In the world of professional sports labor disputes are never surprising. Owners are always trying to figure out ways to increase their revenue and save their bottom line. The players are always trying to increase their salary and benefits. This is and has been the trend of the Sports Industry, as we know it. There is this perception that owners are businessmen and should be greedy and the players should just be grateful they’re getting paid. These labor situations should be viewed as a form war, a war between millionaires fighting with billionaires. The disputes between the league and its players are all too familiar.
The National Hockey League (NHL) knows this better than any other. The league was forced to cancel the 2004-2005 season due to labor disputes. It became the first North American sport to cancel a season due to labor problems. The players and owners lose millions of dollars and caused thousands of people on the sideline of the league to lose incredible amounts of money as well. The bases of the dispute was surrounded around the leagues want to impose a salary cap on the players earning and link there earning to the leagues revenue. The NHLPA was opposed to this proposal stating that the cap would limit the amount of money the players could make. The back and forth offers and counter offers went on throughout what was suppose to be the 2004-2005 season. Finally on July 22, 2005 the NHLPA agreed to a 24% salary cap roll back limiting team spending to $39M on salaries for a season and putting caps on individual salaries. This depended on length of service and the rest of the team’s salary makeup.
The after effect of the NHL lockout is what makes this the biggest labor dispute of the last five years. With an already limited appeal in the United States the NHL lockout disappointed a lot fridge fans driving them away from the sport. The long-term effects that the 2004-2005 lockout has had on the NHL are still evident. The league has never regained its following in the United States. Television broadcasting has dropped and the small market teams are constantly struggling to fill stadium. The lockout almost eliminated the National Hockey League in the U.S.
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