If we were to sit back and take Gary Bettman at his word without doing any additional digging, we'd probably be under the assumption that the NHL was well positioned near the top of the revenues list for the four major sports leagues. The fact of the matter is that while Bettman and company are trending upwards, it was Bettman's last broadcasting deal with NBC that had them sliding so far in the first place.
NBC, the NHL's previous US broadcasting partner, was paying the NHL approximately $300M per year over the course of their deal. However, the NHL's new deal with Turner Sports and ESPN is paying the NHL more than double for US broadcasting rights, shelling out around $625M per year. But, is it really that great in comparison to its competitors? Let's take a look at the numbers from last season.
No disrespect to the NCAA, but when college sports are passing a major league, that's quite alarming. That's right, the NHL is now behind the NCAA's Big Ten and SEC is nipping at the NHL's heels as well. When you look at overall revenues, it doesn't get much better for Bettman's NHL. The growth is embarrassing.
Bettman's focus on the fact that he's "growing the game" technically isn't a lie, but it certainly isn't the whole truth. It's time for a new voice in the commissioner's chair, but then we all knew that. Even beyond a growth and revenue standpoint, from an overall hockey culture standpoint as well.
