This hockey season, Randball told me a story about how one professional hockey player asked for his stick back from a fan who had caught the flung stick in the stands. The reason? It was worth $400. Now, we all know that major league baseball players are restricted to the use of wooden (and NON corked) baseball bats. I had assumed that the restriction of space-age materials were universal when it came to professional sports. At right, I've posted a picture of the Nike Bauer Supreme One 90 Chrome LE Sr. Hockey Stick, on sale for $179.99.What happened to the days of fair sportsmanship, where standardized equipment ensured that any extraordinary result was assumed to be the result of skill or good fortune?
While I enjoy the quality and speed of ABEC-4 bearings for my personal Rollerblade use (and hopefully soon, ABEC-5!), I would never venture to say that my speed on such high quality bearings would be measurable against someone who has sub-par bearings. Creating the highest quality sporting equipment is no sin. However, if professional teams allow team members to select their equipment based on how much money they have to spare, or how much their excessive salaries will allow, it's simply unfair. How much does a fancy hockey stick make up for in terms of time and energy? Can a player achieve much more precision in passing and shooting with a space-age stick that it could be considered a good career move? Should we really be encouraging players to shift their focus to equipment advancements like a neighbor kid eying the spoiled kid's toys? It's about the game... and in the first place, it should be fair.
Photo courtesy of www.hockeymonkey.com
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