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Article: NHL's status as 'major' at risk; Other sports open wide gap.(SPORTS)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- February 18, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Washington Times LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Eric Fisher, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The NHL's downward spiral from the ranks of the major sports leagues is quickly accelerating because of the labor strife that Wednesday claimed what was left of the 2004-05 season, say several sports industry analysts.
Already facing anemic TV ratings, plummeting merchandise sales and wavering fan support in several key cities before team owners locked out players in September, the NHL now is losing any remaining grip it had on the high-dollar circles occupied by the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball.
"The longer [the lockout] goes on, it can only get worse for both sides, because the pie of revenues ...