Could NHL surpass NBA?

[BB79]

I never get some people's obsession with the "grow the game" stuff. Do I own a team? No. Do I make revenue from the team? No. Will making the game more popular make tickets harder to find and more expensive? Yes.

It isn't like the league is hurting, having too many teams already. My opinion, of course. Yours mileage may vary.

 

[Voight]

I look forward to the moment when Byfield, Parekh, K.Miller, etc are all representing their countries and are bigger stars in the sport. Diversity is good and the NHL lacks it severely and they need to change that. All the whiners about not caring about that don't seem to understand why its important and explaining why is pointless.

One of the worst things the league did was allow the Thrashers to be bought and moved, their attendance was never the issue that made them a target to be moved, it was shit ownership and an arena in a better location. That team had fans and a lot of loyal ones, I'd rather see a team there than New Orleans.

Bettman protected so many teams for a long time and the moment the Thrashers had a buyer, let them bounce immediately, absolute clown of a Commissioner.


What was their biggest recent hype moment? Lebron playing with his son? Now most of the league is saying the Lakers made a huge deal out of it and the lad isn't even remotely ready to play in the league nor was he worth taking as high as he was taken.

I'd reckon finishing in the bottom three for attendance is an issue. 2009, 2010 and 2011 they finished 28th or lower.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I never get some people's obsession with the "grow the game" stuff. Do I own a team? No. Do I make revenue from the team? No. Will making the game more popular make tickets harder to find and more expensive? Yes.

It isn't like the league is hurting, having too many teams already. My opinion, of course. Yours mileage may vary.

The only reason I would want the game to grow is so other people also to have to pay 300$ for a hockey ticket like me!!!! Yeah I'm petty!!!


But realistically everything you say is true , seriously who cares , it's just gonna be more expensive for those who do care lol

 

[bobholly39]

Wayne Gretzky is very popular in the US. Most people know who he is.

Right.

But he wouldn't make a "#1 most famous athlete of the past 100 years", and he also wouldn't make a top 10 in a large majority of cases. A lot of NBA players would appear first. And - Gretzky is the exception for hockey, because I don't even know off hand who #2 for hockey would be, but they'd be very, very far behind in terms of fame.

 

[Beerz]

Right.

But he wouldn't make a "#1 most famous athlete of the past 100 years", and he also wouldn't make a top 10 in a large majority of cases. A lot of NBA players would appear first. And - Gretzky is the exception for hockey, because I don't even know off hand who #2 for hockey would be, but they'd be very, very far behind in terms of fame.

#2 would be Rob Ray

 

[Machinehead]

I never get some people's obsession with the "grow the game" stuff. Do I own a team? No. Do I make revenue from the team? No. Will making the game more popular make tickets harder to find and more expensive? Yes.

It isn't like the league is hurting, having too many teams already. My opinion, of course. Yours mileage may vary.

Completely agree with this.

I'm a WNBA fan. Some growth is necessary because in that context, you want all of the women to make a comfortable living.

That being said, some of my favorite things about the league are derived from less popularity. Better prices/seats, fewer casuals with awful takes, a tighter community.

I love when we're not playing Caitlin Clark and I can sit in the 8th row for $100. I can't even get into MSG for $100.

Have you guys seen most NBA or NFL fans? Hell, have you seen most NHL fans??? Not here, but in general. Those are the people you have to listen to when the sport becomes popular.

 

[Rcknrollkillnmachine]

Surprised the popularity of rugby in both codes is not brought up when mentioning basketball in a global context. Wouldn't surprise me if it was more popular.

 

[End on a Hinote]

No exaggeration here, the MLS is far more likely to surpass the NHL than the NHL is to surpass the NBA.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

...Golf has entered the chat...

...this is the Team Sports chat, not the Recreational Activity chat...

 

[Summer Rose]

I think the difference is that hockey basically only has pro leagues of any worth in North American and Europe.

Cricket has pro leagues with high-end players in Europe, Asia, North America, Australasia and Africa... and it is played in multiple countries in each of those continents to a high level. South America (Guyana) also produces some very good players.

plus, the nations where cricket is played have a far greater combined population than hockey.

