Let me preface this update by saying this is not what I intended to write about today. I was going to write about how much the Red Sox bullpen depressed me this weekend or the absolute circus the Ilya Kovalchuk deal is turning into. This one just kind of fell into my lap from something I posted on Facebook.
I posted the newly released logo for the 2011 NHL All Star Game that is set to take place in Raleigh, North Carolina next January. Someone commented something about giving Hartford back the Whalers. For those baseball fans who read my blog, the current NHL team in NC is a relocated team from Hartford Connecticut. Nothing against the good people of Hartford, but it got me thinking. It got me thinking about how difficult it is for people to realize that as much as we might live and breathe for our sports teams, it is only a money making enterprise for a lot of people involved with the teams and the leagues as a whole. It's just business and we are all guilty of being oblivious to this at times, no matter how savvy we think we are.
I am also of the pretty unpopular opinion that if a city has a franchise leave, they don't necessarily deserve to get one back further down the road. For example, there has been talk of my NFL team moving from Jacksonville for years. Low attendance, low revenues... the writing is on the wall. It's uncertain how long that can continue before Wayne Weaver decides he has let enough cash go through his fingers. Would I be devastated if the team I have followed since their Inaugural game against the Houston Oilers ceased to be? Absolutely. Would I understand why the franchise folded? Absolutely.
Some experiments just don't work. This holds true for sports teams and science projects. Just because it's something you love, doesn't mean it's a perfect idea. Would I love for Hartford or Winnipeg to prove me wrong? Sure. I'm just not 100% convinced they would be able to.
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