NHL, NBA finals roar, but hoops’ super teams may bore in the end
BULLS OF THE WEEK
The Toronto Blue Jays — the 16th richest franchise in Major League Baseball at US$1.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine — enjoyed their best week of the season until they ran into the pinstriped juggernaut that is the US$3.7-billion New York Yankees (a 12-2 loss) on Thursday night at Rogers Centre.
Currently the highest-valued sports franchise in Canada, the Jays were the first American League team to cross the one million fan threshold in 2017 attendance this week and continue to lead the AL in that category (fourth overall in MLB at an average of 37,585 fans per game).
Meanwhile, despite two unconventional losses in Pittsburgh, the Nashville Predators continue to boast one of the hottest ever American ticket markets in the NHL, with a get-in price that began the week at US$1,070, dipped to $950 on Thursday and climbed back up to $1,500 on StubHub on Friday. Some lower bowl seats are fetching $7,000 on the secondary resale market. Both are remarkable numbers for a franchise that teetered on bankruptcy protection a decade ago and dealt with an ownership dispute and lawsuit as recently as last year.
Yet it’s the Pittsburgh Penguins who are vying to overshadow the Predators. They are another hockey business success story and just happen to be two games away from the first consecutive Stanley Cup championships in the NHL since Detroit went back-to-back in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
It’s another huge legacy opportunity for Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who has won at every level of his career.
This week’s Stanley Cup final sees the bullish Predators and Penguins creating some impressive television love for the NHL, which has averaged 4.1 million American viewers and north of three million Canadians over the first two games, up 23 per cent in the U.S. over last year’s series between Pittsburgh and San Jose. Much of the credit goes to Crosby and the rising star status of charismatic Nashville defenceman P.K. Subban, who are among the reasons Pittsburgh and Nashville are substantially outperforming their status as the 23rd and 29th ranked metro TV markets in the U.S.
BEARS OF THE WEEK
Approximately five times as many Americans are watching the NBA Finals compared to the Stanley Cup final. Despite a ridiculous one-week break, Game 1 compared well to the openers of the past two Cleveland Cavaliers-Golden State Warriors championship series, down only four per cent from the first game in 2015 and five per cent from last year’s record-setting opener, one that drew 19.2 million viewers in 2016.
Yet the best CEOs in the best businesses keep their eyes on both the immediate results and long-term projections. That’s why NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has to be concerned about the potential for a fourth and fifth rematch between Cleveland and Golden State in the years to come.
Part three of the trilogy will be a TV monster. Yet how long before the lack of competitive balance in the NBA begins to chip away at the current strong TV ratings and levels of fan engagement?
The Sport Market on TSN 1040 rates and debates the bulls and bears of sport business. Join Tom Mayenknecht Saturday from 7 to 11 a.m. for a behind-the-scenes look at the sport business stories that matter most to fans.
Follow Tom Mayenknecht at: Twitter.com/TheSportMarket