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Guest5372
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 Posted - 11/13/2008 : 07:04:21
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I still don't get why hockey is not in the top 10 viewed sports in the US. It is about as popular as equestrian or something ridiculous like that. Here are my theories, feel free to add or comment.
1. Attention span.
Look at the popular sports, american football and baseball (basketball is for the next point). What do they have a lot in common? They all have a stoppage within 1 minute. One a pass/rush or pitch is made there is a stoppage, reset and start over. A hockey game is too fluid. You lose audience attention after a minute or so. Also this limits advertising time. Basketball the last 2 minutes of a game has so many stoppages that it actually lasts 15 minutes in real time. Same with football.
2. Not enough of a final objective of the game (scoring).
Basketball, though as fluid in the start and middle of the game, has huge amounts of stoppages. Every basket (the game's objective) is a stoppage of play in a sense. So if you miss a basket, there will be at least 50 other baskets by each team. Miss one or 2 is nothing. Miss a goal in and you probably missed anywhere on average between 10 to 20% of the entire scoring. So the viewers are forced to focus longer and they can't leave.
3. Most people can't identify being on skates
You see Lebron make some crazy moves and you can go out almost at any time and try to duplicate. Then realize that you can't. It is easier for the people to identify how hard a move is or how skilled the players are. If you see Datsuyk dangle and you can't just go out and try it. Same with football and baseball. You see them do something and then you can easily go out and try to do it.
The same reasons apply to soccer (or the real football). With exception of point 3. American audiences don't want to watch a sport for an extended period of time, they watch it in bursts. And they wanna watch lots of goals or bakets (points).
Do we want to make hockey more popular? How far would you allow the game to change to draw more viewers (and hence revenue)?
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I´m also Cånädiön
Rookie
Sweden
217 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2008 : 08:40:17
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I think it gets harder to enjoy sports with less scoring if you lack a basic understanding of the game you are watching. So instead of enjoying the different styles of play and strategy you just end up waiting for goals and feel like nothing is happening.
I think basic understanding of the game also is essential for creating a good atmosphere in arenas during games. Read a swedish blog of a guy who had been over watching a game in the southern part of the US a year ago. While the hockey was good he was a bit disappointed at the atmosphere in the building and described it like dead silent with the exeption of chewing sounds from 10000+ people. Basically the only time anyone cheered or did any sound at all was when someone scored a goal.
I don´t know how many commercial breaks hockey in the US has but if they are few and fare apart that could be a contributing factor to why it has trouble getting good airtime, personally I believe that´s why the real football as you call it has such a hard time in the US.
A typical european soccer game is 45min action followed by a couple of minutes commercialbrake followed by 10-15min analysis of the first part of the game then followed by a couple minutes commercial then followed by the other 45min of uninterrupted action with analysis of the entire game at the end. To sum it up not much time for american advertisers to make money from and therefore not as appealing to them as other sports.
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Guest0698
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Posted - 11/13/2008 : 16:09:09
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here's what i think about some of the sports ahead of it
basketball lame they score pretty much every time
soccer yawn so lame and boring just passing it back and forth but it has it's moments
football cfl is good cuz theirs only 3 downs and when thye do run it it's exciting leading rusher about 7 yards per carry nfl not so great more running at about 3 yards per carry
baseball......... it's okay
golf you've got to be kidding me |
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fanoleaf
Rookie
143 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2008 : 16:15:15
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| they are not Canadian |
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TimHorton
Top Prospect
Canada
16 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2008 : 16:27:55
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| Cause the yanks are more into cheerleading and crap like that. I think they have this opinion of canuks being in winter mode 365 days a year. To them it is a winter sport to us its a way of lifem |
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Guest4910
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Posted - 11/13/2008 : 21:22:32
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My opinion is that American people are the most patriotic people on the planet. Americans watch the sports they dominate. There is a the dream team in basketball, baseball, and there will be a dream team in football if there was a international football contest, but I've never heard of a US hockey dream team. American watch Nascar, but Formula 1 is not very popular. Indy Racing or Champ Car went broke once and it doesn't work well. Nascar is about American brands of car like GM, Ford and Chrysler and most good pilots are American and Formula1 is Honda, Toyota, BMW, and most pilots are Europeans.
I also believe it's kinda ridiculous to have hockey in warm temperature cities like Tampa Bay, LA, Dallas...watching hockey when it's 20-30C outside???
Well, just my opinion! |
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Guest4733
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Posted - 11/13/2008 : 23:37:01
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| guest 5372 you make some very valid points there. i especially agree with #1 and #3. |
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Guest5241
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Posted - 11/14/2008 : 05:31:23
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| i'm saddened by what read, baseball is the most boring sport to watch and play, they dont have flow to it, hockey is fast paced, so americans small minds cant keep up, they don't know a good sport if it punched them in the face. |
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n/a
deleted
4809 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2008 : 05:44:10
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I really think that if there was a marketing blitz for hockey in the US, that it would directly result in greater popularity. But the advertising market is flooded with basketball, baseball and football stars, and Tiger Woods from the pasttime of golf ;)
I am glad, because this means that I get to watch lots of Canadians play, with many europeans . . . can you imagine if hockey was a huge sport in the US? Eventually, they would flood the pool of players, and we would have to be watching a few of our stars on one of the two Canadian teams . . . and nobody wants that!
