Why is McDavid so little known outside of hockey?

[BTO]

I feel like I wasted 15 seconds reading this.

Where you and I are sitting, is irrelevant. Canada is so tiny and barely puts a dent on the world population and kind of adds to the point everyone here is making...hockey is a niche sport.

Ah yes, Canada is so tiny (pretty large geographically though. Especially if we include Alaska. “Manifest Destiny” and all) and hardly puts a dent in the world population, therefore, the fact that Connor McDavid is very well-known in Canada outside of hockey is meaningless. The NHL is based in two countries. Connor McDavid is only unknown “outside of hockey” in one of them.

But the only thing that matters is what Americans, which has about 3% of the world’s population think, right? Statements such as “hockey is a niche sport” without any further clarification is biased and American-centric. Y’all might consider recognizing, and admitting, it for a change.

 

[TheUnusedCrayon]

He was still the most popular player by far. McDavid's jersey was outsold by a retired Lundqvist just a few years ago.

Look at the list of top-selling jerseys for the 2022-23 season.

How the hell do you get outsold by David Pastrnak or Jack Hughes when you're a player of McDavid's caliber?

Everybody already has his jersey, that's why lol

Go to an Oilers game and probably 90% of them are McDavid jerseys.

 

[settinguptheplay]

McDavid is one of the most boring, bland and uninspiring athletes on the planet. There is no personality to connect with. Does not make him a bad person. Just difficult to connect with. Talent alone does not sell jersey's. You need something that people can relate to. Mr. Robot is just not it.

 

[DapperCam]

Because the NHL is stupid enough to let a generational talent get drafted by a team playing on the North Pole.

The NFL or NBA would have rigged the draft to make sure he goes elsewhere.

Imagine McDavid playing in any US market and he's better known here. Not saying he'd be more popular than Lebron or Mahomes but he would be significantly more popular than currently.

Sabres wanted him so bad. He could have been just outside of Toronto, and not too far from NYC.

 

[doomscroll]

Personality has nothing to do with it - Messi, Mahomes, and Ohtani are just as bland as McDavid is, but their marketability is insane. Hockey is by far the most inaccessible major sport in North America (even if you live in a winter climate) and it will never come close to the popularity of sports where all you need is a ball and/or a stick and a flat area to play.

 

[MuckOG]

Ah yes, Canada is so tiny (pretty large geographically though. Especially if we include Alaska. “Manifest Destiny” and all) and hardly puts a dent in the world population, therefore, the fact that Connor McDavid is very well-known in Canada outside of hockey is meaningless. The NHL is based in two countries. Connor McDavid is only unknown “outside of hockey” in one of them.

But the only thing that matters is what Americans, which has about 3% of the world’s population think, right? Statements such as “hockey is a niche sport” without any further clarification is biased and American-centric. Y’all might consider recognizing, and admitting, it for a change.

It's just reality. In America, hockey IS a niche-sport. But that's only part of the reason for the NHL's struggle to grow the game to be on par with the NBA or NFL, the other is that there are very few personalities in the NHL to develop a marketing campaign around. Yes, there are great players, but tell which which players have the personality to cross over and become as big as someone like Lebron James or Patrick Mahomes? Nobody.

Personality has nothing to do with it - Messi and Shohei Ohtani are just as bland as McDavid is, but their marketability is insane. Hockey is by far the most inaccessible major sport in North America (even if you live in a winter climate) and it will never come close to the popularity of sports where all you need is a ball and/or a stick and a flat area to play.

Messi and Ohtani aren't household names in the US. Most sports fans have heard of them (and they are widely known within their respective sports), but if you put their face on a billboard, most people wouldn't know who they are.

 

[Montreal Shadow]

Everybody already has his jersey, that's why lol

Go to an Oilers game and probably 90% of them are McDavid jerseys.

This doesn't make sense. Crosby and Ovechkin still consistently outsell him and they've been in the league for far longer. Superstars don't suddenly stop selling jerseys as they age.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Grant Hill had a massive Coca-Cola/Sprite marketing campaign in the 90s, his own sneaker which was competing against the Air Jordan, his jersey was incredibly popular, at the time it was thought he would be the next Michael Jordan.

People forget how incredibly popular he was, it was only because he got injured that he wasn't a Kobe/LeBron tier star, his marketing path was already set.

Hill had a lot of hype early on, which is when he got all those deals, but he became known more as sort of a bust than a legit superstar.

And honestly as big as the NBA is now, even in the 90s, if you weren't into basketball, all that stuff didn't mean jack to you. And back then the % of people into the NBA was smaller and still closer to the NHL's numbers than it is now.

 

[Oleksiak]

Has just as many lowlights for his diving and tantrums as he does highlights for his play. His character issues makes it very difficult to be respect him, let alone market him.

 

[Soundwave]

Hill had a lot of hype early on, which is when he got all those deals, but he became known more as sort of a bust than a legit superstar.

