Why is McDavid so little known outside of hockey?

[9911]

This.

It's because he's in a canadian market.

Gretzky was the 1982 SI Sportsman of the year and had at least 7 covers on SI before he was traded to LA. In those days real sports fans read Sports Illustrated. Pretty amazing that someone who played in Edmonton in the 80s was this well known. And this happened before the internet existed.

 

[joelef]

Gretzky was the 1982 SI Sportsman of the year and had at least 7 covers on SI before he was traded to LA. In those days real sports fans read Sports Illustrated. Pretty amazing that someone who played in Edmonton in the 80s was this well known. And this happened before the internet existed.

Yet somehow with the internet and social media it can’t be done

 

[bambamcam4ever]

No

I can see why you keep your posts short given your braille keyboard.

 

[Bank Shot]

Gretzky was the 1982 SI Sportsman of the year and had at least 7 covers on SI before he was traded to LA. In those days real sports fans read Sports Illustrated. Pretty amazing that someone who played in Edmonton in the 80s was this well known. And this happened before the internet existed.

Gretzky also shattered the single season points record by like 60 points that season.

He was another animal altogether.

Also, athletes that played in the 80s were more well known than today. People only had mainstream media. Micheal Jackson was way bigger than any singer today. MASH and Dallas had bigger TV ratings than anything today.

People have way more choices in what they want to follow today. Things spread faster today because of the internet. but they never get as widely followed.

 

[FMichael]

I can see why you keep your posts short given your braille keyboard.

 

[joelef]

If you watched the Paris Olympics you can understand why mcdavid is unknown and the nhl is losing ground. Star power, drama and pop culture is what sells . Why the nhl and hockey players can’t figure this out is beyond me.

 

[Soundwave]

If you watched the Paris Olympics you can understand why mcdavid is unknown and the nhl is losing ground. Star power, drama and pop culture is what sells . Why the nhl and hockey players can’t figure this out is beyond me.

There's nothing to "figure out". If you want big personalities and/or embarrassing memes like the Australian break dancing lady, hockey isn't going to be the sport for you.

A lot of the "popular" US athletes are grandfathered in from past decades of marketing too ... yeah you know Steph Curry and LeBron James (who's been playing for 20 freaking years). How many people know any of the US basketball "stars" that are McDavid's age? Anyone know Anthony Edwards that aren't big basketball fans?

The most talked about Olympics stars otherwise were all "meme" athletes, the Turkish guy who looked like he just walked off the street corner to compete, the Australian break dancing lady who embarrassed herself, and the Algerian boxer who was in the middle of a gender row. How exactly do you propose hockey players get in on that?

 

[joelef]

There's nothing to "figure out". If you want big personalities and/or embarrassing memes like the Australian break dancing lady, hockey isn't going to be the sport for you.

A lot of the "popular" US athletes are grandfathered in from past decades of marketing too ... yeah you know Steph Curry and LeBron James (who's been playing for 20 freaking years). How many people know Anthony Edwards that aren't big basketball fans?

More people then who know who Connor mcdavid is .

 

[Soundwave]

More people then who know who Connor mcdavid is .

Yes, sure, because the basketball is a much larger sport. Is Anthony Edwards a household name? I bet 80% of the people in this thread have no clue who that is. Or Jason Tatum. Or Luka Doncic for that matter.

 

[joelef]

Yes, sure, because the basketball is a much larger sport. Is Anthony Edwards a household name? I bet 80% of the people in this thread have no clue who that is. Or Jason Tatum. Or Luka Doncic for that matter.

Still more then the goat top player of the nhl.

 

[Soundwave]

Still more then the goat top player of the nhl.

That would be expected, basketball is just by its nature going to be several times more popular than a winter sport played on ice.

The fact is the NBA is having trouble marketing anyone in their 20s into a big star these days too.

The days of celebrity athlete marketing powerhouse are in general not what it used to be. The 1990s was the peak and it's been steady downhill since.

 

[yeaher]

If you watched the Paris Olympics you can understand why mcdavid is unknown and the nhl is losing ground. Star power, drama and pop culture is what sells . Why the nhl and hockey players can’t figure this out is beyond me.

Shit look what happened to golden boy Lyles when he started talking shit with USA basketball team

 

[Conbon]

That would be expected, basketball is just by its nature going to be several times more popular than a winter sport played on ice.

The fact is the NBA is having trouble marketing anyone in their 20s into a big star these days too.

The days of celebrity athlete marketing powerhouse are in general not what it used to be. The 1990s was the peak and it's been steady downhill since.

The death of the monoculture

 

[EXTRAS]

Who cares I don't know who the best player is in the mlb anymore and I even watch blue Jay games occasionally.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

I believe the kids would say he has no aura

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Yes, sure, because the basketball is a much larger sport. Is Anthony Edwards a household name? I bet 80% of the people in this thread have no clue who that is. Or Jason Tatum. Or Luka Doncic for that matter.

We're part of the niche, of course more folks here know about McDavid than them.

Get out of the niche and enter the mainstream, and I'd guarantee you that all three would be much more well-known than McDavid.

Enter the parenting world of adults with kids aged 2-7 and you'll enter a niche where background Bluey characters are the more well-known than any athlete.

 

[Soundwave]

We're part of the niche, of course more folks know about McDavid than them.

Get out of the niche and enter the mainstream, and I'd guarantee you that all three would be much more well-known than McDavid.

Enter the parenting world of adults with kids aged 2-7 and you'll enter a niche where background Bluey characters are the most well-known entities in history.

Of course basketball players will be more popular than the equivalent hockey player, the same would be true of Gretzky's time, he couldn't even hold the jock strap of Magic or Bird let alone the marketing juggernaut that was Michael Jordan.

I'm just saying even today the NBA is having massive problems marketing a new generation of stars. A Luka Doncic or Giannis at age 27/28 is nowhere near the popularity of a Kobe Bryant or even Allen Iverson at the equivalent age.

Most sports are the same. Which golfer has golf been able to produce in the last 20 years that has 1/10th of the popularity of Tiger Woods?

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Has anyone brought up the lack of personality?

 

[brentashton]

Has anyone brought up the lack of personality?

Yes. It was in post 11 of this thread.

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

Who cares I don't know who the best player is in the mlb anymore and I even watch blue Jay games occasionally.

McDavid doesn't have much of a personality really.

Also, as mentioned before, Gretzky didn't become a big US celebrity until he was traded to L.A.

I was told the answer to this thread was post #11

 

[Chet Manley]

Nothing I've ever liked got better by becoming really popular.

 

[WildWingz68JAGR]

Hea got a personality like a dead moth

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

Yes, sure, because the basketball is a much larger sport. Is Anthony Edwards a household name? I bet 80% of the people in this thread have no clue who that is. Or Jason Tatum. Or Luka Doncic for that matter.

This is pretty true
I don’t follow many other sports other than hockey & if you asked me to name 20 guys in the nfl/nba/baseball I’d have a pretty tough time as I pay zero attention to it

 

[yeaher]

Most people couldn't care less about hockey, that's why

 

[WarriorofTime]

I think NHL Players at a Winter Olympics that's held in Europe will give him a pretty big stage. While the Winter Olympics aren't as big as the Summer Olympics, Ice Hockey is still a premiere event (I'd say alongside Figure Skating) at the winter games. These last Olympics held in Europe received a lot of buzz on social media and dominating the news cycle. If the winter olympics are a good showing, it will improve McDavid's stature a lot.