You’ve probably heard of the expression “sieve” in relation to money, either because of its use in popular culture or simply because you’re a hockey fan and it’s been around since the early 1900s.
What does sieve mean in hockey? To find out, we need to take a quick trip down memory lane.
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The Origins Of The Term
Back in the early 1900s, the Industrial Revolution had just begun in earnest. The country was in the middle of a massive switch from a largely agrarian society to an urbanized one, and it created a lot of new opportunities for people who were eager to enter the workforce.
One of these opportunities was in the area of financial management, as the creation of the financial sieve allowed for the creation of the modern-day investment house.
The Growth Of The Industry
The world’s first investment bank, the London Stock Exchange, first handled the listing of companies back in 1848. But it wasn’t until after the turn of the century that the financial sieve saw significant growth, largely thanks to the efforts of one man: J.P. Morgan.
Born in New York in 1837, J.P. Morgan was one of the most influential business leaders of the 20th century, frequently credited with helping to create the modern economy. He is also known for being the first western businessman to travel extensively in China, where he established business contacts that lasted the rest of his life.
What is often forgotten about J.P. Morgan is that he was also a skilful stock market player and one of the first modern-day quantitative investors. This is what made him so valuable to the financial industry back in the day โ he could look at a company’s financial health and predict with near-perfect accuracy whether or not it was going to be successful. If the company was going to be successful, he would purchase a large number of shares in it; if not, he would avoid the area entirely.
The Biggest Owners Of Company Shares In 1930
In the years leading up to and including the financial crisis of 2008, it was common for people to save a certain amount of money each month and then place it in the stock market to earn them some extra cash. This was, in large part, because the stock market was a relatively safe place for people to put their money. In general, investors knew that no matter what happened in the world, the stock market would always be somewhere between a good and a bad idea.
Thanks to the efforts of people like J.P. Morgan, the world’s first investment bank, and many other large investors who benefited from his insights, by 1930 there were a select few stock market giants that were primarily responsible for the market’s unprecedented growth.
Here are the top ten richest people in the world, as of 2013:
- Bill Gates(ะะธะปะป-ะะตะนัั)
- Warren Buffet(ะัััะธะพะฝ)
- Carlos Slim Helu(ะะฐัะปะพั ะกะปะธะผ ะะตั)
- L. Mazzola(ะะฐะทััะฝ ะัะฒะพ)
- Roman Abramovitch(ะ ะพะผะฐะฝ ะะฑัะฐะผะพะฒะธั ะขััะบ)
- Frederick Karl Schoenfeld(ะคัะตะดะตัะธะบ ะะฐัะปะพั ะงะตะฝัะตะปัะด)
- Elon Musk(ะญะปัะพะฝ ะะฐัะบ)
- Laurence J. Peter(L.J.ะะตัั)
- Jacob Safra(ะะถะตะบะฐ ะกัะตัะฐ)
What is often forgotten about the early days of the stock market is that, for the most part, individual investors were the only ones allowed to participate. This meant that only wealthy people had the opportunity to buy and sell shares to make a profit. It also made it very difficult for individuals to make money investing in the market, as stock market trading was reserved for institutions and large corporations. This changed in the latter half of the 20th century, as the creation of the stock market index allowed for the establishment of the mutual fund, which in turn made it possible for anyone with an investment account to participate in the market on a daily basis.
Hockey And The Golden Era Of Wall Street
In 1933, with the Great Depression still gripping the world, the stock market saw something of a revival. That year, a group of investors bought a controlling share of the New York Rangers, which was then the top hockey team in the world. They named the team the โโGreen Pasturesโโ, after the first stock exchange where they performed their trades.
This share purchase not only gave the investors a financial interest in the team, but it also brought with it an opportunity to gain extensive access to insider information about the hockey world. The investors became known as the โโGreen Pasturesโโ group, as they often met at a bar owned by one of the team’s owners in Manhattan.
Things didn’t stay quiet for long, however, as the following year a group of investors purchased a controlling share of the Boston Bruins, and again in 1936 with the Detroit Red Wings.
What Is A Sieve?
To understand what sieve means in hockey, we need to take a closer look at the history of equity ownership in sports teams. Traditionally, sports teams have been seen as a way for companies to generate revenue and as a cost-effective investment, as most professional sports teams are owned by corporate entities or wealthy individuals who use them as a way to generate additional cash flow.
Equity ownership differs from traditional forms of sports team ownership in two major ways: first, players aren’t directly employed by the team, they’re contracted through agents; second, the team’s ownership stake is often viewed as a form of shareholder’s equity, and is sometimes even treated as a closely-held stock, similarly to how a privately-held company is viewed.
What this means in practice is that, while traditional sports team owners might purchase a stadium, install lights, and hire coaches, these items are considered expensive non-core business costs. Instead, the primary focus of the team’s ownership is on growing the revenue generated by the team through sponsorship deals and lucrative television contracts โ this is what makes up the bulk of a sports team’s value.
Hockey As A Business
This business model is likely what led to the popularization of the term โโsieveโโ in the context of sports teams. Back in the early 1900s, professional sports teams were often considered a way for corporations to generate revenue and increase their profit margins โ think of the early NFL (National Football League) or NBA (National Basketball Association). In other words, they were seen as a way to filter dollars โ to be specific, large amounts of money from corporations seeking to gain a foothold in the market.
Over time, as more and more corporations sought to gain a foothold in the market, professional sports teams evolved into a way for them to do business โ they built partnerships with existing businesses to gain access to specialized products and services that they couldn’t afford to purchase themselves.
Sponsorship And TV Contracts
An example of this type of partnership is the Chicago White Sox, who in 2011 became the first major sports franchise to enter negotiations with a digital marketing agency regarding the possible purchase of advertising space on the club’s jersey. According to the team’s CMO (Chief Marketing Officer), Bob Gebhard, this is nothing new for them โ โIt’s not a one-off event, it’s something we do on a regular basis,โ he said. โWe use our jersey as a billboard.โ
This is similar to how Anheuser-Busch InBev used to promote Budweiser and its Clydesdale horses by placing Budweiser logos on the racing horses’ shorts. Or how Volkswagen used to promote its cars through an elaborate stunt involving a man on a unicyclist wearing a Porsche jacket.
The point is that, similar to the stock market, sports teams have evolved from expensive luxury items to a more practical and efficient business tool for corporations. This is likely a result of the increasing digitalization of sports teams and the rise of alternative sports media, like social media platforms, which make it easier for fans to stay abreast of the team’s activities for free.