WHA, Part Deux - Postbecoming the Greatness It Never Wasn't

As a sports fan and former sports academic (technically speaking), there's nothing that intrigues me more than the possibility of an upstart rival league challenging the monopoly of the incumbent. With the money involved in today's sports industry, it's hard to imagine conditions being just right to create an opportunity with a reasonable chance of success. The existing league would have to be poorly run, have an even poorer relationship with its labor force, regularly test the loyalty of the fans, and if it wasn't even operating, that would be even better. I figured I'd never see such an opportunity within my lifetime. How could any league let things get so bad?

But this is exactly what we're seeing with today's NHL. Now on its second lockout in 8 years, the question we should be asking isn't whether there should be a rival league. The question is, why isn't there a rival league?


There was rumbling of the WHA rising like a phoenix from the ashes during the last lockout, so I'm hoping to hear similar news along the same timeline as before (this January). The proposal back then was a 6+ team league, with former WHA legitimizer Bobby Hull as an adviser.

It was a nice idea, but I'd like to see a few more specifics this go-round, such as:

• The new "Original 6" (or more) would be concentrated in the largest and most rabid hockey markets, concentrating almost entirely in Canada and the northern U.S.
• I'm thinking Toronto, Montreal, New York, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, with options for Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Minnesota, Denver or Los Angeles
• A big concern to star players will be how salaries, both in size and structure relative to total league revenue, compares to the NHL.
• Structure deals conservatively, but with bonuses that "activate" for all players upon the league achieving certain revenue goals, capping at a 55-45 players-owners split to edge the NHL's proposal. 
• While start-up costs will likely make the league a non-earner in its first year, this kind of structure would help mitigate potentially catastrophic losses. Break-even analysis would determine at what revenue levels the league should gradually up their split.
• With so much riding on revenue in terms of attracting quality talent, a TV deal would be vital to buoy all franchises. ESPN would be a logical network to target to give the new WHA exposure and legitimacy.
• For merchandising, hockey goods/apparel companies would likely be chomping at the bit to make up for lost marketing opportunities due to a downturn in NHL popularity. New team names, colors and logos could make a real splash for the WHA's licensing partners. An "alt" company like Warrior would be an intriguing fit in my mind.

• Would the players make the leap? I believe they would, including a number of the game's best. Players like Martin St. Louis have expressed their exasperation over enduring yet another lockout. The first one erased a season during the prime of his career, and the second might erase his last. You can sense the bitterness in the article, and I imagine many vets like St. Louis (Jagr, Alfredsson, Thornton) would be, at the very least, intrigued and motivated.
• To gain immediate legitimacy, a high-priced deal for Sidney Crosby would turn the most heads, but that would be a difficult whale to catch given his active role with the NHLPA.
• Pro athletes have such short careers that any time lost not making money is a huge waste for all the training they invest. Only about half a dozen players per NHL roster are playing abroad right now, meaning that many are not collecting a check or are "underemployed" in the AHL or foreign leagues.
• With just 6-10 teams in the league, the WHA wouldn't need that many players to defect - if 1 in 4 players defected, that would populate the rosters for the whole league, so it hardly needs to be a mass movement.
• With some complaints over the years about league expansion, particularly into southern states, new WHA rhetoric can be twofold:
• To the fans: with fewer teams, the quality of play will be higher league-wide due to the reduced number of teams. Depending on what players are in fact lured, the quality of play may in fact be better than the NHL was.
• To the players: you get to play in the best hockey markets in North America. No more casual fanbases - these teams will play in front of knowledgeable, passionate fans.
• The original WHA had an increased emphasis on scouting and importing foreign players, and imports could certainly form part of the talent influx here, but I really see this as an opportunity to bring North American players back home to their families and having them play in front of familiar crowds.

Having laid out these myriad points, I suggest that the time has never been riper for a rival league to challenge an established monopoly. The crux, as always, would be money (investors), but there's got to be some rich, angry hockey fans out there who have always wanted to own a team. I know I have - too bad I'm just middle income and crazy.