NHL Owners Playing Games With Ticket Money, Not on the Ice

OK, let me get this straight. I pay a lot of money in July (not counting the rollover of last February’s playoff money) to watch a whole season of hockey, including mandatory full-price exhibition games. Owners play the exhibitions, costing them nothing, then lock out players and fans, then they dictate refund policy? Policies that include losing your seat priority number if you take any of your money back, which you can’t have until they actually cancel home games, which they still haven’t done? They’ve canceled four games, but they aren’t going to tell us which ones, so no refunds. Is this good faith? Does anyone even know what that term means?

Mr. Bettman’s lack of either a new starting date or a season cancellation is a blatant license for owners to hold onto ticket money. Why should the owners try to settle? So long as they hold a season’s worth of ticket revenues in their accounts, earning money every day, they aren’t compelled to have hockey. Profits without payroll, what a deal.

The “refund guidelines” are a farce. I wasn’t giving management an interest-free loan for six months or more when I signed my check. Either provide the promised services or give me my money back, and I mean all of it.

TRACY BROWN

Marina Del Rey

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If the baseball union had sent President Carter to argue their case, the players would be working now. Building houses.

BILL STEIN

Cambria