While perusing the media lately I have noticed the media has noticed something everyone else noticed a long time ago: the Thrashers have a lot of black hockey players. Evander Kane, Johnny Oduya, Anthony Stewart, Nigel Dawes, Dustin Byfuglien, Sebastien Owuya, and Akim Aliu are all black and all in the Thrashers organization. But what gives?
Articles like this Yahoo! one suggest that the Thrashers intentionally acquired several black players to help boost ticket sales in a city that is over 50% black. While these claims could hold water, the realistic side of things is that they simply don't.
Let's look at each player. Evander Kane was picked 4th overall in 2009 and was that high on most draft boards. Kane is 7th in the NHL in goals this season as a 19-year-old, so I think to say that he was a solid pick. Sure, they could have snagged a Brayden Schenn or Nazem Kadri, but Kane is a much better fit in Atlanta on hockey talent alone.
Then there's Johnny Oduya, acquired in the Ilya Kovalchuk trade last February. Oduya is a solid defenseman with some offensive upside, not to mention under contract until 2012. Oduya stabilizes the blue line and was a big piece for the Thrashers in that trade, white or black.
Dustin Byfuglien's stock was extremely high after the 2010 playoffs in Chicago. He was probably the most sought-after piece in Chicago's "wait, our cap situation is that screwed up?" fire sale over the summer. Byfuglien has been a force on Atlanta's blue line to this point, and Rick Dudley had known Byfuglien from his Chicago days, so the move only made sense.
Anthony Stewart came over as a free agent in 2009 and spent last season in Chicago. He has made huge strides however and has had a breakout year to this point with the Thrashers, notching seven points in nine games. Stewart is hardly the kind of black player that is marketable, however: skin color aside, third liners aren't exactly the focus of any marketing campaign. Stewart fits the mold of a Rick Dudley team; big, strong, a solid shot and a hard nose.
Aliu was another piece in the Chicago trade, but is also a Rick Dudley guy; big, strong, and all the makings of a prototypical power forward. Aliu was one of the top prospects on Chicago's depth chart and adding him to the mix is only wise. Aliu has had off-ice troubles, but bringing in another guy that can mix it up and play an aggressive game only makes sense from a Thrashers point of view.
Nigel Dawes was a low-risk signing and risk didn't pay off, as he was demoted to Chicago last week. It's always good to have depth and again, Dawes isn't a marketable player...he's a third or fourth liner on almost every NHL team he could actually make, so I don't buy the argument here either.
Sebastien Owuya was the Thrashers 169th pick in last years draft, so the odds he ever makes Atlanta are pretty slim. Owuya is 6'3" and fits the Rick Dudley mold well; he's an offensive defenseman who plays with an edge and moves the puck well.
Now that Atlanta has acquired all these players for hockey reasons, the marketing scheme could fall into place. Could it help to promote Evander Kane or Dustin Byfuglien? Sure. Perhaps they could relate to the black community, but it's been well-documented that winning brings in fans. It doesn't matter if the players are black, white, or purple, nobody wants to see a losing product. If the Thrashers ice 20 black players and lose 10-0 every night, I can assure you the black community still won't be there. If the Thrashers ice 20 white players and win the black community may start to show up anyways.
Marketing the black players isn't the worst idea and the fact of the matter is this: the team's best forward and best defenseman right now are black, so they're the most marketable anyways. The most successful business plan is simply that: a successful business. If the Thrashers continue to win this season, people will start to show more.
In the end, what's most important has to do with one color: silver. No matter what skin color the Thrashers players are, I can assure you there will be much more support for the team if they're hoisting that big Cup thing some June down the road.
TC
No comments:
Post a Comment