And honestly as big as the NBA is now, even in the 90s, if you weren't into basketball, all that stuff didn't mean jack to you. And back then the % of people into the NBA was smaller and still closer to the NHL's numbers than it is now.

Even in Canada I remember seeing more kids with Grant Hill jerseys than Gretzky Kings jerseys in the 90s.

The NBA was rising in popularity a lot because it was "cool", everyone wearing Chicago Bulls gear even people who never watched any of the games and this was even happening in Canada.

The NHL has never really had "that" going for it.

 

[eojsmada]

He has zero star "aura". Does nothing that goes beyond what he does on the ice, aside from charitable (tax-break) work. Nothing wrong with it. Not like Gretzky is much better, just happened to get elevated into a higher "audience" being in LA.

 

[Profet]

Has just as many lowlights for his diving and tantrums as he does highlights for his play. His character issues makes it very difficult to be respect him, let alone market him.

Are we talking about McDavid or Crosby?

 

[jackjohnson]

It's just reality. In America, hockey IS a niche-sport. But that's only part of the reason for the NHL's struggle to grow the game to be on par with the NBA or NFL, the other is that there are very few personalities in the NHL to develop a marketing campaign around. Yes, there are great players, but tell which which players have the personality to cross over and become as big as someone like Lebron James or Patrick Mahomes? Nobody.



Messi and Ohtani aren't household names in the US. Most sports fans have heard of them (and they are widely known within their respective sports), but if you put their face on a billboard, most people wouldn't know who they are.

Messi is a houshold name in US since half US is made of Latino, Mexican and asian population who do watch soccer and Messi transcends it. Even my mom knows who Messi and Ronaldo is and she doesn't watch soccer. LeBron James might be more commercialized and in more ads but even names like Mahomes who is popular in NFL doesnt ring a bell for people that only watch superbowl lol. Messi is a global icon and easily recognizeable and even has his own brand so saying he isnt a household name in US is laughable, especially when Apple TV+ has made him look like an icon on US TVs and MLS.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Even in Canada I remember seeing more kids with Grant Hill jerseys than Gretzky Kings jerseys in the 90s.

The NBA was rising in popularity a lot because it was "cool", everyone wearing Chicago Bulls gear even people who never watched any of the games and this was even happening in Canada.

The NHL has never really had "that" going for it.

People were wearing Grant Hill teal Pistons jerseys when the Pistons sucked in the 90s? They didn't win a playoff series in his entire time there and had a few seasons in that time span. They didn't get really good again until after he got traded (the return incl. Ben Wallace). I feel like Hill's fame peaked when he was the star of a Duke team that made the national title game and then got drafted in the top three and won ROY in the NBA. But after that he never took that next step.

And yeah obviously the NBA was cooler among teenage kids. It's been like that since at least the 80s. The tie-in with rap music and urban culture in general is catnip for teenagers.

But soccer never had that either and yet it's grown and grown even though most soccer players certainly can't compare with the appeal of a Jordan or Lebron either. I mean Messi is a tiny guy who doesn't like to give interviews, is pretty bland when he does talk and overall is pretty uninteresting off the field. If Messi was at a party, he'd be like the guy sitting quietly on a chair in the kitchen corner. Messi is a global star because of the sport he plays and his phenomenal ability in spite of his personality. Soccer as a sport that's basically by far the number one in most countries of the world is a huge beneficiary of the globalization of culture in North America and the decline of traditional North American culture.

 

[Soundwave]

McDavid is one of the most boring, bland and uninspiring athletes on the planet. There is no personality to connect with. Does not make him a bad person. Just difficult to connect with. Talent alone does not sell jersey's. You need something that people can relate to. Mr. Robot is just not it.

To be honest I don't even think this is *that* true.

Is LeBron really an amazing personality? I couldn't make it through 15 minutes of that new Space Jam movie, he is terrible on camera.

Most athletes don't have that much charisma off the field of play. Messi is duller than a can of white paint.

Shaq, Charles Barkley, Dennis Rodman, Jordan and Kobe cultivating that persona of extreme competitors, Magic Johnson, some of the 90s NBA guys they were legit big time personalities.

Hockey is played on ice, people need to understand that many of the big US cities don't even have a proper winter. Asking a kid growing up in Miami or Phoenix or Los Angeles or Atlanta or North Carolina to idolize someone who plays a winter sport is like asking a kid in Saskatchewan to be super into the sport of surfing in many cases.

Hockey is at a massive disadvantage to begin with. Winter sports in general only have a fraction of the popularity of non-winter sports.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

Hockey is a niche sport and ranks in the 5-10 range of popular sports in most markets outside of the established hockey markets.

That’s really it. He could put up 200 points and it wouldn’t change that.

 

[jackjohnson]

He has zero star "aura". Does nothing that goes beyond what he does on the ice, aside from charitable (tax-break) work. Nothing wrong with it. Not like Gretzky is much better, just happened to get elevated into a higher "audience" being in LA.

