Rivalries in the VHL

[Matt_O 897]

So I started writing this in notes on my phone because I didn't think I would have much time when I got home to write a media spot, so I wanted to do most of it while I was in the car. I got about halfway done, and all was good. But alas, my phone was stolen, so here we are rewriting this media spot at 10 pm on a sunday night. 

 

What makes a playoff series exciting? Is it the tight, close games? The high scoring? The low scoring defensive games? The physicality? If you picked any of those answers, you would be correct. All of those contribute to a great playoff series. Unfortunately for the VHL, none of those things matter. Since the games are simulated, you aren't watching them happen live, so a close game is pretty much the same as a blowout, since at the end of the day it gives a team one win. If you aren't on one of the two teams in a series, why would you care about it? Well, there are two other things that make playoff series great that we didn't mention before that the VHL can take advantage of, and thats rivalries and storylines, which are pretty similar in the end. Rivalries, in my opinion, are extremely valuable to the VHL and I think that there needs to be more dislike amongst the league. Not dislike in a way that drives members away, I just mean dislike of teams and team hatred, not individual. 

 

When I try to remember every playoff series I've been in, the two that come to mind are ones that featured rivals. When I played with Malmo, our S68 finals matchup against the Bears was notable because they were our rivals. It's hard for me to say what the rest of the league was feeling about that matchup, but I would think there was some intrigue around the league about the finals matchup, more so than in a typical year. Even though the series ended in a quick and convincing 4-0 sweep, it still is one that I remember. It wasn't an intense, hard fought series. Yet I remember it the most clearly. I also remember playing the Bears in the conference finals as a member of the Wranglers now, this was only a couple seasons ago. We were up 3-1, and then we lost. The storyline is what is important to remembering that series, but there was a little animosity between us and Seattle.

 

In the playoffs, it's just a way for newer members to check out if their team isn't participating. It's two weeks of no sims for your team sometimes, and that can make it hard to really maintain interest. I would say that interest in the VHL reaches its lowest point during the playoffs because not enough people are playing, and that isn't something the VHL should change, it's just an unfortunate fact we have to deal with. That's why rivalries are so important. I barely paid attention to the playoffs this year, but I did when the Bears played the Menace two seasons ago. That wasn't much of a rivalry, but the storyline is there; they were the two best teams of the late S60s. Having an exciting rivalry can make non team members interested in playoff series, and that is really important.

 

564 words

[Banackock 8,048]

Rivalries can be a lot of fun! I’ve cherished many throughout the years.