Morning musings: July 31

… And we’re back!

Lots of props to the NBA and NHL for both strict return to play rules and low case numbers, as well as suitable broadcasts that deliver nice at-home experiences.

Barring minor tweaks and a bit more experimentation (I’m sure they’ll evolve with feedback) I’m enjoying the varied camera angles and arena set ups, where I find the NHL’s grey tones work well, while the NBA’s colourful team-centric backdrops perfectly suited.

Most importantly: major, major credit for the (fingers crossed) early low case counts.

Missing the net by a mile…

Despite all the above, the NHL will never be a bastion of progress or innovation but Deadspin was on the money on the tone-deaf, meaningless, confusing, and irrelevant attempts at a concerted effort to say anything regarding the racial issues gripping society today.

We get it’s by far the whitest and disconnected league in North America saddled with a country-club ‘good old boys club’ mentality, but for them to earn the remark from Evander Kane that they have ‘made no effort to support its own Black players’ is sadly par for the course.

Real classy…

C’mon NHL. $4.99 for the rest of the season for NHL.TV pass for Americans but the full $74.99 for Canadians? Not cool.