More specifically, they are a cartel.
A cartel is an organization of otherwise independent entities, formed expressly to limit competition by controlling the production and distribution of a product or service. Cartels attempt to gain for their members most of the benefits of a monopoly, including monopoly power over terms of trade. The lockout is an example of the cartel exercising this power. This is important to remember next time someone tries to make it out that the NHL lockout is somehow analogous to industrial action in some other sector. Unless they're talking about the OPEC oil embargoes of the 1970s they're talking out of an orifice other than their mouth.
Many people take a "plague on both their houses" attitude to the whole thing, and fair enough, you don't have to like the players' or the NHLPA, their union --an argument can probably be made that the cartel benefits at least some of the players. But if you find yourself more explicitly on the owners' side, I hope you're clear about what it is you're supporting. It certainly isn't capitalism or the operation of the 'free market' more generally, rather it's the naked exercise of power to restrain wages and claim windfall profits.
For myself, I can't seem to help it, I hope they players can hold together and "win" this fight. Why? These are guys who are the absolute best at what they do. What they do is play a "kid's game" but people pay to watch, and it's not crazy to think that the guys playing it should get a pretty significant chunk of what's paid. There are about 750 players on NHL rosters each year, and maybe another 400 who are "on the bubble" so call it around 1200 people in the world who are able to play at that level, out of who knows how many hundreds of thousands who played at least semi-seriously at some point in their lives. Of people in the appropriate age range who ever played with some idea of maybe making it a career, NHL players are the cream, the 0.01% at least.
Before we consider how much they should make, consider how much someone in the top hundredth of the top percentile makes in other professions. Think about the elite in law, medicine, business, finance! Yikes! Now consider how many of those elite professionals have as high a probability that their next case, surgery, deal, meeting, might be their last as an elite professional?
So what's the appropriate compensation?
I'll try and address that soon.
For myself, I can't seem to help it, I hope they players can hold together and "win" this fight. Why? These are guys who are the absolute best at what they do. What they do is play a "kid's game" but people pay to watch, and it's not crazy to think that the guys playing it should get a pretty significant chunk of what's paid. There are about 750 players on NHL rosters each year, and maybe another 400 who are "on the bubble" so call it around 1200 people in the world who are able to play at that level, out of who knows how many hundreds of thousands who played at least semi-seriously at some point in their lives. Of people in the appropriate age range who ever played with some idea of maybe making it a career, NHL players are the cream, the 0.01% at least.
Before we consider how much they should make, consider how much someone in the top hundredth of the top percentile makes in other professions. Think about the elite in law, medicine, business, finance! Yikes! Now consider how many of those elite professionals have as high a probability that their next case, surgery, deal, meeting, might be their last as an elite professional?
"Oops, he really mangled his signature there, Bob! I hate to say it right now after what we've just witnessed, but you just gotta wonder if he'll ever be able to come back from that!"Finally consider the lack of control players have over where they play. Each year the very best young players are pretty much forced to go to work for the very worst teams. Perhaps they're lucky, like Sidney Crosby who got drafted to a team in a cyclical downturn. Perhaps though they go to a team that has a long and illustrious history of turning great prospects into pumpkins. Mentioning no teams by name.
So what's the appropriate compensation?
I'll try and address that soon.
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