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

[Hattrickkane88]

It doesn't work that way, skill doesn't necessarily translate over from one sport to another, nor is talent developed so that it can be applied universally. And athleticism is no indicator of success, if it were guys like Roman Polak would be winning Norris trophies.

Yes it does. Iverson was also a star quarter back, Randy Moss was a star basketball player in school, Lebron was a star football player in school, if these guys were playing hockey at a young age they would have thrived as well.

"And athleticism is no indicator of success "
I don't think you need to type something that a 12 year old could tell us, tons of athletic people don't succeed in the Nba or football as well, it takes more then that and guys like Iverson, Moss and Durant had it when it came to their sports. Iverson was so creative he would have invented his own toe drags and moves.

wait what? Roman Polak? huh? that's your example of shining athleticism??

 

[Blender]

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

 

[Bobby Terrance]

yeah i know i literally said that in a post before you quoted me

Sorry man, didn't see it.

 

[Hattrickkane88]

Sorry man, didn't see it.

all good brother and i agree with you big time

 

[Amazinmets73]

Yes it does. Iverson was also a star quarter back, Randy Moss was a star basketball player in school, Lebron was a star football player in school, if these guys were playing hockey at a young age they would have thrived as well.

"And athleticism is no indicator of success "
I don't think you need to type something that a 12 year old could tell us, tons of athletic people don't succeed in the Nba or football as well, it takes more then that and guys like Iverson, Moss and Durant had it when it came to their sports. Iverson was so creative he would have invented his own toe drags and moves.

wait what? Roman Polak? huh? that's your example of shining athleticism??

Skating requires different muscles. It wouldn't directly translate.

 

[NyQuil]

It's hard for me to understand what it's like, except when I'm visiting the States.

On our Sportscentre, they showed the highlights of every single Canadian hockey match-up before showing the World Series.

I can only imagine what an American tourist would think.

 

[Reality Check]

There isn't such thing as a big 4 anymore.

The NHL fell into the wheel of fortune over a decade ago or more with UFC, Soccer, Hot Dog Eating Contests etc..

 

[Blender]

There isn't such thing as a big 4 anymore.

The NHL feel into the wheel of fortune over a decade ago or more with UFC, Soccer, Hot Dog Eating Contests etc..

The NHL struggles to outdraw, and often doesn't outdraw, the Premier League on NBC and NBCSN. How anyone thinks it's even in the top 4 is beyond me.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

Hockey is popular enough to support 32 teams. What it needs is to be more accessible because the middle class can barely afford some of the shit they need too, nevermind the lower income earners who absolutely cannot afford the price of gear.

 

[Snakepit]

I'm fine with it like it is

Too much talk about growing the game and changing it to appeal to more viewers. Screw that. Leave the game alone

 

[IamNotADancer]

Honestly, Hockey will always be first. Then with a big gap comes soccer and the Olympics.

Baseball, Football and Basketball are boring as f*** to me and the appeal just isnt there so I actively avoid watching it. If I channel surf and any of those 3 sports are on I just flip right past it.

Ill never understand how people enjoy any of those slow and flat out boring sports.

 

[IceKitties]

Hockey is my favorite sport, but I also watch the other major sports (Football, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer). One of the biggest barriers to hockey rising in popularity is the simple fact that it is so much more difficult to play for the average kid/person.

First of all, you need to have a rink near you. In the north this isn't as big of an issue, but in large portions of the US, it's not easy to find a rink right in your neighborhood. Then factor in things like the cost of equipment, having less competition/leagues to play in, much more travel if you do play in a league. It all adds up like crazy.

Then compare it to the other major sports. For football and soccer, you just need a ball and a field of grass, that's it. Sure there are some extra equipment costs if you play in a league, but it's not as expensive as hockey and there is much better infrastructure for those leagues. Basketball is pretty easy to play as well, and there are tons of basketball courts in all parts of the country.

Ultimately, I think people continue watching and consuming content of the sports they played as kids. Some really big sports fanatics will find their way to hockey, but it has a much bigger barrier of entry relative to the other sports which limits the exposure people get to it.

At the end of the day I think hockey is fine though and will be fine. It might not become a global worldwide phenomenon, but there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

Hockey being so expensive to play is problem no. 1. It requires a ton of equipment that needs to be updated with aging, requires access to arenas that need to be maintained, and skating requires learning a completely new way to move around than most team sports. Geography plays a part as well, no way around that.

I also think Hockey is a lot less intellectually stimulating the big three sports, especially compared to football and baseball.

 

[Critical13]

Hockey is and always will be King in Canada so it doesn't make much difference to me what it's status is in the States.

