The Chicago Blackhawks: Greatest Sports Business Turnaround Ever?

The analyzed case study refers to one of the most important industries in every country sports. It focuses on the history and a current performance of the Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Team. At the beginning of the case, the author provides an audience with a brief information about the hockey team, which belongs to the Wirtz family. He introduces to the reader that the present business position of the team requires a special reconsideration and implementation of various improvements because the community does not praise the team with the same enthusiasm. In fact, the core issue of the case study is the competitiveness, which became the major problem for the Chicago Blackhawks. In fact, there are two possible issues referred to the case study: the hockey problems in terms of the sports industry and the Chicago Blackhawks problems in terms of the competition.

Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Team

First, it is essential to mention that the case study provides the detailed statistical and financial information on the sports industry in general. It became possible to compare National Hockey League (NFL) with other parts of the sports industry, including National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Unfortunately, it is obvious that hockey is the least popular kind of sports in the USA. It is the primary problem which appears due to the expensive equipment and the diversity of the climate zones in the USA. For example, the case mentions that the Southern States are less interested in hockey if compared to the northern part of the country. Indeed, from the point of business competition and marketing, it is difficult to direct the attention of all sports fans all over the country regardless of their time zone and climate conditions. Though, these factors can hardly influence the preferences of the spectators who have a natural interest in the summertime kinds of sports. Further, the problem of the industry is that youth does not have an opportunity to the enjoyment of hockey. It means that the majority of schools and colleges do not have enough budget to spend on the development of hockey teams and ice rinks. Thus, youth can hardly be involved in hockey due to the lack of practice and personal experience in a team play. Having covered this problem, the case starts focusing on the essence of the Chicago Blackhawks activity.

A famous hockey team has a long history which dates back to 1926 . The case depicts different periods of the hockey teams success and failures. However, the major problems started in the middle of the Chicago Blackhawks history. In fact, the management of the Wirtz family became one of the most doubtful systems of control, which hindered the team to play with the same success of the 1990s . The case explains that the problems in the performance of the team began when the spectators could not afford the tickets, which made Bill Wirtz decrease the prices on the tickets from the side sectors. Nevertheless, the price on the front rows increased, which was one of the ideas aimed to restore the budget. In fact, it did not change the situation and the number of spectators continued to decrease. Furthermore, the problem continued to evolve due to the denial of the Chicago Blackhawks management to broadcast games in the home city. In that way, the managers wanted to increase the interest of the spectators to attend the game. Indeed, the competition shaped the desire of the spectators to come to the game because the other hockey teams were eager to broadcast their games. However, it only increased their popularity and encouraged the sports fans to come to the next game to enjoy the team battle. Another mistake in the performance of the Chicago Blackhawks was the anthem soloist Wayne Messmer . The public used to enjoy the vocal of Messmer, which had been an outlining part of every game. Still, the management decided to invite another vocalist. This choice also led to the misunderstanding among hockey team fans and their team.

According to the complexity of the presented issues of hockey in the sports industry and Chicago Blackhawks problems, in particular, it is obvious that many aspects of the performance of the team need a thorough revision. With the reference to the information received in the course, it is possible to conclude by mentioning several theoretic frameworks. As long as the sports industry depends on the public, it is necessary to consider several steps towards the elimination of the discussed problems. First, it is essential to revise the existing marketing strategy of the hockey games and teams. It is impossible to attract the attention of the spectators by offering visitors only approved versions of meals and drinks. It is necessary to have a broad view of the complexity of the marketing strategy. Secondly, the home games should have a broadcast on the television in order to enhance the popularity of the Chicago Blackhawks. It is unacceptable to deny this option in the light of the desire to increase the sales of tickets. It is a wrong strategy, which will continue to decrease a natural interest in the attendance of the games. Furthermore, it is important to revise the HR strategy, which will not put the myriad of the responsibilities on a single person the general manager. A well-designed delegation of tasks and labor division can help to improve the functionality of the general management and the speed of the plan implementation. In the described planning of the activity, the general manager is the core of the hockey team external positioning within the segment of the sports fans. Therefore, the management needs to reorganize the organizational structure and extend the number of employees in order to diversify the functionality. Every department should have several professionals, which will lead the team of employees towards the implementation of the improved marketing strategy, financial plans, and organizational goals. Owing to this transformation, it will be possible to restore the reputation of the Chicago Blackhawks, which will continue to inspire the spectators and arouse pride among the sports fans.

In conclusion, it is essential to mention that the discussed case study is one of the typical examples of the mistakes made due to the desire to increase the financial performance of a team. Unfortunately, the legendary hockey team could not avoid making mistakes under the pressure of the competition. The sports industry in the USA consists of several kinds of sports, which have different levels of popularity among the states. With the problematic competitive environment, the Chicago Blackhawks needs to revise their performance and increase the number of highly qualified personnel. Otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain the success of the successful hockey team. In general, the case proved that business mistakes can be costly, and it is necessary to react immediately in order not to lead to the damage of reputation and image.