The Victoria Cougars won the Stanley Cup a hundred years ago. Being the last non-NHL team to win the Cup brought notoriety and attention. The timing of their victory celebration is noteworthy, especially considering this year’s Stanley Cup Final. If the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers complete a seven-game series, they will play the last game on Summer’s Eve, June 20. That will be 82 days after the Cup’s awarding in 1925. At this rate, the Cup winners will receive their reward on Sept. 10, in 2125, about a week before training camp starts, making the NHL a year-round sport with no off-season. Hockey fans may rejoice, but I doubt it.
How did a winter sport like hockey end up on the calendar until summer? How about a fall football season that once ended at the end of December, that now seems destined to end on Washington’s birthday (Feb. 22)? Or MLB, which knows it can’t creep any further than early November at the end, but begins its season before spring has even arrived? The almighty dollar answers these questions and more. The demand, and dare I say, greed that motivates decision-making in major sports leagues has become unhealthy and strange. Blaming players and owners falls short. Pointing fingers at television executives makes sense. But the real fault rests with the insatiable fan. The fan has demanded more of what he gets, like a glutton at a buffet. Owners could argue that they have only responded to market demands, but they have also created a hunger for more and played on fans’ emotional investment in their local team. Like a liquor company and an alcoholic, the owners use the fans as an excuse to lengthen seasons, offer more showcases, and tempt the addict with more product.
In an era when sanity prevailed, the NHL started in mid-October and ended around the middle of April. Teams played about 70 games, and players led normal lives. Some worked in the summer months to pay the bills and developed the skills required for a career after hockey. It made them relatable to fans who understood how hard it was to put food on the table and clothes on their family members’ backs. Similarly, athletes in other sports experienced the same. The effort to expand markets in the mid-1960s revolutionized sports. Rival leagues (the American Football League in 1960 to the National Football League) increased competition for players and resulted in higher salaries. Owners had to figure out more ways to separate the fans from their money. Television took centre stage.
Hockey Night in Canada premiered on the CBC in 1952. Major League Baseball games aired on Saturday afternoons from the 1950s onward, but football had a slower start. Basketball lagged even further behind. Once TV dominated the evening schedule in homes, it was not long before sports programming flourished. High viewership accompanied wrestling and boxing, but team sports wanted in, and soon, fans, eager to identify with a nearby city, tuned into national and local broadcasts. Network executives paid for the product, sold advertising, and sports were off to the races, quickly turning into multi-million-dollar businesses. Trailing behind were athletes who, unless enormous stars, lived on modest salaries and hoped for a career that lasted long enough for them to save enough money for retirement. Add in a players’ union, rising revenues, skyrocketing ratings, unremitting coverage and the ingredients are there for seasons that last too long, ceaseless negotiations between players and teams, unions and leagues, leagues and broadcast partners. The fan ends up on the short end but has also contributed mightily. Attendance figures have grown for in-person tickets, and ratings have increased on television and streaming platforms. Fans happily purchase merchandise and overspend to travel and see their favourite team play in opposing cities. The tap never gets turned off because the supply never ends.
Expecting any of this to change defies logic. Sports executives at the leagues and for every team understand the principles of business. Making money trumps the seasonal calendar. Geography has been easily overcome. Play hockey in southern climes? No problem. Holding outdoor ice hockey games becomes viable in places like California or Texas because fans love a spectacle. In response, owners will purchase technology to overcome weather or climate obstacles, knowing that people will pay high prices to experience something as unique as an outdoor hockey game during a California sunset. The problem has become two-sided. The owners are looking to meet fan demands, and the fans want more options.
Will sports markets ever become too satiated? The key is the athletes’ willingness to endure punishment and fans’ acceptance of a diluted product resulting from injuries, expansion, and extended seasons. The football season, previously 12 games, is expanding to 18 games soon. Baseball has played 162 games for over 60 years, but it went from two pennant winners playing for the World Series to 12 teams now qualifying for a lengthy postseason. Basketball season includes an in-season tournament, a postseason tournament of 20 teams, and a month (March) dedicated to college teams playing in various outposts across the nation to win what can appropriately be called “madness.” What began as reasonable efforts to provide folks with some distraction and entertainment now ranks as some of the biggest enterprises in business.
In February 1989, Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys for $140 million. Ruling what amounts to an empire, Jones and his heirs control a franchise worth a minimum of $10 billion dollars today. The New York Yankees logo imprints hats, jerseys, t-shirts, and more. It may be the most recognizable global product in the world. Every time you reach into your wallet, use your credit card, or order merchandise online, just remember you are encouraging the perversion of our seasonal sports into corporate entities that operate 24/7 and 365 days a year. No offseason for these mints masquerading as sports teams. If you dislike the result, examine your contribution.
Dave Redekop is a retired elementary resource teacher who worked part-time at the St. Catharines Courthouse as a Registrar until being appointed Executive Director at Redeemer Bible Church in October 2023. He has worked on political campaigns since high school and attended university in South Carolina for five years, earning a Master’s in American History with a specialization in Civil Rights. Dave loves reading biographies.