Hard to be "niche" when the 2nd most watched and 2nd most played team sport on the planet... with high end professional players coming from EVERY continent!

Also 99 nations have national teams that actually play games.

Whereas in ice hockey only 58 teams play at international level. (albeit 2-3 more will be added in the next couple of years in Europe I guess with Ireland and Portugal)

This is a good point that I didn’t really think about. Thank you for opening my eyes.

It’s funny because I actually like cricket a lot and should have known this. My watching habits are usually restricted to the major international tours.

 

[End on a Hinote]

I never get some people's obsession with the "grow the game" stuff. Do I own a team? No. Do I make revenue from the team? No. Will making the game more popular make tickets harder to find and more expensive? Yes.

It isn't like the league is hurting, having too many teams already. My opinion, of course. Yours mileage may vary.

I feel the same way but for different reasons. Since you're American you're not going to agree with me, but I've always hated how other countries are catching up to Canada in the only sport we are worldly known to be truly successful in. I'm not saying it's ad other countries are playing the sport, I'm saying it sucks how it comes at our expense.

People will tell me that it's "good for the game". And I will tell them, "How's that good for our game?".

(And by "our game" I'm not saying we own the sport. I'm speaking of Hockey Canada, specifically).

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

I don't follow basketball, but the NBA has real problems right now. From what I've seen, and from what people tell me:

1. A huge problem is that the game seems to be solved. Only two kinds of shots exist anymore, and those are layups and three pointers.

2. The game isn't physical and flopping is out of control.

3. The whole league was set up around the idea of 'star' teams, and right now, people don't particularly love the stars the NBA has to offer.

4. Charles Barkley is retiring. Don't underestimate this. It's worth watching the NBA on TNT just for Barkley and Shaq, it transcends the game. This is a major, major problem for the NBA.



The Four Nations tournament, as much as I hate it for one of my team's star players getting injured, made a lot of people take note of the fact that hockey is a pretty good game right now, and guys need something to follow during the spring.

 

[Fatass]

I don't follow basketball, but the NBA has real problems right now. From what I've seen, and from what people tell me:

1. A huge problem is that the game seems to be solved. Only two kinds of shots exist anymore, and those are layups and three pointers.

2. The game isn't physical and flopping is out of control.

3. The whole league was set up around the idea of 'star' teams, and right now, people don't particularly love the stars the NBA has to offer.

4. Charles Barkley is retiring. Don't underestimate this. It's worth watching the NBA on TNT just for Barkley and Shaq, it transcends the game. This is a major, major problem for the NBA.



The Four Nations tournament, as much as I hate it for one of my team's star players getting injured, made a lot of people take note of the fact that hockey is a pretty good game right now, and guys need something to follow during the spring.

Yup. The NBA and NHL interest in the US (hockey will always be king in Canada, so this doesn’t apply) will always be cyclical. Interest will vary depending on how exciting the two leagues. Currently the NBA is terrible and the NHL is exciting by comparison. The NFL will always dominate in the US. It’s almost like hockey is in Canada.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I can't imagine a world where the NHL will pass the NBA....


They'd have to pass College Hoops and College Football before they even get close to the NBA.

 

[Summer Rose]

I feel the same way but for different reasons. Since you're American you're not going to agree with me, but I've always hated how other countries are catching up to Canada in the only sport we are worldly known to be truly successful in.

People will tell me that it's "good for the game". And I will tell them, "How's that good for our game?".

(And by "our game" I'm not saying we own the sport. I'm speaking of Hockey Canada, specifically).

That’s exactly why, as an American, I like the idea of the game growing: some of it is admittedly personal, because I want to be competitive with a team like Canada in international play. Growing the sport in the United States has done just that. The results aren’t quite there yet because Canada still manages to find a way to beat us when it really counts (2002, 2010, and 2025 so far).

