November 17, 2004
The Gary Bettman Reality Distortion Field
Just when I think there's nothing left to interest me in the endless NHL labor impasse, Gary Bettman proves he's the gift that keeps on giving. In an interview with ESPN.com's Terry Frei, Bettman had the following to say about the report in Forbes that asserted NHL owners were exaggerating their financial losses in the (in)famous Levitt report:
The Forbes magazine article is not based on the facts. They did not have access to the underlying financial material that they would have needed to opine, as they did. It probably makes good rhetoric in some quarters, but we know what the losses are and we know that (the Levitt Report) and the 2,000 hours that they spent, including with team auditors, is the accurate picture of our economic condition. Other than its rhetoric value for some, it's not something we have concern about and it's nothing we intend to focus on.
Nice try, but you're no Jedi Mr. Commissioner.
Not based on the facts (sure, pubs like Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and Fortune just make stuff up)? Well, it wasn't because they didn't try, that's for sure. After all, as Forbes reported, neither the league nor Arthur Levitt deigned to give Forbes an audience when they requested an interview.
Congratulations Mr. Commissioner. By challenging the credibility of one of the world's leading business publications, you've probably earned a lifetime of bad press. Then again, perhaps you're wagering that one more enemy in the press can't make much more difference.
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.ericmcerlain.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/3926
"Other than its rhetoric value for some, it's not something we have concern about and it's nothing we intend to focus on."
Not only is he completely out of touch with reality but the man also needs speaking lessons. Try this instead Mr Commisioner:
"Although it may be valuable rhetorically for the PA (or have rhetorical value- take your pick) it's not something we're concerned about and it's not something we intend to focus on. "
How in the world is this guy winning the PR battle?
Posted by:
at November 16, 2004 11:53 PM
Ben, he's winning because he's trying, unlike the NHLPA.
Posted by:
at November 17, 2004 07:19 AM
I'm with Bettman on this one.
http://www.plaidworks.com/chuqui/blog/001770.html
Posted by:
at November 17, 2004 01:26 PM
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in,
.
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
12:01 AM