NHL hockey fights don't make economic sense, says study

There's a new argument in the fight against fighting in the NHL.

And it's not about health and safety, or even about setting a good example.

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Astudy out of Alberta that wasrecently published in the online journalApplied Economicssays violence on the ice isn't good for the bottom line.

"Fighting leads to more players in the penalty box and can reduce the performance of the team," said Duane Rockerbie, a professor of economics at the University of Lethbridge.

And Canadian fans, he noted,don't like that.

By crunching data from 13 NHL seasons, Rockerbie found that fighting actually reduced attendance and revenue for Canadian clubs.

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Even when factoring in external influences like aggressive marketing and new arenas, Rockerbie says Canadianhockey fans would rather watch players show off their skills than satisfy alust for blood.

Fighting on decline

Rockerbie says hockey brawls reached their peak in the early 1980s but havebeen on the decline ever since.

"The incidence of fighting now is about one-third of what what is was in the NHL at that time."

He suspects that's partially due to fan preferences, but also the economics of the game.

With multi-million-dollar salaries on the line, general managerscan't afford any unnecessary concussions.

"There isn't a lot of room any more for players who specialize in violence and fighting."

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