A Sad, Pathetic Article on Stocks and the Sports Lockout Nobody Cares About

Comcast (CMCSA) owns the Philadelphia Flyers. NHL dollars represent a spit in the bucket to a company with roughly $60 billion in annual revenue.

According to Forbes, the Flyers brought in $111 million in 2011. By contrast, the Leafs generated $193 million, but, again, Rogers and Bell air hockey, literally every night on their media properties throughout Canada. Comcast does own NBCUniversal, which keeps the NHL national television contract, but, relative to other sports, it's small potatoes.

Missing all or a considerable portion of the New York Rangers season could hurt Madison Square Garden (MSG). MSG recorded about $1.3 billion in sales for its most recent fiscal year. In 2011, the Rangers accounted for $169 million of the total. But, keep in mind, MSG just reported record numbers on the heels of lockout-shortened NBA season.

Reebok-CCM Hockey, a subsidiary of Adidas (ADDYY), could feel the pinch. You'll find its logo on everything from official NHL merchandise to hockey equipment, including stuff the pros wear and use.

But that's it. outside of Canada, I'm not sure Nike (NKE) even knows hockey exists. And there's no question that Disney's (DIS) ESPN franchise treats the NHL like a redheaded stepchild.

Consider the personal, lockout-related decisions I have made in recent days. How many times over will others experience the same across North America?

I walked by the 12-packs of Molson Canadian beer I would normally start buying at this time of the year. As a result, Safeway (SWY) and Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP) lose a bi-weekly $12.99 or so from me. Something tells me Canadians will continue to consume beer even without hockey.

That Samsung television I was talking about buying for hockey season. That's on hold. As such, Amazon.com (AMZN) or Best Buy (BBY) loses some revenue.

And how could I forget? DirecTV (DTV) might not get their yearly $179 out of me for the NHL Center Ice package. Never in my life have I wanted to give a company my money more than I want to give it to DirecTV right now.

So, no doubt, there's a ripple effect. If we could somehow quantify it (I am sure somebody will if they have not already), the number might even makes us say, "wow." But, again, at the end of the day, as much as I want everybody to care, "nobody" cares.

Now, if the NFL or the NBA or MLB went away tomorrow, there might be civil unrest. It might even move markets.

At the time of publication, the author was long MSG.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor, separate from TheStreet's regular news coverage.

Rocco Pendola is a private investor with nearly 20 years experience in various forms of media, ranging from radio to print. His work has appeared in academic journals as well as dozens of online and offline publications. He uses his broad experience to help inform his coverage of the stock market, primarily in the technology, Internet and new media spaces. He has taken a long-term approach to investing, focusing on dividend-paying stocks, since he opened his first account as a teenager. Pendola, 37, is based in Santa Monica, Calif., where he lives with his wife and child.

« First ‹ Previous 1 2