I do wish it was on another network than NBC for national games. Don't think they do a particularly good job of showcasing the sport. It's a great game, the people who know that are fans for life. I do wonder how the NHL plans to reach some of the younger generation though, there's just so many more options for entertainment these days. The NHL in general struggles to attract new fans and doesn't really treat the ones it does have very well either. Not participating in the Olympics is just a terrible decision for the sport of Hockey.

I don't think this is true. I think it will fall to 2nd in the next 10-15 years.

I see the current brand of systematic, shut down hockey to be a big problem in terms of entertainment value. It's just not as interesting.

 

[RorschachWJK]

Means nothing to me. The other three don't even exist to me, zero interest. Also, NHL mainly interests me through the lens of international hockey.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Hockey isn't #4 where I live. Not getting much ESPN coverage is probably a plus though.

 

[ermolli]

Soccer → Hockey in the US, isn't it? The popularity of soccer is growing rapidly in the southern areas mainly. Soccer has replaced hockey in the big 4 seriously.

 

[JAS 39 Gripen]

No, No.

90% of people can't afford hockey but any kid can go to the park and find somebody playing basketball, football and join in, they don't even need their own ball.
It's the same reason Soccer is so popular outside north america. They are so poor they can't even afford cement or basketball nets so they just play soccer.[/QUOTE
??? Haha! ”Murica!”

 

[TrueTT]

I don't think this is true. I think it will fall to 2nd in the next 10-15 years.

I see the current brand of systematic, shut down hockey to be a big problem in terms of entertainment value. It's just not as interesting.

Yeah, the Raptors winning a chip less than a quarter-century into their existence, while Canadian teams repeatedly fall short time and again is just gonna make this all the worse.

 

[RandV]

Yes it does. Iverson was also a star quarter back, Randy Moss was a star basketball player in school, Lebron was a star football player in school, if these guys were playing hockey at a young age they would have thrived as well.

"And athleticism is no indicator of success "
I don't think you need to type something that a 12 year old could tell us, tons of athletic people don't succeed in the Nba or football as well, it takes more then that and guys like Iverson, Moss and Durant had it when it came to their sports. Iverson was so creative he would have invented his own toe drags and moves.

wait what? Roman Polak? huh? that's your example of shining athleticism??

Certainly athleticism is important, but the point that always gets made here is that pure athleticism: how fast you can run, how high you can jump, etc, is far more important in football and basketball than it is in hockey. At the NHL entry draft for example the guys that score the best in the combine is no more than a positive side note that will have little impact on draft rankings. Skating is very different from running, shooting/goal scoring has little to do with pure physical strength, and hockey IQ tops all. That's about all that needs to be said really.

For the actual topic though an angle that's never really explored is the impact Canada has on the equation. Like the leagues are looked at being roughly in equal in size at 30 teams, but if you're looking at just the US market the NHL only has 24 teams which has to have a fairly significant impact on US national coverage.

 

[rfournier103]

I'm fine with it like it is

Too much talk about growing the game and changing it to appeal to more viewers. Screw that. Leave the game alone

A thousand times this.

 

[Channelcat]

I wish it was less popular. Only a matter of time now before it degenerates into a NBA style circus cash grab.

 

[sinDer]

I do wish it was bigger and I believe it deserves to be bigger....I still do not get the hype with the NBA....however who knows what the future holds....I would like to think one day Hockey will overtake one of the big three.

I can understand the hype with the NBA. I'm not fan, but I can understand why people like to watch it.

NFL and MLB though....

 

[SoundAndFury]

It's the same reason Soccer is so popular outside north america. They are so poor they can't even afford cement or basketball nets so they just play soccer.

200IQ conclusion. Are you really so out of touch with the rest of the world?

How can anyone not like the amazing Murican sports, am I right? It can't be any other reason than that they are poor. Not like any kind of turf or paved road which requires next to no maintenance is good enough to play basketball. Not like you need perfectly even surface to play soccer because the ball is going to jump around all over the place otherwise. The part about the "basketball net" is hilarious altogether. How do you even think the net is a necessity to play basketball? Have you ever seen a basketball rim? You know it does function without the net too, right?

 

[sinDer]

Hockey being so expensive to play is problem no. 1. It requires a ton of equipment that needs to be updated with aging, requires access to arenas that need to be maintained, and skating requires learning a completely new way to move around than most team sports. Geography plays a part as well, no way around that.

I also think Hockey is a lot less intellectually stimulating the big three sports, especially compared to football and baseball.

Not sure about the intellectual thing, but I 100% agree with you for the rest.

For these reasons, hockey will never be as popular as sports like soccer or basketball.