I Can't Watch This

After having two weeks of incredible to hockey watch where television viewers weren't bombarded by sports betting commercials and digitals advertisements all over the boards, it was back to NHL hockey tonight where if it can be sold, it will be. While the action on the ice will once again make us wish for a third line that boasts Sidney Crosby and Nick Suzuki, the advertising was particularly noticeable this evening after having streamed a vast number of Olympic hockey games where advertising wasn't allowed. To be blunt, watching the NHL return to the ice and TV tonight was a chore with all the repeated commercials and uneffective advertising.

I realize that the easiest way to get around this problem is to continue to stream games where most networks have not monetized their internet streams with commercials. I know of several ways to find streams, so there's a good chance I might be able to avoid the grossly excessive sports betting commercials that seem to be the only thing the NHL allows networks to advertise. That won't solve the digital ads constantly flashing around the boards that are neither effective nor insightful, so I can't really avoid those advertisements.

Some will look at this complaint and just categorize it as "old man yells at cloud," but the difference tonight was definitely noticeable compared to this past weekend. I get that the NHL is a business and needs to generate revenue to remain in business, but the IOC operates under the same "make money" mandate to stay in business and they seemed to be able to run a two-week tournament without the myriad of garbage advertising being shown by networks. I think we can all admit, at this point, that the NHL is willing to take any money dumped at its doorstep regardless of who dropped it there without any questions.

Does it have to be this way? No, of course not, but, as stated above, there isn't any amount of money that the NHL won't take for any reason. When I did watch Olympic hockey games on television, the commercials were often more about the Olympic spirit and companies that support the Olympic teams rather than just being random advertisements. Why can't NHL broadcasts employ that idea?

In the end, it seems we were treated to some amazing hockey in Italy, and, thanks to the IOC's broadcast policies, the lack of commercials and digital ads was noticeable, making their broadcasts so much better than what the NHL gives us. Watching the Seattle-Dallas and Winnipeg-Vancouver games felt like the NHL was brainwashing me to love commercials as if I were Derek Zoolander.

The NHL could be so much better with its broadcasts and its network partners, but it has no monetary incentive to do so. That will always be the problem until someone can figure out how the NHL can be a billion-dollar industry on its own without selling off the game's integrity for some Brink's truck of money. Honestly, it's hard to judge whether or not the NHL actually cares about that integrity because it if can be monetized the NHL seems to have a plan for that. Again, it could be better, but there's zero incentive to actually be better.

I'll leave you with this: I watched all of about ten minutes of the Seattle-Dallas game and one period of the Winnipeg-Vancouver game before I turned them off. I just couldn't watch the games after having experienced the Olympic broadcasts. I guess it WILL take some reprogramming of my brain to get back into NHL hockey.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!