Homemade Transformer in California
Image: Flickr user Vintage Roadside
June 19, 2009
June 16, 2009
The Wings Lost? Oh.
Image: Flickr user LarsenPhotography
Sure it would have been fun if they won.
The Wings have won a number of titles in recent history. They're very good. It's nice when they win and it's not what you'd call a novel experience for the people of Detroit. The Wings win a lot. They won just last year.
Maybe at times it's more important to look at the economic impact that the games have on the city. Much of that benefit is rightfully retained by the Wings organization, the players, and the owners of Joe Louis Arena. Even so, these grand spectator events help bring a lot of money into town, and some of that money supports local businesses. Spectator sports are a major element in Detroit's economic plan. We can assume that the downtown area's investment in sporting pays off best during events like the Stanley Cup playoffs. An extra home show in a championship final is nothing to sniff at.
It's unpopular to suggest, but didn't the Team have good reason to lose the game six? It would have been a perfectly rational economic decision for professionals in their position.
A lot of fans are emotionally attached to the outcome of the final game. Let's keep the event in perspective. Spectator sports are elaborate and expensive theater productions. It's naive to deny the occasional tension between financial interests and the ideal of pure sport. Detroit has plenty of idealism, the Team plays with integrity and their championship victories are exciting! Yet they shouldn't be seen as a win at all costs endeavor. In this sense, perhaps we can view their loss as a testament to the professional maturity of the team.