re: The fans are the biggest losers in the lockout

The sooner you realize this is a business and you're a customer, the better you feel.

It was tough when I was a kid and the NHL lockout season happened - was a big Thrashers fan, and it killed me.

But as an adult, I shrug my shoulders and know darn well that they don't care about the fans emotions, and honestly, outside of customer retention, why should they?

Sports teams cost a ton of money. The average rate of return is roughly 7-8% YoY on enterprise valuation, and the stock market last year (though an anomoly) was 19%. PE investments usually yield 12-25%.

I don't mind the owners protecting their absurdly large investment and I don't mind players sticking up for getting paid relative to their market worth. It's a business.

This sob story of the "average fan" usually falls on deaf ears, and plainly, it should. You're a customer. If you don't like it, find another product. That's the business risk they run during labor disputes and it's the right you have as a consumer.