It Appears The Men Of Team USA Plan To Boycott The World Championships If The Women Of Team USA Don't Get Paid Adequately

Word circulating among NHL players that American players will refuse to play in men's World Championships in solidarity with the women.

— Allan Walsh (@walsha) March 26, 2017

Have you ever gone out to eat with a group of people and had to deal with the frugal friend that didn't order an appetizer, and wants to break the bill down by item instead of just splitting it evenly like a normal, socially appropriate human being? Let me tell you, it's one of the most obnoxious things a person can do. By time the check is all sorted out it will have made you wish you just threw your credit card down and paid to avert the embarrassment of public penny pinching. Essentially the arguments and confusion that result from such a scenario become more costly than the unaccounted five to ten dollars that your cheap ass buddy was ready to defend until the death of his pride. 

What I am trying to say is that USA Hockey's insistence upon only compensating their female athletes well enough to sustain a diet made up entirely of Ramen noodles throughout a 4 year Olympic cycle is more costly to their image than a well deserved pay increase would be to their bottomline. The organization that is responsible for growing hockey in this country looks like it's ready to sacrifice the existence of the internationally competitive teams that this country rallies around just to save themselves some coin. The stain that is now on their reputation could have easily been avoided by opening their checkbook. With the more popular (though less successful) men's team now joining the proverbial picket line, there shouldn't be a figure that's worth more than cleaning up the absolute mess that they actively created with their incessant and disingenuous haggling tactics.

I get that USA Hockey is as much of a business as anything else, but - when literally all of your employees (and potential employees) are standing against you in solidarity - it might be time to loosen your wad and pay the due tab you've been skirting for years. If USA Hockey is going to lack representation in a tournament that is being held on their home ice then they might as well cease to exist...like the friendships that get ruined over the price of a round of beers. ​