You know, when sports are joyful for players and fans, then I think sports are doing what they're supposed to do. I've known many amateur hockey players in my day, and not only because I used to live in Canada. I'm thinking about a father and his teen/adult sons who played in my Detroit neighborhood every winter, helping organize a league.

They play hockey because they love hockey. They love the challenges (playing hockey well is hard!), the physical fitness it builds, and the comradery it inspires. Players on both sides often go out for beers together after the games.

I know they love pro hockey too, taking a certain vicarious joy from watching the game played by athletes at the top of their form.

I appreciate that and respect their enthusiasm, though I have a hard time appreciating pro sports myself, mostly because of the business aspects of it that you write about. It feels like team owners and managers often suck the joy out of the games.

But maybe that's just me.

I used to be passionate about pro baseball, because I really love the game of baseball. I think it's beautiful. I think it's a great metaphor for life. But over the years and decades, seeing it treated as a cold-blooded business disillusioned me.

I never decided to stop watching pro baseball. I just stopped because I didn't care anymore, because I couldn't feel the joy anymore.

Maybe NHL leadership should think about that? I don't know. I think they're badly misjudging, but maybe their cold-blooded business calculus really is enough to inform them that they'll do better with this decision than not. That their profits will be greater by indulging bigotry than by acting decently and morally.

Have I mentioned how much I despise capitalism? 🤣

Oh, well, I'll have a cinnamon bun, please. With some pumpkin spice hot chocolate. That might be an effective antidote for my cynicism for a little while anyway. Lol.

Thanks for the mention!