I will also admit that I take a great deal of amusement at beating another country’s national team at a sport they consider to be “their” sport. For example, in soccer, drawing England 1-1 (this wasn’t a win but it was close enough to serve its purpose) at the World Cup and watching all the England fans melt down over it brought me a great deal of enjoyment. Beating Mexico 3-2 at the 2002 World Cup brought me a similar level of joy, although because I don’t speak Spanish I didn’t get to watch any ensuing potential meltdown of their fans.

It goes in reverse too though. Seeing other national teams become more competitive in basketball (where the American national team is dominant on both the men’s and women’s side) makes me happy because I think it’s good for the sport. Likewise for women’s hockey, which is dominated by the United States and Canada. That’s just me though, and I don’t blame any Canadian who doesn’t feel the same way about hockey.

 

[Washed Up 29YearOld]

Not until there are more black players in hockey. A big reason why half the population doesn't watch is because there's nobody who looks like them.

I'm not sure that's what it is. Plenty of white folk watch the nba and nfl and the majority of the players are black.

 

[DrunkTurtle]

Not happening.

I do think the current NBA is crap and so much worse than what is used to be. NBA games have turned into no-contact three point contests. No thanks.

 

[Rebels57]

Until the NHL finds a way to make equipment for kids damn near free, it will never compete with Basketball. It's really that simple. Anyone that grows up playing Hockey falls in love with it forever, but it's just too damn expensive to play. What's worse is, equipment is getting more expensive while disposable income is shrinking. If anything, Hockey's popularity could go in the opposite direction. Would love to see more former players give back to the sport after they retire by funding Youth Hockey Foundations in low income areas. In Philly we have the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, which has certainly made an impact in the area.

Homepage | Ed Snider

Our goal is to create a better future for the under-resourced youth of Philadelphia through hockey and education. Join us and start making a difference today!

sniderhockey.org

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

Not any time soon. Everything that made the recent games a hit is everything that the league is against.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

I'm not sure that's what it is. Plenty of white folk watch the nba and nfl and the majority of the players are black.

We're getting into territory that I don't think we should be discussing here, but tribalism is different across the tribes. Some groups don't care that the players don't look like them. Other groups care a lot.

This is relevant to the NBA, too. When I say that 'people don't particularly love' the current NBA superstar crop, well, let's be real: some people in this country don't want to see a Serbian and a Slovenian dominate the game.

 

[Appleyard]

Until the NHL finds a way to make equipment for kids damn near free, it will never compete with Basketball. It's really that simple. Anyone that grows up playing Hockey falls in love with it forever, but it's just too damn expensive to play. What's worse is, equipment is getting more expensive while disposable income is shrinking. If anything, Hockey's popularity could go in the opposite direction. Would love to see more former players give back to the sport after they retire by funding Youth Hockey Foundations in low income areas. In Philly we have the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, which has certainly made an impact in the area.

Homepage | Ed Snider

Our goal is to create a better future for the under-resourced youth of Philadelphia through hockey and education. Join us and start making a difference today!

sniderhockey.org

Yep.

That and access to ice... which is a real problem in a lot of places even where pro hockey has a decent following. Just getting ice time costs a lot.

Especially when kids are growing up and need new skates, pads, helmets, sticks every year as they grow.

It costs a small fortune to have one child play youth hockey... whereas put them in soccer, baseball, basketball etc and the costs are minimal in contrast.

If I have kids they will play hockey to some level if they want to...

but in some other sports how far a kid will go is basically a formula of talent+drive (as no barriers to playing basically all the time)... in hockey it is talent+drive+money... as if you cant get ice time and decent equipment there is only so far you can improve shooting at home on a piece of plexi, and using old roller skates on the street to improve your skating.

And often if people cant play a sport they wont be hooked on it for life.

 

[AvroArrow]

Not until there are more black players in hockey. A big reason why half the population doesn't watch is because there's nobody who looks like them.

Disagree with this, main reason why half the population don't watch is because playing hockey is not accessible.

Football is the major sport in USA, you can find affordable programs everywhere. Hockey is a niche sport, only the wealthy can really afford to put their kids into legitimate hockey programs.

