Things I hate about certain sports: Retaliation for Clean Hits in the NHL and Music During NLL Games

There are a few things that have come up in discussions with friends that had me thinking about certain aspects of sports. I’m sure this will be the first of a handful of installments to be developed as they come up.


The National Hockey League: Retaliation for legitimate hits

I hate how legitimate hits have become the new instigator for retaliation in hockey. As a competitor in full-contact team sports, I believe blatant cheap-shots and attempts to injure or dismay players with physical brutality has always warranted team toughness; whether that means dropping the gloves to fight or applying a more physical presence, I have no quarrel with a team refusing to be bullied. However, it seems that any highlight of physical play, clean or dirty, is starting to become the justification for retaliation by teams across the NHL. Now, remember this discussion is outside of the realm of head-hunting hits or attempts to injure; I am purely focusing on good, clean contact whether the result leaves the player on the receiving end in good health or not. Hockey players in the NHL have acclimatized themselves to an environment where physical contact is the norm and it does not matter if one is a superstar goal scorer or physical enforcer. This idea has to take precedence next time a team feels cheated because their leading point-getter had his head down in the neutral-zone resulting in his bell being severely –but cleanly- rung.

Retaliation for good physical plays only looks like a team or individual is unable to cope with the mentality of tough hockey, something that has drastically been reduced by officiating since about the 1990’s. However, not all is lost. One cannot help but be inspired when the two best players in the NHL (Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin) bring their physical play to the game and show that the best players must have considerable ability in this characteristic of hockey to be considered well-rounded; Crosby’s willingness to fight when it is warranted and Ovechkin’s highlight reel hits send a great message to the fans of hockey when it comes to how to best implement physicality in the game. Having the status these players have and being able to dish out exactly what they are expected to take game after game, has to be understood universally throughout the sport of hockey. Anything less, such as players or teams who do not like to see their teammates involved in hard physical play, should not be tolerated and even labeled as ‘heartless’. Hitting and fighting in hockey is here to stay because they are tools of strategy utilized throughout the game; players unwilling to man-up and accept that they may one day be caught dealing with these strategies is ultimately kidding themselves and unworthy of protection.



The National Lacrosse League: Music during games

I hate how the National Lacrosse League has made it standard practice to play music in the background during games. For those of you unfamiliar with professional indoor lacrosse, a quick visit to YouTube should provide for a quick tutorial. The fact that professional indoor lacrosse is a relatively new sport in the conglomerate of professional sports seen around the world, people need to learn how the game works in order for them to enjoy its full potential. What does not help, is a playlist of music going on while fans and players are trying to focus on game play. I have worked as the music jockey for some high profile lacrosse games and implemented the same principles used in hockey games; associate a song’s emotion with the emotion of the current situation in the game as to keep the crowd in tune, but once play is underway let the focus be entirely on the game itself. It seems that the NLL is so concerned with fans being less than entertained by a game considered by many as one of the best spectator sports in the world, they thought an atmosphere familiar to a waiting room would be the best way to insure the ticket-buyer is getting the best value for their patronage.

Music during the play of professional lacrosse only cheapens the experience for fans and provides a further obstacle to people learning the first game that united Canada in sport. The easier a sport is to focus on, the easier it is to learn; the more known about a sport, the more the little nuances become valued and therefore the mechanics of the game become that much more appreciated. The NLL needs to stop worrying about its fan’s possible lack of amusement and let the game itself become the unquestioned epicenter for their entertainment without the bells and whistles. Obviously, professional sports are about drawing fans and making money, and one cannot do that without providing the most entertainment possible. However, when professional entertainers –because in the end, that is what all professional sporting entities are- cheapen their showcase performance by diluting it with anything they think will appease their audience, that same audience begins to lose respect for the very “sport” they have come to the arena to enjoy.



Keeping his head up and music down,

Matias M. Barchman