TORONTO, September 22, 2004 -- Hockey fans should be pointing the finger at owners, not players, in the current NHL lockout, according to York University researcher Julian Ammirante.

 

“Athletes’ salaries are typically portrayed by owners as the major cause for the NHL’s financial woes,” says Ammirante. “But in terms of mismanagement, hockey has had some of the worst owners in the history of professional sports.”

 

Ammirante, a Ph.D. candidate in the Political Science Department at York is uniquely qualified to comment on the lockout and its surrounding issues. He conducts research exclusively into the political economy and business of major league sports in the age of globalization. He has written and lectured extensively in this field, including its direct impact on Canada.

 

York University is the leading interdisciplinary teaching and research university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city.  The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 180,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries.  This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges.

 

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For more information or to set up an interview, please contact:

George McNeillie, Assistant Director, York U. Media Relations, 416-736-2100, x22091 / gmcneil@yorku.ca

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