NBC Sports chairman asked NHL to ban playoff beards

[KamaAina]

Not The Onion!!

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/nbc-sports-chairman-asked-nhl-to-ban-playoff-beards-190308592.html

The playoff beard. One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ greatest traditions, as players go from baby-faced athletes to burly mountain men the deeper their teams advance in the postseason.

(Or, in some cases, go from baby-faced athletes to … baby-faced athletes with terrible patchy beards.)

The players love them. The fans love them. But someone has to be the Scrooge of Scruff, and that man is Mark Lazarus, the chairman of NBC Sports.

According to Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune, Lazarus actually lobbied the NHL to end the tradition of playoff beards because, in his opinion, they hinder the development of new stars in the League during the playoffs.

Well, they're already banned in San Jose.

[rocktivity]

1. They're pro athletes, not boy bands. And what they sell is victories over other teams.

Last edited Wed Jun 10, 2015, 10:13 AM - Edit history (3)

Chicago Tribune: Lazarus said...“The players won’t like this, but I wish they all would stop growing beards...Let’s get their faces out there. Let’s talk about how young...attractive...(and) what model citizens they are...

“I know it’s a tradition and superstition, but I think (the beards do) hurt recognition. They have a great opportunity with more endorsements. Or simply more recognition with fans saying, ‘That guy looks like the kid next door,’ which many of these guys do. I think that would be a nice thing...

“You had guys like Bobby Hull, Guy Lafleur, Ron Duguay,...These guys were out there with their hair flowing. They were doing jeans commercials.”

...The great Islanders teams of the 1980s are credited with starting the tradition of the playoff beards. Before that, most players not only didn’t have beards...(they) also played without helmets and visors covering their faces...

And in addition to cashing in on their broadcast deal, NBC could pocket so much more by running commercials based on those endorsements, too -- let's hear it for corporate personhood!

P.S. You can't be a positive, influential role model with a beard?




rocktivity

[KamaAina]

2. Maybe they could get Gillette to sponsor them

and make a big deal out of having the losing teams shave them right after they go through the handshake line.

[GoCubsGo]

3. Or, NBC could just televise more regular season games, when they are mostly beardless.

That way people have other times to get to know them.

What a clueless, superficial schmuck.

[KamaAina]

4. Or they could show pictures of the players sans beards

while showing their stats, during the all-too-frequent timeouts.

[GoCubsGo]

5. That, too.

But, I would still like to see more games televised.