I'll never understand why the NHL and it's teams do what they do. I get that TV contracts are lucrative, but it's not growing the sport. I firmly believe hockey could become more popular than basketball in the US, but it's largely inaccessible in most home markets. Die hard fans have to jump through hoops to watch it, and on days like today I just end up sailing the seven seas.

My dad and uncle are Pittsburgh sports fanatics but don't follow the Penguins until the post season. You know why? Because they're impossible to watch on some of the biggest cable providers. I watch almost every game and I have to plug in my laptop to the HDMI and turn on my VPN to do so. Most people who don't love the team aren't going to do that.

I just don't get it. I'm sure there would be a profit loss by signing with networks that air games on most cable providers, or doing away with blackouts. However, I find it hard to believe that the long term benefits wouldn't be far more profitable.