Why is McDavid so little known outside of hockey?

[JFedol]

I'm sure it's been said, I won't read the entire thread -- but it's because McDavid is boring, quiet and not particularly attractive and hockey has nearly no cultural cachet in the US and seemingly no workable plan to increase it.

Facts about him being an ugly ass mfer lol. Sometimes I wished hockey players would get plastic surgery tbh , because some of these mfers are just straight up ugly, not even joking. Those toothless smiles are not pleasant to the eye in any way, shape or form.

 

[MadLuke]

nhl hockey in general has a bit of hard time to get through non-hockey people:

- NHL Hockey game: Been a while a tried one, they do not even release on PC since 2009, madden, Fifa, mlb the show, etc... they get youth interested via video game

- TV shows: Inside the NBA, First thing first, I am not sure the quality of hockey TV show is as good and McDavid would not be good on them as a guest. Podcast did well in comparison

- Betting: We start to see some hockey push with Barkley and other outside the hockey world because bettings got so big, but is hockey an interesting sport to be on vs football-basketball-baseball, etc... specially star wise ? Low event noisy, how many under/over line can you make about interesting even like a player scoring goals, it is maybe more comparable to soccer in that regard.

- International best on best, that the best way to have new eyes on star probably, McDavid was left out the big team in the strange 2016 world cup and it has been 0 for the nhl since.

As a NHLER he is not Gretzky-Janet, the only one that really achieved to break through for his play.

They're a world with the Oilers having.a couple legendary battle of Alberta with 80-90s intensity, a 2018-2022 gold medal goal winners, a better tv production and videos games in which McDavid is maybe more popular outside the hockey world.

Did not thought about it, but if he looked like Brady, Ronaldo or Beckham and dressed like them maybe it would be different for some demo.... would not hurt for sure or Messi smile.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

He is as bland a personality as there has existed in the history of pro sports. Crosby is the life of the party in comparison and that's saying something.

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

Because he has the charisma of a wet piece of cardboard...

 

[JPT]

Because he plays in a city almost no one has heard of outside of Canada

And he's boring (but most hockey players are, so what's new) in a world full of superstar athlete personalities.


Dude needs to release a sex tape or something to get some recognition

It would just be one position (missionary).

 

[Soundwave]

Because he has the charisma of a wet piece of cardboard...

Who is this mythical hockey superstar that has big charisma, most hockey stars especially Canadian ones are soft spoken and introverted.

Mario has no pulse



Dude is a robot, lol.

Crosby is dull as bland sugar less oatmeal too



Boring. Even Mr. Marketability Wayne Gretzky, do people actually watch the TNT panel? He's like the most dull person on the panel, half the time it looks like he doesn't even want to be there. The whole "the NHL TNT panel is gonna be like the NBA one with Charles Barkley and Shaq!" has been a total bust.

If people want a sport where the superstar player does cartwheels and back flips for the media, especially if the player is raised in Canada, hockey isn't it, go watch something else.

McDavid is right in line with Lemieux, Crosby personality wise. Being a show boating, loud, show off isn't the Canadian way.

 

[bandwagonesque]

You think his refusal to play like a man doesn't hurt his marketability?

No. I'm saying that when you make claims like this, you're lying to make yourself feel good and to hopefully start arguments that you enjoy as a recreational activity. I don't think you actually believe that McDavid plays a much softer game than any other superstar because I don't think any reasonable person could believe this.

 

[Soundwave]

No. I'm saying that when you make claims like this, you're lying to make yourself feel good and to hopefully start arguments that you enjoy as a recreational activity. I don't think you actually believe that McDavid plays a much softer game than any other superstar because I don't think any reasonable person could believe this.

The funny thing is this guy has no idea of hockey history, he's just repeating the same crap that Gretzky haters would say to him in the 80s, lol ("Whiner Wayne" etc. etc.).

 

[MadLuke]

Who is this mythical hockey superstar that has big charisma, most hockey stars especially Canadian ones are soft spoken and introverted.

Phil Esposito had good charisma, for example.

