COMMENTARY: TWO THINGS FANS LOVE

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned since becoming a full-time sportstalk host the past five years, it’s that sports fans love talking about two things: expansion, and rule changes.

So it’s no surprise that NHL player-turned-TV-host Anson Carter got tongues wagging this week when he let it be known he’s representing an ownership group hoping to bring the NHL to Atlanta for a third time.

Carter’s lived in Atlanta since 2009 and believes a third time’s the charm. Lost in the shuffle is a statement from the NHL Tuesday evening telling Carter “thanks”, but they’re not considering expansion at this time. However people don’t seem to want to hear that! They want to talk about hockey in the Peach City, and if it would work.

If you ask me – and that’s why you came here – I’m all for it! The RP Show airs on WQEE Radio in Atlanta daily and I say the more hockey, the better.

For anyone who says the NHL is “twice-failed” in Atlanta, I’d point to Ottawa and the CFL as an example of why you shouldn’t give up on a market.

As an aside, former Atlanta Thrasher and current Florida Panthers broadcaster Bill Lindsay was on our Cats ‘N Bolts Podcast this week saying that YES, the NHL should go back to Atlanta, but not anytime soon.

We haven’t heard the last of it.

And fans also love to talk about rule changes; far more than I do.

But the NFL released a list of proposed rule changes tabled by the teams on Wednesday and they include:

The Indianapolis Colts proposing a change that would allow for challenges of penalty calls in the last two minutes of the half. They’re also suggesting an option to run a fourth-and-20 play in lieu of an onside kick, the moving of the trade deadline and giving teams an additional challenge if they are successful on one of their first two tries.

We’ll debate these on today’s RP Show because, as I said, fans can’t get enough of it.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm & 5 pm on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)