ajm7719

"10 Minute Misconduct"

Philadelphia, PA • United States • 21 Years Old • Male

Lessons from The Boss

I attended the Bruce Springsteen concert last night (Sept. 3rd) at Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia and realized many striking similarties to his working man songs and the NHL and its CBA issues. Bruce continually referenced that it was Labor Day and we need to value our jobs and the life we have left to live every day. Maybe the NHL and NHLPA can finally realize without its fans they would have no jobs and that our labor is what pays for them to be able to play and not actually have to work.

Bruce led off his set with "The Factory," a song about the working life and the men and women who need their jobs every day just to make a decent living for themselves and their family. This song is one that will represent the arena's employees and staff who need these jobs to provide for their families. The NHL and its Players may be in a labor issue only concerning themselves but they must realize they will be putting thousands of people jobless and hurting their families by them not recieving those paychecks from missed games. Funny how a player missing millions of dollars and an usher missing a few hundred dollars have drastically different effects.

One of Springsteen's more popular songs is his hit off of the Born to Run album titled "Tenth-Avenue Freeze Out." This seems to be a good title for what the owners are doing to the players. They are keeping the players locked out unless they play hardball. Well the players made their ante and had Donald Fehr be their "big man" joining the band to have a veteran negotiator in their corner. The song while upbeat in nature is beginning to make fans feel as in they are being left out in the cold and shut out. We need the hope that the labor talks will begin to feel more like this song and take a more upbeat approach and we as fans can begin to "sit back right easy and laugh."

Gary Bettman looks down on the NHL fans as his own personal puppets for his amusements. He claims he has the fans best interests at heart but he has betrayed us before, one could say "Adam Raised A Cain." This is a reference to the biblical story of Adam's son Cain killing his brother Abel out of jealousy and mistrust. Bettman is kiling many fans with lies and deception. Many of the casual hockey fans gained in the last few years will leave permanently if another lockout is to ensue under Bettman's watch.


The NHL has had such huge success in recent years they are killing fans wth the threat of another lockout. We can only hope that at the end of September 15th they come to a realzation and allow the puck to be dropped on October 11th letting fans back into"The Promised Land" we know as our local NHL arena.

From the Box
-Alex