I really don't think it has anything to do with the sports themselves . . . football is boring as s*** to watch on tv, but it's advertised up the wazoo, and americans watch it. Basketball is exciting to watch, and they love it, even though the scoring becomes redundant and boring after 80+ . . . baseball is the most boring sport known to man, hell, it's one of the most boring live sports ever, with the longest schedule in all of sports! But americans watch it, because they've been sold the "america's pasttime" crap . . .
Let's keep hockey on the down-low, gentleman: It's a Canadian game.
"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug |
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Axey
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
877 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2008 : 08:13:55
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I'd like to also point out, not being racist since my grandfather who just passed away was part black, and I have many relatives of other ethnicities. I personally live in a neighbourhood with many people who have lower incomes.
But I also think alot of reason is that the expense of hockey is alot to get the game popular especially to the families with a lower income. Alot of superstars in Basketball and Baseball, Soccer and Football, all came from families with lower income. Why? Because one ball, or a bat and a baseball, or one football is not very expensive and can be played virtually anywheres.
Unlike hockey which is much more exspenive and you need a rink and so on. If you notice alot of the premier athletes in Baseball, Basketball, Soccer and Football are of African, Mexican Asian, and South American descent. No not all, so don't start. But alot of these people came up from a hard life due to still being treated with inequality and for many races not having as much of an oppurtunity for schooling and an income. I know it has improved alot in the past 30 years but still its just not the same. And yes I know not all of the White people are all rich or anything and I'm not saying there is no people of any other descent that are rich because that is not true, I'm just saying that although now there is starting to be a bit more influence into other races into hockey now, for the most part it is basically the majority is white. In the States there isn't even much interest when it comes to white people. But alot of the reason is that it can't just be played out of no where, you need far much more than a hoop and pavement, or a patch of grass or a baseball field.
Even here in Canada, where I live it is actually classified as the 'ghetto' of the region but there is about at least 10 baskeball courts, 4 baseball fields, 6 soccer fields and since it is Canada we have one rink. But still even here there is not much oppurtunity for families of lower income to play hockey, and I've grown up watching people with far more talent than say the kid with 5 hockey schools a year and dad who is a doctor, but just because of who we they are won't ever get the oppurtunities that the doctor's kid has. This is not in all cases but im sure many people can agree with me here and understand what I am trying to say.
Even in 3rd world countries the kids can make a soccer ball out of nothing, and play a game, also these are the kids that truly love the sports they compete in and grow to be far more talented and appreciate the game, because for many this is their only chance to be successful, with the high costs of schooling and education. Also it is one of the few things they have that can make them happy, living in poorer neighbourhoods where violence and crime is present in many ways.
Anyways until there is a substantial amount of money put into schools and neighbourhoods and so on hockey can never be as popular as the simple sports that are the most popular. Said and done.
Chicago Blackhawks GM
Jesus didn't tap. |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2008 : 12:25:19
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A couple of things that come to mind in my opinion.
Firstly, Hockey is not an American Sport. The other sports that are popular in the States are sports that originated in the States or the popularity grew in the States. Think of Baseball, Basketball, and Football specifically, these sports basically grew out of the States. Hockey, that's not American, so they don't care about it. They are fans of what it their own, not something that was poular somewhere else first. Golf really gained popularity from the PGA, which is American. Nascar is another. The list goes on an on. Think of the sports happen in the states but are not very popular. Hockey, soccer, Formula 1 Racing. These are sports that are huge in most other areas of the world. If it's not American, they just don't like it as much. Plus, Hockey has such deep rooted traditions in countries like Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russian, Czech Republic, the Americans can not change it into an American sport either.
Secondly, think of the Climates. There is the better part of the states that never see snow. How can you have a sport become popular when there is not even an opportunity to play the game?? It's not like Canada, where just about every small town has an outdoor rink as well as how many back yard rinks?? This just can't happen in most places in the States.
But ulitmately, who cares?? The league is financial viable and is sustaining and revenue that is allowing players and owners to make tons of money. The expansion to the states has not been 100% effective, but it has provide a league that is solid and profitable. There should be no need to further develop the States. |
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Guest5447
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Posted - 11/14/2008 : 20:34:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Beans15
A couple of things that come to mind in my opinion.
Firstly, Hockey is not an American Sport. The other sports that are popular in the States are sports that originated in the States or the popularity grew in the States. Think of Baseball, Basketball, and Football specifically, these sports basically grew out of the States. Hockey, that's not American, so they don't care about it.
