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A Fitting Comparison?
by Fernando Redondo
Gary Bettman is the ultimate sign of evil in any hockey fan’s minds and the perfect example of what not to do as a commissioner. So, being so evil, to whom could he possibly compare? Well, there’s a Russian that is just as scary. Some have already said he is the current dictator of Russia --Vladimir
Putin.
No resemblance?
Well you are wrong.
 
Both Putin and Bettman enjoyed great early success and fans loved both men. However, after years and years of enduring these men, their true colors came out.
Bettman and Putin were each nominated and backed up by a more powerful group as they took their respective positions of power. Both men said they loved and cared about their respected organizations. After years and years, though, it became more apparent that they could care less about the public opinion. Even at moments when both these men have been asked to resign by their own legions, they still decided otherwise. They unflinchingly believe they are still the right men for the job -- even though it has been proven otherwise.
Both become tyrants and lost all source of revenue because they have not cared to value their resources as highly as possible. The NHL and Russia have both been in economic turmoil... and as I have said before, the people are asking for their heads on a silver platter.
How easy can it be for them to fix their economic problems? Well, as we all know, Russia has enough oil to be the leading economic powerhouse in the world. And, were it to revert back to Communism, taking some hints from what China has done along with reinvigorating its weapon-making capabilities among other technological things, they can become the number-one leading economic force.
For the NHL? There are stars in every corner of the NHL, and fans who still love the sport. They also have media boys like Ovechkin and Crosby, who are passionate about the sport and care about winning. (This is not to be discounted -- it is something rarely seen in sports anymore, where athletes are all about themselves rather then the franchise and fans.) With a league of avid fans and a rich history to draw from, the NHL could be easily fixed to become the second-richest league in North America behind the NFL.
However for some reason the continued stubbornness of both men makes it seem that a child would be better at the helm than either of these two are at their current jobs.
When will it end? From what it looks like, only death can end this suffering... because both of these men won’t resign.
Submitted 3/20/2009 Comment on this article to Comments@informativesports.com
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