandemic office. Surprise, surprise.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by troutman

This isn't about one case. It is one tipping point in a long sad history.

White Out is well aware. They're regularly downplaying systemic racism in the off-topic thread about George Floyd, it's pretty clear at this point in time that their ignorance to the subject is willful.

[Sylvanfan]

For something like this, it should be up to the players to decide if they want a pause or if they want to continue. At this point in time they are the game, and if they as a group collectively feel that they may lack focus, or they don't want to draw attention away from the incident by pushing on, they're the ones who will provide the best feedback.

It's a sensitive situation right now, and employers are best served by not forcing their employees to work when they are not comfortable doing so. Likewise the employer should not decide without some form of consultation with the employees to stop the games. The idea of sports being separate from the rest of the world, or the show must go on are ideals of the past. I would hope that these sorts of events will stop. But I expect that we are going to see more postponements of sporting events in the future. Things are still going to take a long time to change unfortunately.

[Crown Royal]

I'm proud of the NHL players for standing together today.

This is a problem that needs more attention. If these games enlighten just 1 more person, it is making a positive change in the world.

I'm sick of seeing my people murdered by police. I'm sick of my people getting more severe punishment for the same crimes. I'm sick of seeing governments passing and trying to pass laws to protect systemic racism. I'm sick of being pulled over for driving while black. I'm sick of people denying this is a real problem, sick of them essentially telling me that my life matters less than theirs because of the color of my skin.

The only way these thing will change is by more white folks opening their eyes to the problem and standing up and making a statement because it opens more eyes than us doing it, because after centuries of just wanting to be treated like human beings our voices clearly don't ####ing matter.

[Ped]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

Boycotting a game before all the facts are out and investigation is done seems unwise.

How many instances of white cops shooting unarmed black men do you need before you consider all the facts are in? This isn't just about the most recent incident. It's about all the incidents. It's about a lifetime of racism and unfair treatment and being afraid for your life when you get pulled over because you're black.



The fact that you don't understand this is rather sad and pathetic.

[Mathgod]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1298953658856435712

[The Familia]

I don’t believe there are any owners that are actually going to feel these protests in their pockets, nor will these protests change anything. I’m positive every sport franchise owner makes their money through other business ventures. Sports teams are vanity projects for them. If the NBA collapsed, every owner would shrug their shoulders and go back to collecting their millions through their various other companies and assets that they have. The players will lose out most because if a league collapses the owners all have back up businesses and investments. Most players, especially lower level players have nothing to fall back on financially.

If the new normal is politics constantly infiltrating all aspects of sports than I am officially done with all pro sports for good. I go to CNN, FOX or Global/CBC/CTV for my political news not TSN. I wonder if players would have walked out if there were actual paying fans in the stands. A lot of people might be pissed off if they paid to attend a game and then it was cancelled.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by The Familia

I don’t believe there are any owners that are actually going to feel these protests in their pockets, nor will these protests change anything. I’m positive every sport franchise owner makes their money through other business ventures. Sports teams are vanity projects for them. If the NBA collapsed, every owner would shrug their shoulders and go back to collecting their millions through their various other companies and assets that they have. The players will lose out most because if a league collapses the owners all have back up businesses and investments. Most players, especially lower level players have nothing to fall back on financially.

If the new normal is politics constantly infiltrating all aspects of sports than I am officially done with all pro sports for good. I go to CNN, FOX or Global/CBC/CTV for my political news not TSN. I wonder if players would have walked out if there were actual paying fans in the stands. A lot of people might be pissed off if they paid to attend a game and then it was cancelled.

This isn't politics. This is human rights.

[GS Skier]

"Hockey has a track record of putting issues as important as this one on the back burner, till they are confronted by the masses. "

I actually take umbrage at that statement. Says who? You?

CG12 Who are the "masses" you speak off. 25 year olds in mobs who think they are the first to deal with the racism problem. All you and your ilk do is virtue signal and bully others into accepting your virtue signalling. How many actual east indian, muslim, native or black friends do you have? Maybe you do! That's all you can do is make sure YOU aren't a racist. Only you can prevent forest fires and only you can treat everyone as people not races.

My friends Ziad, Rufus and Jag never bring it up. Want to see pics of the block party we had 3 weeks ago?

You might as well protest drug addiction.

When any of the 84 US policemen who've died in the line of duty so far this year were killed, did Pro Sports to come to a stand still? No? Why not? How many people have been shot to death in Chicago this year? Virtue signalling does NOT stop racists from being racist.

My real point needs to be remade.
1968 Mexico City 2 black amaerican atheletes gave a Black Panther salute. The IOC banded all such political activity with penalties such as disqualification in the next Olympics..
When Patton won at the academy awards a first nations girl came up instead and made a political speech. This kept on for a few years until they said enough was enough.

Pro sports will suffer and lose yet more viewers the more political they get. I have zero interest in the NFL couldn't care less anymore.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by CGY12

I'm not talking about baseball, although games were boycotted yesterday and games are being boycotted today. The baseball commish and his support staff are open to criticism as well, no issues with that, but this is a hockey board. You're schtick of deflecting whenever somebody opposes you're point of view is old.

Hockey has a track record of putting issues as important as this one on the back burner, till they are confronted by the masses. See the hazing and bullying issue, the coaches that were penalized for their abusive behaviour earlier this year, and yes racism, its a culture within the game that needs to be addressed more diligently by meaningful action, by all parties, especially the NHL.

Schtick? It's hardly deflection to say baseball is actually last on this...they are still playing games in the US and won't have a single day off.