Professional Sports: Business or Entertainment?

Outspoken NHL analyst Don Cherry recently blasted Alex Ovechkin for this excessive celebration after goals. Referring to him as a “goof” and warning him

Outspoken NHL analyst Don Cherry recently blasted Alex Ovechkin for this excessive celebration after goals. Referring to him as a “goof” and warning him that headhunters will be looking for him next time he comes across the middle, Cherry thinks it’s both unprofessional and unentertaining. 

But where in professional sports do we draw the line. Is it a business that we hear so much about? Or is it entertainment that millions if not billions of people worldwide look to as a way of personal enjoyment?

While loyalties in athletes seemingly go by the wayside in free agency and the era of big money contracts, we are consistently reminded, that “it’s business.” Players trying to cash in on millions of dollars and to be honest some justifiably so. 

But the reason they are worth their contracts is because they entertain their fans; not because they hit 50 home runs, or throw 25 touchdowns or score 50 goals. Without fans cheering on their achievements and being entertained by their accolades, they mean nothing and are worth nothing.

To hear those try and defend sports as a business is absolutely absurd. Manny Ramirez, while a great hitter wouldn’t be considered in my top 1,000,000 businessman of all time. His arrogance in rejecting contracts that more people make in their lifetime is both appalling, unprofessional and unentertaining. 

In fact, he’s hurting the perception of professional athletes more than Ovechkin when he scores a goal and jumps into the boards. 

So while Mr. Cherry would like to take shots at a player who is working hard at practice every day, scoring goals to help is team win, and is one of the biggest faces in the NHL as they continue their long road back to popularity, he should take a step back and criticize those who may be hurting it even more.

Unless you own a professional team, and make money off how much people are entertained by your product, sports is entertainment. 

Cherry should examine next time he’s at a Washington Capitals game how many young children are wearing Ovechkin jerseys or the thousands who cheer as he scores incredible goals. 

Or better yet, talk to fans who are disgusted by holdouts, contract disputes or players demanding trades or larger contracts because “it’s a business.” 

Maybe he’d get a sense of who is hurting sports because of the business end and who is keeping it afloat with their entertainment value. 

What do you think, who is hurting or helping professional sports?