Secondly, think of the Climates. There is the better part of the states that never see snow. How can you have a sport become popular when there is not even an opportunity to play the game?? It's not like Canada, where just about every small town has an outdoor rink as well as how many back yard rinks?? This just can't happen in most places in the States.
But ulitmately, who cares?? The league is financial viable and is sustaining and revenue that is allowing players and owners to make tons of money. The expansion to the states has not been 100% effective, but it has provide a league that is solid and profitable. There should be no need to further develop the States.
Basketball was very lacking in popularity until the following rule changes: shot clock (more scoring), 3 point shot (even more scoring though it was starting it's steep ascension by then), addition of 20s timeouts as well as the full time out and lastly the stoppage of the clock in the dying 2 minutes for every basket and infraction.
Each of these changes brought additional revenue through additional advertising or fan attention.
I think some have just expanded on point 3 as why hockey is not popular (climate, wealth). They are one and the same symptom for lack of a better word.
Yes so what. Here is the thing. The US population is 3 times that of Canada. Hockey in Canada is pretty much saturated in fans which I'm guessing through no hard fact at say 75% of the population, which means about 23M people. Hockey has probably reached 1% of the US population or 3M people. If hockey can draw to 10% of the US population that's about the same as all of Canada. At 20%, we're talking about all of Canada and most of the major European hockey countries (Russia and its former replublic of the USSR- which is mostly in Asia not included). That's a pretty big potential no? |
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Guest1459
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Posted - 11/14/2008 : 21:37:49
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as mentioned earlier, as soon as th U.S. dominates world hockey the american public will embrace it, plain and simple. same reason a lot of Canadians don't care for baseball. we are not a major player in that market.
as a side note, every sport has its good points and bad points. if you truely love sports you like to watch any sports, if you don't like baseball or football and love hockey, you are not a sports fan you are a hockey fan. |
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Guest6839
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Posted - 11/15/2008 : 09:16:06
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There is such a simple answer to this. The American media keeps telling
Americans they don't like hockey,and as long as Canadians are better at it than Americans,they will never watch. |
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I´m also Cånädiön
Rookie
Sweden
217 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2008 : 02:23:07
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Great post Axey. But I think the reason hockey isn´t so big in the US has more to do with weather than wealth. Golf wich isn´t an american sport originally, can be very expensive with equipment and fees and it´s apparently big in the US. Nah it must be for the same reasons that hockey isn´t a big sport in say Spain or Greece.
And let´s face it the US is pretty big. I don´t think anyone can say that hockey isn´t big in Minnesota. I guess if you looked at europe as a whole (wich isn´t anything I would recommend), hockey would not look so big either.
Even though the original question was viewership and not number of people playing you could argue that the two are more connected in hockey than soccer for example as the original poster did in point 3. |
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fly4apuckguy
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
834 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2008 : 16:01:00
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| It is not popular because most of the US population does not play it, and do not have any level of involvement in it. It is like me with Nascar. I am aware of it, and I like cars, but I have no idea why someone would watch them go around in circles for hours. It makes no sense to me, because it is not a part of my culture. |
Edited by - fly4apuckguy on 11/16/2008 16:01:45 |
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Guest5447
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Posted - 11/16/2008 : 21:25:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Guest5447
The US population is 3 times that of Canada.
Um 10 times that of Canada.
Point 4 as someone already mentioned, US does not dominate.
If the US is not within a guaranteed top 3 in the sport, there is no viewership. Until they dominate the world scene, consistently in the top 3, there will be no identification from the bulk of the audience. Tennis anyone, though lately only the women's have dominated. Who is the last US man in the top 3 and where is men's tennis on the chart for viewership in the US since? Last time tennis made huge in media and viewership in US? Connors, Chang, Agassi, Samprass, Rodd***, Agassi (the ressurection), after this, nothing of late. |
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Porkchop73
PickupHockey Pro
640 Posts |
Posted - 11/17/2008 : 13:53:18
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Okay I have tried to ignore this post but here I go. First I want to apologize to anyone this may offend but I am going to tell it as I see it.
Living in a border town and being a frequent visitor to the US, I can tell you the number one reason that hockey is not popular in the US. They are ignorant, rude, and very closed minded to other cultures. Now before every american wants to kill poor little Porkchop I will say that not all are this way but the majority is. Also I am not anti-american but I am telling the truth.
If the americans cannot do it the way they want, when they want, how they want, then they have no interest at all in it. You can apply this to hockey - need I say ABC's glow puck or any movie that involves hockey- they have no clue nor do they care. Now I don't know percentages of americans that play the game but I have found only one state in which the residents have a significant knowledge of hockey. That is Minnesota, for the most part the residents of Minnesota love hockey.
Anyways its just the way they are - you should ask them why they put little Canadian flags in their backpacks when travelling in Europe, the answer is simple, Canadians are respected throughout the world, americans are not. |
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Why Hockey is not popular in the US 
