- Jan 7, 2013
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The thing about not just the NHL, but ice hockey in general, is it’s an expensive sport to get into and entirely impractical on a casual level for the vast majority of the country. Hockey’s popularity in Canada is mainly cultural, but the fact you can have a backyard rink to practice in and it’s easy for a kid to get involved in playing the sport at a young age.
Look at the popular sports these days. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world because it’s cheap to get into. All you need is a ball. You don’t even need any clothes. You can have a makeshift goal. You can play barefoot or even buck naked if you can’t afford clothes. While you might not have a full pitch or a goal, you can still practice skills with a small piece of land and a wall as a goal. That’s why it’s so incredibly easy to get into soccer and why it’s so popular.
Basketball is growing in popularity hecause all you need is a ball and a hoop. Hoops you can buy for your driveway and many public parks have baksetball courts to use to play, which has allowed it to grow in popularity all around the world. Not to mention how they’re in basically every high school gym. Even if you aren’t good enough to go pro, being a casual player isn’t difficult and it leads to being a fan of the pro game.
Football is popular because of the cultural aspect. And it’s basically in every high school, at least in the south. Many players are from the south and the best college football teams are in the south. While it requires a lot of equipment and is expensive, high schools are heavily invested in it, which allows young kids to get involved. But look at ice hockey. It’s entirely impractical casually for those outside New England and upstate NY and northern midwest states like Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Hell, JJ Watt played hockey when he was younger, but he changed into football because of how expensive hockey is and how many more opportunities he had with football.
Ice hockey can never be super popular in America outside northern states. They can do a better job marketing the sport, but they can only go so far. I feel like instead of pushing the league south, they should’ve been saturating the north more. Have a team in Milwaukee and Green Bay, have a team in Rochester, NY, have another team in Michigan, bring back hockey to Hartford. Imagine a kid growing up in Wisconsin seeing his home town team succeed and decides he wants to be a hockey player. He can have a backyard rink. There will be ice skating rinks and youth teams. That’s how you bring organic popularity and love for the sport. If a dad teaches his young son to love ice hockey, how can he get the child to participate and actually play? Compared to baseball with little league, basketball with high school leagues, and football with major programs, it’s extremely difficult. Outside the northern states, you aren’t going to find high school hockey and major youth leagues. That’s why the league relies so much on Canada, and they can’t compare with the US in creating profitable entertainment.
Look at the popular sports these days. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world because it’s cheap to get into. All you need is a ball. You don’t even need any clothes. You can have a makeshift goal. You can play barefoot or even buck naked if you can’t afford clothes. While you might not have a full pitch or a goal, you can still practice skills with a small piece of land and a wall as a goal. That’s why it’s so incredibly easy to get into soccer and why it’s so popular.
Basketball is growing in popularity hecause all you need is a ball and a hoop. Hoops you can buy for your driveway and many public parks have baksetball courts to use to play, which has allowed it to grow in popularity all around the world. Not to mention how they’re in basically every high school gym. Even if you aren’t good enough to go pro, being a casual player isn’t difficult and it leads to being a fan of the pro game.
Football is popular because of the cultural aspect. And it’s basically in every high school, at least in the south. Many players are from the south and the best college football teams are in the south. While it requires a lot of equipment and is expensive, high schools are heavily invested in it, which allows young kids to get involved. But look at ice hockey. It’s entirely impractical casually for those outside New England and upstate NY and northern midwest states like Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Hell, JJ Watt played hockey when he was younger, but he changed into football because of how expensive hockey is and how many more opportunities he had with football.
Ice hockey can never be super popular in America outside northern states. They can do a better job marketing the sport, but they can only go so far. I feel like instead of pushing the league south, they should’ve been saturating the north more. Have a team in Milwaukee and Green Bay, have a team in Rochester, NY, have another team in Michigan, bring back hockey to Hartford. Imagine a kid growing up in Wisconsin seeing his home town team succeed and decides he wants to be a hockey player. He can have a backyard rink. There will be ice skating rinks and youth teams. That’s how you bring organic popularity and love for the sport. If a dad teaches his young son to love ice hockey, how can he get the child to participate and actually play? Compared to baseball with little league, basketball with high school leagues, and football with major programs, it’s extremely difficult. Outside the northern states, you aren’t going to find high school hockey and major youth leagues. That’s why the league relies so much on Canada, and they can’t compare with the US in creating profitable entertainment.
