NHL Beating NBA in Attendance

[Hot Mega]

This post points out a simple fact that has a simple explanation.

Hockey is a game
Basketball is a show

Now I like a good show, but after you've seen it a few times, well it loses its appeal.

Hockey is the last true gladiatorial team sport left, a perfect combination of skill, brains and brawn.

GO HABS!

All spectator sports are games and shows. My rule of thumb is games are determined by scoreboards and shows are determined by score cards.

In that sense hockey is more show-like since what could be considered a "good" hockey match can be one that ends in minimal or no scoring on the scoreboard.

All that said, hockey is a great sport and if it's the case that it successfully draws more people through the turnstiles, it should be almost expected since it's appeal is mainly how it comes across in person.

That appeal is the greatest flaw in the sport as a major entertainment entity though.

Of course you want to put more fans and their fat asses in the venue seats but from a business standpoint you want more for fans to plop their fat asses down on their sofas to watch...that's where the money is.

More fat asses watching on sofas means more timeslot market share. More timeslot market share means networks can shake down advertisers for more loot...Obviously when networks make more loot they pay the entertainment franchise causing it more.

Like I said before, I don't think it's really surprising or meaningful since the main draw of the sport is (or should be) ice hockey's in person action.

I think Fox tried to jazz up the tv presentation and increase viewership with various effects like the puck trail (or whatever they called it). I think the purests pulled the plug on that..

I think it was a good idea to draw more people to the sport on tv but I guess the purests didn't like it because they thought they were watching ZAXXON or something.:dunno:

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

Johan Franzen didn't start playing until 11, but not high competitive until 17. Al McCinnis didn't start played organized hockey until 11, and Ed Jovanovski didn't start playing until right before his 13th birthday. While it's harder, you can't still start playing late and make it to the NHL.

For sure there are exceptions to the rule, but it's rare that a hockey player can start that late. What's even more rare is a guy who plays B's late local or JV in high school and makes it to the NHL (Joel Otto, for example). The one thing about hockey is there are huge jumps along the way. For example, the most challenging jump for me (and for pretty much anyone you will ask who's lived through it) is from Pee-Wees to Bantams. That's when if you haven't developed physically you start going up against young men instead of pre-pubescent kids. You can see guys like a Dustin Byfuglien really become more of a factor in that situation who maybe wasn't so good previously. The best player I grew up with who went DI and is now playing pro below the NHL was cut both years in squirts and I made both teams, but he totally developed from Pee-Wees to Bantams whereas I kind of fell off because I didn't get big until high school. Generally though, the earlier you start your kid (I'd say no later than 6) the more likely they are going to develop the fundamentals of the game and later have a chance to make something out of it such as a full ride scholarship or, even more, paying the bills. A good player in the ECHL can make $50K a year, for example, playing only half the year at most! League minimum in the NHL is $400K+ in the NHL. :hatsoff:

 

[shayd]

For sure there are exceptions to the rule, but it's rare that a hockey player can start that late. What's even more rare is a guy who plays B's late local or JV in high school and makes it to the NHL (Joel Otto, for example). The one thing about hockey is there are huge jumps along the way. For example, the most challenging jump for me (and for pretty much anyone you will ask who's lived through it) is from Pee-Wees to Bantams. That's when if you haven't developed physically you start going up against young men instead of pre-pubescent kids. You can see guys like a Dustin Byfuglien really become more of a factor in that situation who maybe wasn't so good previously. The best player I grew up with who went DI and is now playing pro below the NHL was cut both years in squirts and I made both teams, but he totally developed from Pee-Wees to Bantams whereas I kind of fell off because I didn't get big until high school. Generally though, the earlier you start your kid (I'd say no later than 6) the more likely they are going to develop the fundamentals of the game and later have a chance to make something out of it such as a full ride scholarship or, even more, paying the bills. A good player in the ECHL can make $50K a year, for example, playing only half the year at most! League minimum in the NHL is $400K+ in the NHL. :hatsoff:

This explanation is completely applicable to anyone of the other three major sports in the US. Yeah, it's rare, but it happens in all four major sports at about the same rate.

 

[Rey C.]

