Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone is as disgusted with the subjective system in which suspensions are given?
I think there's really four variables in a suspension (in no particular order): Intent, result of injury, media uproar, and repeat offender.
I don't want to get into too many examples but I absolutely can't stand when Media uproar far supersedes any other variable- that's my big beef with the system.
In the pronger situation, for example, the league didn't even acknowledge the situation and weren't intending to give any games until the media kept bring it back to the general public's attention with 'clearer' video of the incident. I am under the impression that it wasn't a matter of how clear the video was which resulted in the suspension, but just the uproar the media caused against hockey's public enemy #1.
Did Pronger deserve to be suspended? Likely. Is the duration of his suspension subjective? yeah. But one thing is for certain the media played a far greater roll in the severity of the suspension than every other variable in my mind.
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