Lost Opportunity
As many have said, the NHL should advertise to the large Super Bowl audience. Look no further than Eric McErlain, who points to ESPN’s John Buccigross, for the latest reminder.
While I agree completely, that the NHL should be advertising it’s product to this audience, especially in what would be mid-season, if they were playing and all, this could have been a great opportunity for the NHLPA to send a message to the fans. Filling 30 seconds with players telling fans “we miss you too” could have been a huge PR boost for the players. No matter what side you’re on, if you’ve picked one at all, the NHL has been winning the PR easily, and this could have made a huge dent.
Of course you could have some backlash about the players spending money on a Super Bowl commercial, but I think the general the message would get out to the public: there’s no hockey (and that the players would like to play). Remember, much of the US doesn’t even know there is a lockout. A commercial like this could be informative, introduce the US to some players’ faces, and put some pressure on the owners.
Or we could just keep letting hockey disappear.
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