Do you like the NHL being 4th in the 'Big 4' or do you wish it was more popular?

[Super Hans]

I'd rather watch an exciting, unpopular product than a product that goes split screen in the middle of play to tell me which Disney/Marvel/Star Wars product I should consume next.

 

[Hockeyfan2390]

Yes, I wish it was more popular, and yes I think it's better than the other three major sports.

However, there's nothing more insufferable than insecure hockey guy.

 

[DanyHeatley]

Media isnt doing a good enough job If showcasing the sport outside Canada. Here in Canada, hockey is big. NBA has always been popular here but with the raptors recent championship win, there’s a new big wave of basketball hype and i would say it’s at its most popular in Canada right now.

 

[SupremeNachos]

Most casual hockey fans I've met only pay attention once the playoffs start. I think anyone who has watched a playoff series between 2 well matched teams put the NHL at worst 2nd out of the 4. At this point I don't see anything dethroning the NFL in the US, but MLB and NBA are not where they used to be in terms of popularity for a myriad of reasons. If anything having the NHL more popular would in theory bump up the cap at a faster pace than it has the past 15yrs.

 

[Ciccarelli]

What really amazes me is how on earth there is a country in the world where handegg, baseball and basketball are found more entertaining than hockey. Its mindboggling. These sports arent even fun to play yourself let alone watch others do it.

 

[Didalee Hed]

Is the nhl even big enough in the USA to be considered part of a club with the nfl, nba, and mlb?
To me, that reeks of how maple leaf fans say they have a “big 4” and try and sneak Nylander in with Marner, tavares and Matthews.

 

[tucker3434]

Sure, I’d like it to be more popular. Finding any random hockey fan in GA is like finding a unicorn. It’s just never gonna happen when half of the US barely even sees snow, much less a frozen pond. The only avenue to get kids into the sport is ice time at, what is likely, the one rink in town at 5am and an upfront cost of $1k for all the equipment. It isn’t difficult to see why football, baseball, and basketball have a much larger following. I can do all those in my yard/driveway.

 

[dortt]

There is no Big Four. There's the NFL, NBA, and MLB, and everyone else.

The NHL is closer to the MLS than it is the Big Three. Hockey is super exciting and could appeal to a huge, diverse audience in America. Unfortunately, it's remained a niche winter sport because of predominately white Canadian gatekeeping.

Golf is more watched than baseball and is similar to basketball on a week to week basis. There is a reason why golf gets priority in the TV contracts over every sport except the NFL and the networks are paying about 700 million a year in the new TV contract for just the PGA Tour portion of the deal

 

[BigEezyE22]

Is the nhl even big enough in the USA to be considered part of a club with the nfl, nba, and mlb?
To me, that reeks of how maple leaf fans say they have a “big 4” and try and sneak Nylander in with Marner, tavares and Matthews.

Here's a good standard...if your city is willing to throw a parade for your championship, the sport is big-time enough.

 

[razor8]

There is no Big Four. There's the NFL, NBA, and MLB, and everyone else.

The NHL is closer to the MLS than it is the Big Three. Hockey is super exciting and could appeal to a huge, diverse audience in America. Unfortunately, it's remained a niche winter sport because of predominately white Canadian gatekeeping.

Yeah, black people don't watch hockey because Canada is keeping them down.

 

[Gnashville]

In the end Who cares how popular it is, because I enjoy it doesn’t mean everyone should. Some people enjoy eating Mayonnaise for the jar, but I certainly don’t. The downside is that when it wasn’t popular here in Tennessee I could afford to go to games but not now that it exploded. The arena is packed and fun but
the tickets are outrageous now. $100 plus to sit in the nose bleed upper bowl, when I could have sat near the glass for 1/2 that at one time.

 

[zappa4ever]

Only thing I wish is that NHL got regular TV time on the 4 major networks (NBC/ABC/CBS/Fox)
If NHL had even 10% the time on major networks as NFL there'd be some great exposure
If NHL showed all of Playoffs on major networks they would close the huge gap between 3rd and 4th pretty quickly (in my mind at least)

 

[Fataldogg]

Is hockey really 4th?

