Some NHL sponsors are "quietly expressing concern to the league about the possibility of their own image being tarnished" by the mounting number of "violent attacks on star players," according to Houpt & Ladurantaye of the GLOBE & MAIL. But even as "many Canadians wring their hands over the playoffs’ pugilistic turn, sponsors are holding their tongues in public and watching the ratings." Television ratings in the U.S. for the postseason are up 50% for NBC's group of channels "over this time last year." Viewership is also "strong in Canada." Following Blackhawks RW Marian Hossa being "carried off the ice on a stretcher following an ugly blindside hit" Tuesday, NHL COO John Collins "admitted the league is hearing from its business partners over the rash of suspensions and fines arising out of the on-ice antics, and the ensuing media coverage." Collins: "They’re paying us a lot of money to associate with our brand. So when our brand is under attack in the press on issues as serious as player safety, they want to know that the league is on top of it, and has a plan for dealing with it and hear the league articulate it." Houpt & Ladurantaye note a Discover logo "was featured prominently on the boards behind Mr. Hossa as he lay prone on the ice Tuesday night." A Discover spokesperson said the company, which is the league's official credit/debit/affinity card partner in the U.S., "expects that the NHL will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure that its players are safe." Visa Canada, which also is an NHL sponsor, said, "We do not get involved in or comment on the administration of sports, governing bodies or event organizers.” Houpt & Ladurantaye note marketers may be "speaking more forcefully to the league in private," but many also "recognize that, in an intensely competitive media environment where it is increasingly difficult to grab the attention of young and middle-aged men, playoff hockey provides some of the dwindling opportunities of so-called appointment television." Despite increased attention in recent years on brands’ "desire to associate themselves with causes that contribute to a better society, companies also realize a segment of their target market has no interest in such things" (GLOBE & MAIL, 4/19).