Jaromir Jagr-Ovechkin, Patrick Roy was a relatively big personality as well.

 

[Oleksiak]

Phil Esposito had good charisma, for example.

Jaromir Jagr-Ovechkin, Patrick Roy was a relatively big personality as well.

Brett Hull is another.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Could one reason be he plays for a Canadian market and hasn't won the ultimate prize?

 

[Hanji]

1. Hockey is a niche sport globally
2. He plays on a Canadian team not named Toronto or Montreal.
3. He has no marketable personality

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Personality isn't important at all. A lot of those NBA players aren't exactly attractive as individuals either.

But here's a fundamental difference, (most) NBA players carry themselves with an air of importance, like they know they're hot stuff. They enjoy the trappings of fame and fortune. They party with celebs and models, they buy up the inventory at a Lambo dealership, they wear the finest of clothes, they have an entourage etc. That's because they come from a culture in which showing off what you have is encouraged, showcasing to the world that you have more money, more friends, more sex etc. than everyone else is a good thing. That's mainstream U.S. culture now - it wasn't necessarily 40 years ago but it is now.

NHL players by and large live, dress and act like a sales VP at a tech company. They don't seek glamor, they don't seek ostentatious displays of wealth and status. They're rooted in a culture that's by and large centered around a cameraderie in which you and your teammates need to act like 'bros' on a level playing field that's really not too far from the folks back home either. That's typical of Canadian and Scandinavian cultures. If McDavid showed up in avantgarde gear that was custom designed for him in Paris by a famous designer, driving a special edition personalized Bugatti and with some movie and pop stars, and a bunch of models and twenty swaggering associates in tow, he'd get both ridiculed and called out. If an NBA star does it, it's just 'the life'.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Hockey is an already obscure sport and McDavid plays in Canada, which only adds to his obscurity. Not to mention there've been no international tournaments for him to put himself onto the world stage like Crosby who had two Olympics before the NHL decided they didn't like growing the game through an international audience with a best on best tournament.

With all that plus Crosby playing on an American team and winning multiple Cups I'll bet he's more recognizable to Americans than McDavid is.

 

[Menzinger]

He's boring off the ice and the league has zero idea how to market the sport beyond established hard core fans.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

If someone told you that one of the greatest water polo players in history was competing in the Olympics, would you really expect all that many to care?

So why does anyone think that non-hockey fans should care about McDavid? It's just a much more limited in popularity sport, stop expecting widespread recognition of the sport's greats compared to significantly more popular sports.

 

[Soundwave]

Phil Esposito had good charisma, for example.

Jaromir Jagr-Ovechkin, Patrick Roy was a relatively big personality as well.

Phil Esposito's hey day was 50 years ago though at this rate. Jagr-Ovy have less marketing appeal in the US because they're not American or Canadian.

The fact is most of the Canadian "generational hockey prodigies" that being Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid ... they are soft spoken and humble personas, they are not loud mouth show boats off the ice that invite attention to themselves. They do their talking on the ice with their play.

If "big personality athlete" is what a person really values in pro sports, that's fine, but it just means hockey isn't really probably for them. You can watch something else. Canadian superstars in general are going to be low key personalities, it's a cultural thing.

 

[MadLuke]

they are soft spoken and humble personas,

This does not necessarily mean low charisma like a McDavid.

Federer was one of the most liked athlete. George Saint-Pierre was not that far from that, but he can sell itself and the sport on Joe Rogan. Or Carey Price, he was really not big and bold, but was good when interacting with kids and making small joke there and there.

You can watch something else. Canadian superstars in general are going to be low key personalities, it's a cultural thing.

I feel maybe this is a different conversation, the op question being exactly why almost everyone do that (watch something else), you seem to think anyone feel it is a problem at all if McDavid is not well known, it is just the factual talk about why is that.

 

[BB79]

Brett Hull is another.

Roenick was an outspoken character as well who played the game right.

That said, it amazes me how many people care that he appears to have "no personality off the ice". Sports figures and for that matter any entertainer's job is to entertain us on the ice or the stage. I don't care what they do in their free time, and sure as hell don't care what they think either way politically, so as long as they keep it separate from the game/stage.

