Quote:
Originally Posted by BruceM
They only have a territorial monoply according to themselves and some of the other NHL owners.
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Setting up a rival league is not really a cost-effective way of getting some market competition. The ownership of the Maple Leafs realized long ago that they will always make plenty of money in this town regardless of the kind of team they put on the ice. Without competition they have no incentive to change at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BruceM
And I seriously pray the NHL never goes to a European football structure.
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I'm as used to the North American sports league model as anyone else in North America is. But that doesn't mean the model is above criticism.
Another downside to the closed league structure is that too often it allows a sports team to essentially blackmail its host city into coughing up public tax dollars to help build the private team (business) a new stadium. How often have we seen the "if you don't help up build a new stadium, we're moving to another city" threat used in the last twenty-five years?
That sort of threat is meaningless in an open league structure because of the lack of monopoly territories.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RchW
It never will. Can you imagine 19,000 empty seats in Toronto as they start the 20XX season in the 3rd division.
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The current Maple Leafs club is arguably a second division (if not third division) team in terms of quality, but the Air Canada Centre will still be filled to capacity all season long. Not to mention the sale of merchandise, television money, etc.
Besides, if one looks at the Premier League, how many of its major clubs have been relegated out of the League during its history? Is Manchester United or Arsenal in danger of being relegated any time soon? Big clubs will nearly always stay in the top division because of their home markets. Also, unlike in a closed league, they can't coast through a season with minimum effort. The threat of relegation (and consequent loss of income and prestige) ensures at least some good measure of effort each year in putting together a competitive team.