Gretzky is a lot more known buddy, he has also had his name dropped in a lot of rap songs, featured in talk shows etc. Even up until now. McDavid has not had this much recognition.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Ah yes, Canada is so tiny (pretty large geographically though. Especially if we include Alaska. “Manifest Destiny” and all) and hardly puts a dent in the world population, therefore, the fact that Connor McDavid is very well-known in Canada outside of hockey is meaningless. The NHL is based in two countries. Connor McDavid is only unknown “outside of hockey” in one of them.

But the only thing that matters is what Americans, which has about 3% of the world’s population think, right? Statements such as “hockey is a niche sport” without any further clarification is biased and American-centric. Y’all might consider recognizing, and admitting, it for a change.

3/4 of the world population doesn't even know what hockey is what are you on about

 

[blundluntman]

To be honest I don't even think this is *that* true.

Is LeBron really an amazing personality? I couldn't make it through 15 minutes of that new Space Jam movie, he is terrible on camera.

Most athletes don't have that much charisma off the field of play. Messi is duller than a can of white paint.

Shaq, Charles Barkley, Dennis Rodman, Jordan and Kobe cultivating that persona of extreme competitors, Magic Johnson, some of the 90s NBA guys they were legit big time personalities.

Hockey is played on ice, people need to understand that many of the big US cities don't even have a proper winter. Asking a kid growing up in Miami or Phoenix or Los Angeles or Atlanta or North Carolina to idolize someone who plays a winter sport is like asking a kid in Saskatchewan to be super into the sport of surfing in many cases.

Hockey is at a massive disadvantage to begin with. Winter sports in general only have a fraction of the popularity of non-winter sports.

Lebron isn't super charismatic (he can be really funny when he's being himself though) but he definitely has personality and a strong presence in the league/culture. He does a lot of stuff outside of basketball and has friendships with a lot of celebrities.

A lot of it is bc of the NBA's platform but he still gives them a lot to work with (plus his career has a lot of controversy/big time moments surrounding it). McDavid on the other hand would still be Tim Duncan-esque even with a bigger platform; he's just a boring guy in general.

If the NHL had a bigger platform, I could see guys like Tkachuk, Kucherov, Mackinnon being pretty popular.

 

[MoneyManny]

Not especially, there are no sparkling personalities in that group that I listed. There are certainly no brain surgeons there, James is a nice guy but quite immature, Brady is weird yet dull, Messi seems to have no discernible characteristics at all, and Ronaldo is a douche. Make them hockey stars and their personalities move the needle exactly 0.

If McDavid had Ronaldo's physique and swagger, was married to Giselle and was the supreme uncontested GOAT and hero of his sport, he would be a LOT bigger than he is right now.

The equivalent of any of these guys would be killing it in hockey man.

 

[JackSlater]

If McDavid had Ronaldo's physique and swagger, was married to Giselle and was the supreme uncontested GOAT and hero of his sport, he would be a LOT bigger than he is right now.

The equivalent of any of these guys would be killing it in hockey man.

I don't really care about physique or wife when talking about how personality impacts how known someone is, which is the point of the post you were quoting. Ronaldo having swagger, or as a more reasonable person would probably call it actng like a douche, is at least a personality trait. I'd also say that McDavid would be better able to pull a supermodel if hockey was more popular, but hockey players have done decently.

As an aside, I'd say that McDavid is closer to the best ever at his sport than Ronaldo is and far, far closer than Brady is. The generally mindless discussion that takes place around quarterbacks in the NFL obscures that though.

 

[NeverForget06]

Has just as many lowlights for his diving and tantrums as he does highlights for his play. His character issues makes it very difficult to be respect him, let alone market him.

how many more threads are you going to copy paste this baloney in to lol

 

[NotCommitted]

Personality has nothing to do with it - Messi, Mahomes, and Ohtani are just as bland as McDavid is, but their marketability is insane. Hockey is by far the most inaccessible major sport in North America (even if you live in a winter climate) and it will never come close to the popularity of sports where all you need is a ball and/or a stick and a flat area to play.

I don't know who Mahomes and Ohtani are, but I would assume NFL and/or MLB or something.

Just goes to show it's pretty easy to not know a sports "superstar" if you don't follow the sport... especially these days since you can be so picky what you expose yourself to. And globally speaking hockey is like barely top10 team sport. How many people here know who the best volleyball player in the world currently is? Bigger sport than hockey according to many metrics.

 

[RebuildinVan]

The NHL is run by morons who don't know how to market. Outside factors like video games and movies have marketed hockey better than the NHL ever has

Look at what Dana White has done with a fringe sport.

Charles Barkely markets the NHL playoffs better than the NHL

 

[Oilslick941611]

2 reasons.

1) The NHL doesn't market their stars

2) Hockey players have the personality of wet cardboard.