Hasn't Nascar, Golf, and Tennis get better ratings than the NHL?

I feel like the major golf / tennis tournaments always get better ratings than the NHL playoffs.

Me personally, I don't care how popular hockey is, as long as its popular enough to sustain itself as a league.

 

[Love]

The NHL in no way deserves to be considered a top sports league, the product just isn't that good.

This is the truth. Horrendous job of marketing stars, horrible tv product, horrible analysts, terrible decision to not play in the olympics, but a great game.

 

[ziggyjoe212]

NHL is very popular in markets with an NHL team. In fact it's #4 in very few markets with an NHL team.

It'll likely never surpass the NFL anywhere, but it's #2 in A LOT of markets, such as Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Buffalo, St. Louis, Philly. Maybe even Vegas and Boston.

 

[Fixxer]

In the USA you mean?
It's a Canadian sport and most of the NHL teams are in the US. So, how can it be more popular than Football, Baseball and Basketball. There's also Soccer which is a popular team game.

 

[Quiet Jack]

Is hockey really 4th?

Hasn't Nascar, Golf, and Tennis get better ratings than the NHL?

I feel like the major golf / tennis tournaments always get better ratings than the NHL playoffs.

Me personally, I don't care how popular hockey is, as long as its popular enough to sustain itself as a league.

Golf majors are the freaking best. Especially the masters, and even more so if Tiger is in contention.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Being a niche sport is fine. I don't need it to be wildly popular to enjoy it.

 

[Love]

NHL would do itself a lot of favours if it chose better places for expansion/relocation. The fact that there’s no team in Wisconsin, no team in Seattle (yet, finally happening now), and no team in Quebec City is ridiculous.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

It kind of shocks me more people watch e-sports than actual sporting events.

 

[qwerty]

Use to care, don't anymore. Being considered even in the top 4 is pretty darn good in itself especially considering there's only 24 teams in America whereas the other leagues have around 30 or more.

But ultimately, as the poster above me has illustrated, eSports are the future. Traditional sports rely mostly on cable, paid attendance and corporate dollars to thrive. But with the continued trend of cable cutting and dropping attendance figures, it's inevitable that we see big corporate dollars flow towards the behemoth that will be eSports.

 

[BrockLobster]

Use to care, don't anymore. Being considered even in the top 4 is pretty darn good in itself especially considering there's only 24 teams in America whereas the other leagues have around 30 or more.

But ultimately, as the poster above me has illustrated, eSports are the future. Traditional sports rely mostly on cable, paid attendance and corporate dollars to thrive. But with the continued trend of cable cutting and dropping attendance figures, it's inevitable that we see big corporate dollars flow towards the behemoth that will be eSports.

Its a sad time we live in....

 

[HisIceness]

It kind of shocks me more people watch e-sports than actual sporting events.

View attachment 298235

That 106 million number is world-wide yes? Thats about the same number as the Super Bowl.

 

[Frank Drebin]

I was talking with a coworker, we both put backyard rinks in this year. We were talking about playing hockey/ringette during the cold winter months and the alternatives.

Skiing?
Snowmobiling?
Snowshoeing/CC Skiing?

Its not as if we're choosing hockey to play for our kids rather than baseball or soccer. We can't play baseball or soccer in the winter, hockey is all that we can play.

In warmer states, why would the majority choose to play hockey rather than the natural sports like baseball or soccer? Just put a soccer net in the backyard, done. Its so much cheaper and easier than trying to find ice time.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Use to care, don't anymore. Being considered even in the top 4 is pretty darn good in itself especially considering there's only 24 teams in America whereas the other leagues have around 30 or more.

But ultimately, as the poster above me has illustrated, eSports are the future. Traditional sports rely mostly on cable, paid attendance and corporate dollars to thrive. But with the continued trend of cable cutting and dropping attendance figures, it's inevitable that we see big corporate dollars flow towards the behemoth that will be eSports.

I have a hard time both believing and accepting that, but I'm open to having my mind changed.