Gary Bettman signs contract with partner who nearly cost the league millions
Photo credit: The Hockey News
Gary Bettman has doesn't have a good record when it comes to signing contracts that benefit the NHL, now he's signed a new deal that almost cost the league millions.
It seems in recent years that the commissioner of the NHL Gary Bettman has been willing to sign contracts with partners whether it be jerseys or TV deals that aren't a good fit for the league itself. Take Fanatics, for example who have famously had a lot of quality errors in their merchandise and are now the official on ice jersey of the NHL.
However, it hasn't stopped there recently. The NHL and NBA just signed new broadcasting deals with Diamond Sports Group, the company that owns Bally Sports. DSG appears to be headed for bankruptcy and has a hearing on September 3rd to get an update on the bankruptcy process and what comes next.
The new deal will see Diamond Sports Group have the rights to 9 different NHL teams even as it goes through the bankruptcy process.
The CEO of DSG had this to say about the new deals:
We are appreciative of the ongoing collaboration and long-term partnerships with the NBA and NHL, David Preschlack, Diamond's CEO, said in a statement. These new agreements that cover NBA and NHL linear and (direct-to-consumer) rights are another major milestone and continue Diamond's momentum toward emergence, which will enable us to provide value for our NBA and NHL partners and continue to serve dedicated local NBA, NHL and MLB fans.
For a broadcaster that's headed for bankruptcy and has been for a while to say this while the process is ongoing is a little bit short sighted. It also further proves that Gary Bettman continues not have a clue about what's best for the NHL as a whole.
Source - The Toronto Star
| POLL | ||
25 AOUT | 123 ANSWERS Gary Bettman signs contract with partner who nearly cost the league millions Do you think Gary Batman should've signed a contract with Diamond Sports Group even though they are headed for bankruptcy? | ||
| Yes | 8 | 6.5 % |
| No | 86 | 69.9 % |
| It's pretty on brand for him | 29 | 23.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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