The Popcorn Stand: No way to treat your fans

Again if you’re not a sports fan this Popcorn Stand isn’t for you, but I have to admit I’m writing about something I really don’t care about. Hockey. I think the last hockey game I watched was when the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

But as I was flipping around the channels Thursday night I came across the NHL Network and the first thing I thought was there’s an NHL Network? The NHL Network was supposed to be showing the Las Vegas Golden Knights playing, well, I don’t care who they were playing. But the game was blacked out.

Why was the game blacked out in Carson City? I’ll never figure out why major sporting events are blacked out. I mean does the NHL Network actually think Carson City is anywhere near Las Vegas?

Actually that would be no different than a lot of PR people I deal with. I can’t tell you how annoyed I get when some PR person calls me or sends me an e-mail telling me about some event that’s happening in Las Vegas, like tomorrow, and we would love it if you could be there. Do a little research people. Or at least look at a map.

I don’t understand in today’s society why every game isn’t on TV somewhere without any restrictions. But things haven’t really changed. I remember the story that happened about 20 years ago when some poor working stiffs in a bar tried to set up their rabbit ears so they could watch the Raiders just because they were inside some 75-mile or so blackout zone.

The NFL actually sent investigators to this bar to crack down on these sinister criminals for trying to illegally watch a football game. That’s how the NFL thanks their fans. Never mind the problems with concussions, CTE, the criminal element of your league, cracking down on fans who will do anything they can to watch your product, that’s what matters.

NHL, NFL, no matter the acronym, doing what’s best for their fans certainly isn’t what matters.

— Charles Whisnand