Has anyone but me noticed that, led by its governor, warping presidential timber Ron (Three Fingers) DeSantis, the state of Florida is rapidly becoming the Dickhead capital of the United States, not because there are more dickheads there (Texas has that title wrapped up for years), but because, acting through its government and many of its government's allied industries, Florida is as an entity as big a dickhead to its fellow states and now, to our friendly neighbors to the north, as well. From the Toronto Sun:
“FLA Live Arena is located in Sunrise, Fla.,” and for the third and fourth games of the second round of the NHL playoffs between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, “primary sales to this event will be restricted to residents of the United States.”
What in the blessed name of Gump Worsley is this about? The Florida Panthers are the feel-good sports story of the month. A team that barely squeaked into the playoffs, and that fell behind three games to one to the Boston Bruins who, this season, did practically everything better than any other team in NHL history, only to have the Panthers come all the way back and beat them, in overtime, on Sunday night, in Boston's home rink. But it took less than a day for the Florida Panthers become dickheads the way the team's home state has been for a decade now.
Ray Ratto over at Defector goes into splendid detail as to what a meatheaded policy this is. I note especially Ratto's perception that it's not as though RVs full of Toronto fans will be descending on Sunrise. (This isn't NASCAR, after all.) And his parallel insight that the Panthers haven't been boffo box office in Florida, either. (They aren't the Tampa Bay Lightning, after all.) In other words, it is completely fair to see this move as a deliberate fck-you to Canadian hockey fans, and such a resounding one that it has destroyed all the good will the Panthers piled up by beating the Bruins. Florida, managing to live down to its governor's reputation.
Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston and has three children.