Bargaining Goals, Bargaining Processes, and Bargaining Outcomes Term Paper

Bargaining Goals, Bargaining Processes, and Bargaining Outcomes - Term Paper Example The first declaration was made on 16th February, 2005 by the commissioner of the National Hockey League, Gary Bettman. Abandonment of the season of NHL due to a dispute happening out of a disagreement on collective bargaining amid the owners of the league and the union of players’ was stated (Chan & Et. Al., â€Å"The NHL Lockout†). The sport of hockey was always on a remote fourth when it came to the extent of popularity in contrast with the other major sports’ league of the nation. It was predicted that due to the cancellation of the season, it will push away the league from the screen of the radar. The damage due to the lockout not only affected the business partners and the fans but also the huge number of people who earned their livelihoods from the industry (ESPN, â€Å"Lockout Over Salary Cap Shuts Down NHL†). Therefore, in this study the causes and the outcomes of the lockout will be investigated in details. About NHL The National Hockey League sta rted to be played from the year 1917. The NHL was structured in Canada 30 years prior to 1917. The NHL was successful in creating itself to be the leading hockey league in North America and began expanding in 1967 by adding more teams to its ‘Original Six’ and they were Chicago, Montreal, Detroit, Boston, Toronto and New York. Presently, the NHL includes 30 teams out of which most are in the United States and the rest are in Canada. The NHL was counted among the four most important sports leagues of America which included the National Football League (NFL), the Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Although being in the most important leagues of America, the sport of hockey always ranked fourth in popularity. This was partially because of the fact that the other three games i.e. baseball, football and basketball had an extensive appeal, the sport of hockey had mostly niche audience. Majority of the hockey fans were found in the northern Un ited States and in Canada. This was because of the cold climate that facilitated developing an attention in ice hockey. The uniqueness of the sport of hockey appeals more to its reactionary fans compared to the public in general. For instance, it is only in the sport of hockey where it is legitimate for the players to fight with one another throughout the game. It was however argued by the reactionary fans that fighting was an element of entertainment and necessity in the game whereas the casual spectators were shocked by it. Efforts were made to lessen the violence in the NHL in attempt to make it more appealing to the general public. This endeavor proved to be unsuccessful as it was not only futile in attracting new viewers but also incurred loss on loyal fan-following of NHL. This and a range of other different reasons declined the popularity of the game in the current years. The networks of television after becoming aware of the meager ratings with regard to televised hockey red uced the shows of the game to the extent where the sport had become nearly immaterial. Thus, the reaction in general to the news of lockout was a combination of unresponsiveness and acceptance (Chan & Et. Al., â€Å"The NHL Lockout†). The Lockout of 2004-05 The NHL encountered the first lockout prior to the season of 1994-95. The disagreement was however settled and an agreement of collective