 

[Kairi Zaide]

uh... what?

View attachment 898009

This is what happens when you let AI generate articles.

 

[bandwagonesque]

If someone told you that one of the greatest water polo players in history was competing in the Olympics, would you really expect all that many to care?

So why does anyone think that non-hockey fans should care about McDavid? It's just a much more limited in popularity sport, stop expecting widespread recognition of the sport's greats compared to significantly more popular sports.

I would add to this that I don't care at all that the sport isn't all that popular and I find most of the league's attempts to get attention embarrassing. I love hockey, I enjoy the history of hockey, and none of this is impacted by which sports people in the American south choose to watch.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

Markets don't make a big difference. Bedard is in Chicago, Crosby is in Pittsburgh, Ovy in Washington, MacK and Makar in Colorado, the average American sports fan does not care.

The NHL is not a nationwide sport in the US, it's regional at best with pockets of fans who watch only their local team, and that's the best case scenario for the NHL, the worst case is local fans don't even care about their local NHL team which happens plenty.

Then why is NHL attendance neck and neck with NBA?

There hasn't been a great Canadian team since the Sedin era Nucks the US franchises carry the sport? Why do 20,000 people who can't skate go to games in Tampa, Carolina, Dallas etc.

League is not perfect but its more than punching above its weight. G League basketball or lacrosse draw a couple hundred people don't act like its a product like that.

McDavid is playing in the ESPN era with better exposure and has given the league almost nothing Crosby contributed more when hockey was banished to Vs. At this point its maybe even too late for him to leave and have his Wayne to LAK moment stay in Canada and try and win a Cup I guess. Maybe swap jerseys with Marner or Matthews if the Leafs fans get sick of them.

Baseball's superstars aren't American and can't even be bothered to learn English (that is wrong of course they can all speak it well they just refuse to do English interviews.) Maybe modern stars suck. Well just those sports not fair to call out NBA and NFL stars most are interesting dudes for the most part and are accessible do social media etc. Even someone dislikable like Aaron Rodgers does more from an entertainment perspective than McDavid.

 

[Johnny Rifle]

Then why is NHL attendance neck and neck with NBA?

Because tickets are expensive and limited in quantity. The NBA could fill football stadiums if the tickets were priced so the average family could afford it.

Hockey just isn't a league fueled by player personalities, it's more of a team-oriented fanbase. In what other sport do you see team uniforms without numbers or nameplates for sale? Granted every person who buys an Edmonton Oilers sweater know who Connor McDavid is, but the logo on the front of the jersey is what most people gravitate towards, not the name on the back.

Paulina Gretzky generates more internet searches than Wayne ever will amongst the YouTube generation, so I have little hope for a hockey player who plays in Canada.

 

[3074326]

1) McDavid isn’t a big personality
2) Nobody gives a shit about hockey other than us degenerates

 

[BigGoalBrad]

I would add to this that I don't care at all that the sport isn't all that popular and I find most of the league's attempts to get attention embarrassing. I love hockey, I enjoy the history of hockey, and none of this is impacted by which sports people in the American south choose to watch.

With the exception of Arizona (offset by the success of Vegas) how can the American South do any more to support the NHL.

I went to Florida and Nashville games this year on work trips the stands were packed and the atmosphere better than the Toronto game I went to and I caught a very good Leafs game was a 6-5 win vs Dallas easily the best game of the bunch. Nashville blew a 3-0 lead to Montreal and the Habs hab'd and scored a goal off a lucky bounce off the glass of a dump in. Florida beat someone I can't remember went up 2-0 first 10 minutes then no more goals. Horrendous game. Awful location to that arena way worse than Glendale. Crowd was good and into it.

Florida sells out every game
Tampa sells out every game
Carolina sells out every game
Dallas sells out every game
Nashville sells out every game

Or close they do better than Winnipeg.


None of their fans fan skate. But come on here and 'NHL are clownz and kant markut tha spoort.'