Article #1

This article is about one of the most succesful sports business projects in the world NHL.

The first part of the article tells us about the attractiveness of such events for fans (When I read that I also wondered why hockey was usually played indoors. It could be real fun to watch the great professionals performing for us in the open air. And unlike basketball for example the players would not face a problem of getting cold. So the general idea is pretty simple. Open-air hockey is nice. But it does not exist on a regular basis. Why? Because it is unclear how it will perform from the money point of view. Although John Collins, the NHL's chief operating officer (hockey league has a CEO like any American corporation) thinks it has its chances: “It goes to the core of what is a significant business opportunity for the NHL. It lets hockey fans for one day at least forget about their own teams and just celebrate the emotional connection they have with the game.”

The main reason for sports to exist (competition and show for sports fans) is dead. It is decided whether to introduce open-air hockey not according to the opinion of the sportsmen or fans but according to the size of TV audience and the Sales of Winter Classic jerseys.

References:
MATTHEW FUTTERMAN. “NHL Hopes 'Classic' Lures Return Customers” 12 January 2009, The Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123153508349669155.html