7 ways the NHL puts the NFL to shame (getting political)
The NHL is a godsend that the NFL should strive to revert to. While the National Hockey League isn’t perfect, it’s a far cry from sports’ evil empire.
As I write this, the NFL is about to start its annual month-long ritual known as the playoffs. While America supposedly watches, Yours Truly and those no longer sucked into the NFL’s vice grip will pass.
The league’s overall product has become an eyesore, with the rules getting way too anal about safety. Further, it seems like the NFL cares more about tweaking its rules to favor offense, which pleases those playing a mindless game called fantasy football.
Below, I’ve outlined seven annoying things about the NFL. Seven things the NHL does way better, and probably will for a long time. Keep reading.
1 – Minimal political messaging
Let’s face it: the NFL’s political messaging has gotten ridiculous. While the NHL isn’t immune, at least players aren’t wearing slogans on their helmets, and there aren’t slogans on the end boards and face-off circle. Let’s hope the NHL doesn’t go all catnip like the NFL has.
2 – Uniforms
The NFL and NHL both use special uniforms for specific events. The NFL had its Color Rush, which fell flat on its face. Meanwhile, the NHL’s Reverse Retro series, third uniforms, Winter Classic, and Stadium Series uniforms have all garnered much more positive reviews. The NFL’s latest trick, the Rivalry Series, has been mixed to negative, at best. (Sources, fan comments at Uni-Watch; SportsLogos).
3 – Safety without compromising integrity
The NHL no longer has regular enforcers, it now requires players to wear visors on their helmets, and there isn’t as much fighting. Still, I can recognize the game I grew up watching. As for the NFL? I can’t even keep track of the kickoff rules these days. Nor the tackling rules, or what constitutes a defenseless receiver.
4 – Fighting
While fighting is no longer the norm in the NHL, there is still fighting. The enforcer role has evolved, but you still have prolific fighters. And best yet, the players and fans, for the most part, love it. Meanwhile, the NFL generally kicks players out of games for going at it.
5 – Merit is still king
The NFL stands alone among major North American sports leagues in formally tying competitive incentives and mandatory interview processes to race-based hiring goals. The NHL has no such system. They have internal inclusion programs, voluntary diversity initiatives, and diversity encouragement. But no strict enforcement exists, which is a godsend.
6 – The NHL remains best in class
The NHL is still the best hockey league around when compared to the AHL, ECHL, college hockey, junior hockey, and international hockey. As for the NFL? It regularly competes with college football. And to be frank: college football has yet to compromise the game’s integrity.
7 – Its players aren’t whiners
DK Metcalf recently got into it with a fan and claimed the fan uttered a racial slur. How many times have we heard this claim? Not insinuating that you don’t have assholes out there who say things they shouldn’t, but “they made a racial slur” is such a common excuse these days for these players to justify retaliation, it’s getting hard to believe.
As for NHL players? You have outliers, but most of them put their heads down and go to work. If more NFL players did that and learned how to tune out the noise, a lot of people I know personally would start respecting them again.
Know who’d agree with me on this piece? My protagonist in Beyond the Lost, Quinn Cozens. Quinn’s an unapologetic libertarian who barely knew the sport he wrote for when all hell broke loose and America collapsed on that fateful night in July 2030. Catch his tale in the 37,000-word novella and Book I of the trilogy, Beyond the Lost Horizon. I guarantee that you’ll get hooked.
