The PWHL

I've gotten my season tickets for the inaugural season of the Professional Women's Hockey League. I had put my deposit down as soon as it was open. Am I a hockey superfan? No. I enjoy hockey. I started watching it quite a lot during my divorce. I also used to practice my slapshot against the foundation of our house when I was an angst-filled teen. I care about women in sport having amazing opportunities like this.

Anyway, some people in the comments section on the posts are truly something.

The league posted the schedule, which was more of a calendar without time blocks listed. They happened to post that on the day that priority purchasing was opened for the season tickets. 

So then there are a bunch of people who didn't put deposits down that were complaining they can't buy tickets yet. Makes total sense 😒

And then there were a bunch of other people complaining that nothing has been announced on the streaming and televisation of the games. Some were even suggesting that they go with some little local channels in their specific cities.

It's clear to me that some people don't know how broadcast things work.

First of all, the league is probably currently in final negotiations with networks that have national reach like CBC in Canada. They could be talking to Sportsnet, ESPN, etc. It's also possible that the game times will be set up at a different time than the NHL is on, so they aren't in direct competition for viewership. And since a lot of TV schedules were initially set in the fall, they may have to accept some less ideal play times because it's all happening so fast.

I'm guessing on the schedule elements using my background in business, project management, screenwriting, and procurement. I'm also using what I've learned as a recreational athlete from roller derby, softball, and curling.

Anyway, freaking out at them and claiming they are doomed to fail because you haven't heard about streaming isn't helpful or kind. It won't make it happen faster either. It may be worth noting that the majority of people saying things like this belong to a certain subset of a demographic that may not handle seeing strong women playing hockey anyway.

I can also see the league solidifying ticket sales for non priority season ticket purchases and individual ticket sales before streaming is fully in place or announced. Acting like people don't want to be physically at games is idiotic. Viewing options for people who can't physically go are important, but it's one piece of a much larger picture.

Also, most people are abundantly aware that this first season is critical to having many more seasons. 

Other things they complain about include that final team names haven't been announced and not knowing what the plan is for playoffs. The initial team names were quite terrible. A lot of people are hoping they aren't the actual team names. I'm one of them. And on playoffs, the regular season is currently slated to go to early May. How about you give them a moment? Do you have your entire year planned out already? 

As far as I know, the teams still have a bit of recruiting left to fill out their lines. There are a lot of parts that are moving into place every day. And it's not like things immediately go to social media the moment they happen. The messages get crafted and have to be finalized and approved at pretty much every large organization that exists on this planet before being posted.

I'm excited to watch phenomenal female athletes do the one thing they are super passionate about for an international audience. I'm looking forward to figuring out who my player will be. Currently, based on music taste and a funny nickname, it may be Lexie, but I need to see her play to be sure. 

I didn't know so much was going on in women's hockey prior to the league being announced, so I'm late to the party and playing catch up. I think that no matter how it goes, it will be wonderful for women and girls to see this part of sports history. How many little girls will become professional athletes after this? How many women will learn that they are stronger than they previously thought? What an incredible time to be alive!