The situation with the injury of Alexander Ovechkin turned out to be more difficult than expected. And the latest versions of what is happening are not the ones that were considered at the beginning. There is growing speculation that the pause in matches is not due to injuries, but to a contract.
It’s no secret that Alexander Ovechkin has difficulties with a new contract. He wants the next contract for five years on better terms than before. The main problem, obviously, lies precisely in the new figures. The signing was frozen, the management of the Washington Capitals is dragging its feet with the already agreed decision.
There are reasons for this. The times in modern sports are becoming more and more contradictory. Trends to increase the earnings of athletes face a sharp drop in the profits of employers. All processes are frankly nailed by covid. It almost destroyed the main component of sports spectacles-the fans. So far, this is just the lack of people in the stands and the revenue from tickets, but the return from TV pictures has already begun to sink. Matches without spectators do not cause the same reaction as they once did.
In the NHL, the number of matches also decreased. So much so that the tournament format itself has frankly shrunk. The owners of the sports business have felt it for themselves, the athletes have not yet. So are their agents. They prefer not to pay attention to other people’s problems, and persistently bend their line. Contracts, from their point of view, should continue to be at maximum prices.
Alexander Ovechkin is already 35. Yes, sports have increased the age limit in recent years. In the game types, as in boxing, for example, they already perform almost up to forty. An example of basketball, where the main stars keep super contracts up to this age, seems to be in plain sight. But there, as well as again in boxing, there is no such drop in results as we see in hockey. Statistics by the age of thirty-five drops in hockey for almost everyone. Washington executives understand that Ovechkin is not likely to be an exception here.
The question mark is still present in the title. Where is it better to play – in empty sports palaces or in those filled with fans? The answer, I think, is obvious. Here the advantage of our league is clear.
Nevertheless, the NHL is preferable for Alexander Ovechkin. The only question is what to do in this situation. I think there is only one way out – to agree to a reduction in the contract, if that is the only problem. If people like Messi and Ronaldo are going to lower the numbers, why not? There is no fall of renome here, there is a crisis in the world because of covid. And then as it will come out. The main thing is to continue to play at a high level.
I hope that Alexander will make a decision that will allow us to look at his game further.