It would probably help hockey's appeal (the NHL anyway) if there were some recognizable/household name players like there used to be. I never followed hockey, but even I knew who Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky were. Who are the big name players these days? :dunno:

I don't follow basketball anymore, but I know who Kobie, Shaq and Lebron James are. I don't follow baseball, but I know who A-rod and Derek Jeter are. Same with the NFL, but I know who a LOT of the players are... because I hear their names all the time or see them in TV commercials. And I suspect that even people who don't follow auto racing know or have heard of Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart and/or Jimmie Johnson. But I'd have a hard time picking out "the star" player in the NHL from a lineup, even if I was in the bank when he robbed it.

IMO, the NHL has the same problem as the IRL/Indy car: it's hard to get back to the big time if you can't make household names out of your "stars". Interestingly enough, both are relegated to Versus (a second/third tier network). Even the lowly IRL has D@nica Patrick, and she's pretty famous... not because she's much of a racer, but still, people recognize her name. Danican't dropped the puck at a hockey game last year. So maybe hockey is going that route to become more popular.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

It would probably help hockey's appeal (the NHL anyway) if there were some recognizable/household name players like there used to be. I never followed hockey, but even I knew who Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky were. Who are the big name players these days? :dunno:

I don't follow basketball anymore, but I know who Kobie, Shaq and Lebron James are. I don't follow baseball, but I know who A-rod and Derek Jeter are. Same with the NFL, but I know who a LOT of the players are... because I hear their names all the time or see them in TV commercials. And I suspect that even people who don't follow auto racing know or have heard of Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart and/or Jimmie Johnson. But I'd have a hard time picking out "the star" player in the NHL from a lineup, even if I was in the bank when he robbed it.

IMO, the NHL has the same problem as the IRL/Indy car: it's hard to get back to the big time if you can't make household names out of your "stars". Interestingly enough, both are relegated to Versus (a second/third tier network). Even the lowly IRL has D@nica Patrick, and she's pretty famous... not because she's much of a racer, but still, people recognize her name. Danican't dropped the puck at a hockey game last year. So maybe hockey is going that route to become more popular.

There aren't a ton of household name players in the NHL if you don't follow. The two biggest are Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Growing up for me it was Bure, Federov, Jagr, Sakic, Forsberg, Lindros, LeClair, Brodeur, Hasek, Modano, Roenick, Selanne and in the later part of their careers Hull, Yzerman, and of course Lemieux (to name a few).

This explanation is completely applicable to anyone of the other three major sports in the US. Yeah, it's rare, but it happens in all four major sports at about the same rate.

I don't disagree with that, although there is no question heavy-contact sports like hockey and football it takes on much more of a role in a player's ability.

 

[BoboBrowne]

Obviously none of you are from the American south.

The pink elephant in the room is race. Like it or not, a lot of white people aren't going to watch one black guy run around a court chasing another black guy.

Sad, but true.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

Obviously none of you are from the American south.

The pink elephant in the room is race. Like it or not, a lot of white people aren't going to watch one black guy run around a court chasing another black guy.

Sad, but true.

Who are buying the tickets then?

 

[BoboBrowne]

Who are buying the tickets then?

Apparently you're unfamiliar with the words "a lot". Reading comprehension is your friend.

Maybe you're better at math...a lot = many. All = everyone.

Again...clearly not from the American south. You don't understand the attitudes.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

Apparently you're unfamiliar with the words "a lot". Reading comprehension is your friend.

Maybe you're better at math...a lot = many. All = everyone.

Again...clearly not from the American south. You don't understand the attitudes.

Don't try to get slick with me. :nono: So what if ALL whites don't like basketball. There are pleanty of white folks that can't stand hockey. There are even more blacks that can't stand it. Does that make blacks closet racists like you implied above about whites? If I go to an NBA game in my town the majority of the fans are white.

 

[rwill25]

Obviously none of you are from the American south.

The pink elephant in the room is race. Like it or not, a lot of white people aren't going to watch one black guy run around a court chasing another black guy.

Sad, but true.

I see some truth in that. If the NBA had more white American basketball players, the NBA would be far more popular than it is right now.

 

[LukeEl]

When is nimbly peg finally going to garner it's recognition huh!