The Stanley Cup & Why Arsenal Should Care by Rob Thomson
Arsenal and Ice Hockey. The two are not exactly synonymous with each either but neither are they mutually exclusive, not this year at least anyway. There is no denying that Arsenal fans’ relationship with their clubs American owners, The Kroenkes, can be fraught at best. As an Arsenal fan born and raised in England but now living in the States, I can tell you that most Americans do not understand how the in’s and out’s of running a football club works. The U.S. leagues work on a trade system, where teams trade for players from different franchises depending on how much money they have left before they reach their salary cap. Buying and selling players based on a valuation that seems to get randomly plucked out of thin air doesn’t really gel with how they are used to doing business.
But no matter which side of the pond you are on, winning is winning. And winning is addictive. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment own a variety of different sports teams across some of the biggest sports leagues in the world. Last year saw them invest heavily in their NFL team The LA Rams, and it worked. The LA Rams were able to clinch the Lombardi Trophy after a run to the Super Bowl. This year the Kroenkes NHL team, The Colorado Avalanche are now one win away from lifting the Stanley Cup, ice hockeys biggest prize.
So why should we care as Arsenal fans? Well, did I mention that winning is addictive? But not only is winning and the euphoria that comes with it addictive, but so is the cash! That’s right! Cold hard cash! It’s no secret that success on the pitch translates to commercial success for the teams and its owners. Keep winning games and fans keep filling seats. They spend more on food and drink at the stadium. They spend more on merchandise and apparel. Go on a good cup run and all of a sudden you have a chance to sell more tickets, even more opportunity to fill up the stadium and so on and so on.
Arsenal and Ice Hockey may not be synonymous with each other, but maybe, just maybe, the success of the Kroenke’s teams in other leagues will allow them to more clearly see the long term financial benefits of investing in Arsenal Football Club and its success on the football pitch.
Rob Thomson
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