A year long lock-out of ice hockey has been devastating. For a person who doesn’t like to watch football or basketball on TV, having no hockey as an alternative is disheartening. The pro hockey players’ bitter battle with the NHL and the players’ union has put hockey lovers at a great disadvantage.
Now, instead of going to enjoy a crowded Flyers game, hockey fans are flocking to minor league, Philly Phantoms games, which makes it harder to get tickets for even those games. Hockey fans are in withdraw, and why shouldn’t they be? Look at their alternatives.
They can watch football, but then they have to put up with every time a football is caught, a person is tackled, or a field goal kicked, some player has to do some stupid signature dance, or rub their naked butt on a goal post. I’m glad you’re happy with yourself, but please, why do you need to show the world that you can dance like drunken buffoon? Can’t you just play the game you’re being paid millions of dollars to play?
They could watch basketball but you never know when some stupid drunk fan is going to throw their drink at a player and cause an all out free-for-all that clips of will then get jammed down the world’s throat for months afterwards. What’s the deal with that? You got hit with a cup of liquid…big deal.
It’s hard in a city where these sports are jammed down everyone’s throat as much as they are, to avoid it. When we had hockey, at least there was an alternative to look forward too. Now we may not ever have that next year.
Of course there’s always good old standbys, like minor league hockey, and the Kixx (Philly’s highly underrated major league soccer team), the Wings (also, Philly’s highly underrated LAX team.) and I suppose even the Soul (even though they showboat less than the pro teams, they still showboat) to rely on.
Well, it’s just like always in Philly, one can’t give up hope-even in hopeless situations. Here’s to hoping and praying that the NHL and players’ union’s meeting this week goes well so those of us who don’t like the football and the basketball, and the alternatives, have something to look forward to.
