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Michael Albert's Blog

Web Address: http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/malbert
Bio: Michael Albert is a founder and current member of the staff of Z Magazine as well as staff of Z Magazine`s web system: ZCom (www.zmag.org). Albert`s radicalization occurred during the 1960s. His po... (More)

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A Sporting Revolution: The Parecon Hockey League

By Michael Albert at Dec 20, 2004

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I reeived this in Email. It is a short essay by Kim Peterson. Relevant here, more so than on the main site, I think. Up to now, there is no National Hockey League (NHL) fare for ice hockey aficionados. The public NHL players and behind-the-scenes owners are incurring the wrath of disgruntled fans. The wrangling is between what are portrayed as aloof, millionaire hockey players and money-losing owners of NHL franchises. The players are under pressure to pare their wages to supposedly bail out the financially-troubled NHL. But there is an alternative available to the NHL Players Association (NHLPA), the players union, which would free the players from constant confrontation with the owners. If the NHLPA would be so bold as to consider an economic alternative and implement a progressive, egalitarian program, the players could liberate themselves and curry fan loyalty. Just imagine if the players pursued a revolutionary approach contrary to the player-enslaving capitalism of professional sports. The NHLPA came out with a proposal to accept a rollback of 24 percent on existing contracts and other concessions with genuine revenue sharing among teams. The owners rejected the NHLPA¡¯s offer and balked at revenue sharing. So after months of being locked out by the NHL owners, the players decided that enough was enough. The NHL players banded together and formed a new hockey league. The players, radicalized by the lock out and their negative portrayal in the corporate media, seized the opportunity and gained control over the means-of-production. After all, hockey could not exist without the players, but it sure could without the owners. A group of NHL players were familiar with the participatory economics (Parecon) vision expounded by Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel. They brought this vision before the NHLPA, and discussed how Parecon might benefit the worker-players. The core concepts of equity, solidarity, diversity, and self-management proved highly attractive to the rank-and-file members. First, the players would break free of the yoke-of-ownership. Second, this would be followed up with steps toward egalitarianism in professional hockey. Hockey is a team sport and without the contributions of each team member, the so-called stars fade. Each player would be remunerated according to effort and sacrifice. Third, the equality of remuneration would apply throughout the league, to the coaches, trainers, and support staff. Since the players had become in charge of their own fates, they would no longer face the threat of being locked out. Decision-making is now, collectively, in the hands of the players. Players quickly organized their own league: the Parecon Hockey League. They could now determine their own schedule. The players would no longer have to subject themselves to a backbreaking 82-game schedule -- not including the playoff season, which extends into the summer. The players decided to reduce the schedule to 60 games. This shaved thousands of kilometers of grueling travel each season, allowing players to spend more time with family and friends. Injuries were also significantly reduced. The pressure for injured players, who had not recuperated sufficiently, to return to competition early was now a thing of the past. The players also instituted new rules, which put the emphasis on skill-based competition and severely penalized injury-threatening aggression. Fighting was banished. The decrease in the number and severity of injuries among players was attributed, in large part, to the implementation of the new rules. Since profit sharing was in effect throughout the league, all teams had an equal chance to develop championship-caliber teams. Players could settle down with peace-of-mind in their current team¡¯s locale, as they were no longer commodities to be traded at an owner¡¯s caprice. Hockey aficionados could look forward to having their favorite players stick around longer. The response was to be overwhelming, as fans flocked to see the highly competitive games. The players were well aware that fans are the backbone of a professional sports league. They held ticket prices at affordable levels and reserved a generous proportion of tickets to each game for those supporters too financially challenged to view games live. The outcome: hockey solidified a dedicated fan base and increased spectacularly in popularity. The players had started a revolution in professional sports that would spread to basketball, baseball, and eventually to the outside world. Bio: writer in Nova Scotia

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Re: A Sporting Revolution: The Parecon Hockey League

