Nobody Asked Me But!!!

ARIEL’S CORNER

🔥 IF ONLY ALL ATHLETES WERE LIKE HOCKEY PLAYERS

THREE FIGHTS IN NINE SECONDS! This isn’t just a message for Americans and Canadians— it was a statement for all of sports. In an era where fans often feel they care more about the game than the players themselves, Team USA vs. Team Canada proved otherwise. Fans booed the U.S. National Anthem on Saturday night before puck drop. Don’t worry, the players heard and they defended with three fights in the game’s first nine seconds. It resulted in a 3-1 Team USA victory.

These two hockey powerhouses are set to clash again tomorrow night in the 4 Nations Face-Off Final, with Team USA a slight favorite (-112) over Team Canada (-108). The fans? They know exactly what they’re paying for. Ticket prices are skyrocketing, with the lowest price on TickPick at $1,018 for an exhibition game! Why? Because the fans know they’re getting a battle. They know this game matters.

Where’s the Passion in Other Sports?

Compare that to the NBA All-Star Game and the MLB All-Star Game. Two midseason exhibitions that are supposed to showcase the best talent in each league. Instead? They’ve become unwatchable.

NBA All-Star Game — What used to be a competitive battle between the league’s biggest stars has turned into a confusing format completely unfamiliar to the normal four quarters we’re used to seeing. Instead, it was no clock, a target score of 40 and three games?! The championship game featured long lazy shots with casual defense. Oh and LeBron James, one of the greatest basketball players of all-time, announced within 24 hours of tip that he wasn’t playing.

MLB All-Star Game — Pitchers throw an inning or two, hitters take some leisurely at-bats and play the field for an inning. A lot of All-Stars (voted in by the fans) don’t even play and decide to opt-out.

NFL Pro Bowl — This one’s just a joke and it’s not even midseason. The player’s seasons are over and now it’s just flag football with some non-contact drills. Why would anyone want to pay to fly and watch this?

NBA in the Olympics or World Baseball Classic?

Sure, the NHL is in a “fight for their country” as opposed to an All-Star Game, but what amazes me most about 4 Nations, they’re fighting this hard midseason!

When the NBA stars were in the Olympics or baseball players are in the World Baseball Classic, it’s not during the season. I even saw Aaron Judge say he may play in the next WBC to avenge the Team USA loss in 2023 to Japan. That would be Judge’s FIRST WBC. The NFL forget it, we’d never see them play.

The Difference: Hockey Players Always Show Up

The 4 Nations Face-Off is an exhibition tournament, but the way Team USA and Team Canada play, you’d think it was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The hits are real. The fights are real. The intensity is unmatched.

Olympic basketball? It has its moments, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the pure passion, physicality and war-like energy of USA vs. Canada on the ice.

As Billie Jean King once said, “Pressure if a privilege.”

Some athletes embrace it. Others run from it.

Hockey players? They fight for it.