The Olympics business world met last week's news that the NHL will not participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Games "with a shrug," according to Ben Fischer of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Pilson Communications President Neal Pilson said, "Hockey is not the most important sport in the Winter Olympics from a television point of view. It’s an issue that doesn’t have a huge impact on revenue generation by NBC. If I’m at NBC, I’d rather have NHL players, but it’s not a disaster." Platinum Rye Entertainment Senior Dir of Marketing Greg Goldring, who advises brands on Olympic athlete campaigns, said, "Hockey’s hockey. It’s got a strong endemic fan base, and during the Olympics, whether our stars are on the ice or not, people are going to be rooting for Team USA or their respective country" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/10 issue).
ALL BETTS ARE OFF: In N.Y., Larry Brooks wrote NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has been "holding the Olympics as a five-ringed chip to use as leverage" against the NHL Players' Association since '13. The Winter Games have become a "pressure point rather than an opportunity" for the NHL to "market its players and establish itself as a global enterprise." But that "never has been the priority." The priority has been "getting the next win against the union." Brooks: "It is just the beginning of Owners’ Lockout IV" (N.Y. POST, 4/9).