By Leask, Bernard at Feb 14, 2005 06:15 AM
continued... For these reasons and more, a professional sports team, featuring athletes who have long been accustomed to thinking of themselves as "elite" members of society and who have uncritically internalized the values of a coordinatorist society, is just about the last place where I would expect Parecon to take hold. I would have expected experiments in alternative economic and monetary schemes to initially take hold through the organization of like-minded social activists into neighborhoods and communities that make their intentions towards egalitarian, cooperative, ecologically benign, etc. lifestyles explicit; these perspectives on alternative economic schemes would be just one prong of a wider effort to construct a society with just spheres of polity, kinship, and ecological repsonsibility. It is in alternative communities that are less relatively dependent on external corporate contexts where something like Parecon is most likely to spring forth. ps: I also thought that it was unfortunate that the transformation of the NHL towards egalitarianism nevertheless remained a male prerogative, and that an enhancement of possibilities for female players was not mentioned.

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Re: A Sporting Revolution: The Parecon Hockey League

By Leask, Bernard at Feb 14, 2005 06:14 AM
Tremendously interesting thought experiment. It makes you think and therefore brings up a lot of interesting questions. As far as I am aware a really significant portion of revenues for any hockey franchise comes from television contracts in particular. One important reason why there is an 82 game schedule is to maximize the number of games on television, with revenues channeling indirectly from advertisements for products like beer and automobiles; additionally revenues accrue from over-priced souvenirs and concession sales. Could an egalitarian league somehow maintain these external revenue flows given the hostility that it would predictably confrint from sponsors who would worry about the public relations implications of a non-profit hockey league? And given that the income of even the lowest remunerated players amply exceeds the current social average income why would the players voluntarily and en masse agree to undergo a significant drop in their standard of living? (which is what I think the scenario implies if one considers the complex external contexts upon which NHL revenues depend.)

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By Antiamerican800, Bernardo at Feb 02, 2005 05:05 AM
Chomsky like most left/liberals really has no understanding of the American public, he has an ideal but it bears little resemblance to the reality. Where does he think the "sons & daughters" who committed sexual atrocities in the middle east (and apparently continue to do so) come from? Or the cops? Or the FBI? There might be a "tremendous amount to be hopeful about" in the genteel conversation at the Cambridge Forum, or the polite debate in the studios of "public" television but one does not gain an accurate picture of the American public from such rarefied regions. The American people are homicidal maniacs. But the American left/liberal can't admit that fundamental reality because then they destroy themselves. Also who are these mysterious "elites" that keep cropping up in Chomsky's writings? Does he think the advertising on the Superbowl for example are being sold to "elites"? These are the most expensive commercials being made. PS Albert looks like a real Hockey lout.

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Re: A Sporting Revolution: The Parecon Hockey League

By Zipplockcourier, Pvt.dissent at Dec 29, 2004 08:53 AM
To:Joe The arenas our for rent just like the players , the biggest problems youd have would be the team owners that hold major stock in theyr arenas.I was thinkn about this earlier this year when the lockout became offical.I really think being that our sports figures have the best treatment,biggest podiums, and most importantly , the Bling...also the ability to organize, that a real economic shift would start with them.To bad this is just rambling but if anyone wants to put together a some ideas to send thesse guys post on here an ill contribute.

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Re: A Sporting Revolution: The Parecon Hockey League

By Zipplockcourier, Pvt.dissent at Dec 29, 2004 08:44 AM
I love this idea.It would also be great if the NHLPA took such steps , because they could then rescue the minor league players that really get pimped for profit.Also the domino theory returns if this occurs because, every other major sport would want the same freedoms , and fruits from theyr labor.As Nader says about all us Americans that know the stats so well for our sports , but nothing about polotics...Im already dreaming of the media fiasco waiting in the wings , when the big wigs sit down with the players to negotiate TV contracts. Also with helpn out the minor leaguers , who barely make a liven at the game they love.The sport could have the ability to offer a real carrer , and retain the higher caliber players with college educations that would just assume to put theyre degrees to work as opposed to theyre knees an backs on the line , in the little dog fights along the way to the big show.

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