ShareThisBy RICK SADOWSKI
Scripps Howard News Service
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman has grown weary of talk regarding poor television ratings in the United States and the view in some quarters that sports fans have little interest in the league and perhaps even less in this year's Stanley Cup Finals.
"We are what we are and we think we're pretty darn good," Bettman said in a forceful tone before the Anaheim Ducks' 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 Monday night at the Honda Center.
The NHL has been criticized for the post-lockout decision to air its games on cable network Versus in the U.S. (along with NBC for some weekend contests and Games 3 through 7 of the Finals), where a microscope comes in handy to view Nielsen ratings.
Also, only a handful of U.S. newspapers are covering this series, a circumstance Bettman attributed to cost-cutting measures rather than little appeal for hockey.
"We like where we are," Bettman said, adding that the league will generate close to $2.4 billion in revenues this season while attracting record crowds _ in excess of 20 million fans for the sixth year in a row.
Bettman acknowledged "not everything is perfect" and he'd like to see better TV numbers, but he said: "The media world is changing and in recognition of that fact we are using new technology in a big way."
The NHL has agreements with a number of digital partners, including Google MySpace and YouTube.
"Nielsen TV ratings is but one measure; it doesn't define us," Bettman said. "Research also says we probably have somewhere around 50 million fans. What it tells you is people who follow this game (and) are passionate about the game don't watch it on TV in the United States as much as we'd all like.
"There are probably two or three other sports that do better than we do and there are a bunch of niche sports that don't even come close. We don't have to apologize to anybody for what we are.
"We've been around since 1917 (and) we'll be around for hundreds of years going forward."
Bettman's gotta go!
he's screwed up the NHL so much, it's unbelievable. The Stanley Cup Finals are on a channel that no one has heard of, and if they have, they probably don't get! Talk about stupid!
It's time to get rid of Bettman:
http://www.FireBettman.com