Has nothing to do with ethnicity, everything to do with affordability. I'm an Indian that was born and raised in Toronto, I have never played ice hockey in my life. I go skating occasionally, I always dreamed of playing hockey as a kid but immigrant families can't afford it. Despite never seeing a player who "looked like me" on the ice, it never deterred a single one of my family members or countless friends of mine who are indian/black from watching the game.

In the US, not only if football much bigger and much more developed than hockey. It is easily accessible to all, if a kid gets into football at 4-5 years old or whatever age, more than likely, that is the sport he/she is going to watch.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Not until there are more black players in hockey. A big reason why half the population doesn't watch is because there's nobody who looks like them.

I think the issue is more about accessibility to play the sport easily. All kids need to play basketball, football, or soccer is a ball and a court or field, which are all over the place in most communities. For hockey, you need all of the gear. Even if you're just playing street hockey, sticks are way more expensive than a basketball, and most areas don't have hockey nets in community parks. Baseball needs a bat and glove, but you can play it in any open space. With hockey, you need a paved surface, nets (nobody really uses trash cans like in D2), a stick, and ideally gloves to protect the hands. It's just more difficult to play.

 

[jbeck5]

...Hockey is also by far the most expensive sport to play...a LOT of kids just don't have the opportunity to play the game cuz it's soo expensive...

I think that's a good argument for how many hockey players there are, but not for how many fans there are.

Most people I know who like hockey don't even play hockey. I know so many big fat out of shape men who like hockey and haven't put their foot in a skate for years. Plenty of fans who never even played hockey even 20 years ago....

So what would be reasons for viewship not to grow...not necessarily players.

To watch sports doesn't cost money to buy equipment.

Like almost no one I know played football...yet they're watching the NFL religiously...why wasn't playing football a prerequisite to be a football fan, but it's one to be a hockey fan?

Here, football equipment was also super expensive so any kid who did play, didn't even buy equipment, but "rented" it for the season. At least in hockey, most parents could afford to buy hockey equipment.

Like my highschool who kept winning football championships had to have a full team set worth of equipment because practically no one who played high school football even played recreational football or owned any equipment...but then the hockey team, everyone has their gear as you wouldn't come close to sniffing the high school varsity hockey team unless you played competitive hockey, but not junior because then you weren't allowed by your junior team.

 

[Hoek]

I never get some people's obsession with the "grow the game" stuff. Do I own a team? No. Do I make revenue from the team? No. Will making the game more popular make tickets harder to find and more expensive? Yes.

It isn't like the league is hurting, having too many teams already. My opinion, of course. Yours mileage may vary.

Yeah as long as my team isn't at risk of going away I don't particularly care about it in the grand scheme of things. I think the Lightning have cemented themselves as a very beloved team in this area so as long as the sport or some new ownership doesn't actively chase people away things are fine as they are now.

Beating Mexico 3-2 at the 2002 World Cup brought me a similar level of joy, although because I don’t speak Spanish I didn’t get to watch any ensuing potential meltdown of their fans.

It goes in reverse too though. Seeing other national teams become more competitive in basketball (where the American national team is dominant on both the men’s and women’s side) makes me happy because I think it’s good for the sport. Likewise for women’s hockey, which is dominated by the United States and Canada. That’s just me though, and I don’t blame any Canadian who doesn’t feel the same way about hockey.

It was 2-0. Hence the recurring taunt to Mexicans "dos a cero" whenever USA manages to repeat the feat (which is quite often lately, lol).

I think internationally I'd rather be at risk of losing more often. One reason women's soccer got so little respect back in the day is because USA was so ridiculously dominant at it. It's nice to see them get embarrassed and knocked off their peg lately. That made the recent Olympic gold they won last year a lot more enjoyable because they had to fight for it with new younger players and a better coach and the quality of the women's game overall has improved by leaps and bounds thanks to the European nations taking it seriously.

Here's hoping USA beats Canada for gold in the next Olympics, it could really take the sport to the next level internationally.