I know that alot of americans like hockey but what with the low ratings. Is it just because americans don't like watching one of Canada's greatest games.
2006-08-09 05:07:35 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Hockey
baseball and soccer is like watching paint dry
2006-08-09 06:25:00 · update #1
baseball and soccer is like watching paint dry
2006-08-09 06:25:24 · update #2
baseballs not even a sport its a game
2006-08-09 06:26:51 · update #3
i will tell you the problem; Americans like it easy and hockey is not an easy sport to play their is allot of training in hockey, you are born with feet, not skates and most of Americans haven't even seen a pair of skates. they try to skate and keep falling down and then complain about hockey and say that it sucks. well its you that sucks if you cant skate, hockey is the most physical, high speed game then any other sport in the world you need great balance and plus you need to know how to skate which most of the cry babies that say hockey sucks don't know how too. they will never like the sport because there are no good at it.
I'm not saying most Americans but maybe 80% don't no **** about this beautiful game and if they would just try and learn it and stop crying about it after they fall and say, i hate this game well suck it up and get back on your skates and at least try. then once you do stop giving up on this game then start liking and understanding this game then i bet you will say that this is by far the greatest game on earth period. so stop crying about the game and try it before you put it down.
GO HABS GO!!!!!!!!!!
2006-08-09 07:43:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Says who..
I live in Michigan..
If the Wings ain't on Saturday night and I am home, it's CBC and Don Cherry..
When the NHL switched to OLN cable.. I had trouble the first couple weeks finding the station.. I watch more pro hockey than any other sports combined.. Only time I don't watch it is when I am shuttling my kid to and from games and practices.. and he's a travel player, so often it's an all day thing when we are playing in Holland or Grand Rapids or South Bend..
Like with most sports, it's hard to devlope a passion for a game you may never have played, which is a major reason it's not highly rated outside of the states that border Canada..
Not much call for a game of pond hockey in Nashville or Phoenix..
Post Script..
Some excellent answers/theories..
I would add one other aspect that prevents it from becoming a mainstream sport, even in Michigan.. And I preface this by saying my ten year old son is entering his fourth year as a travel calibre goalie. My wife is freaking out that he's outgrowing his chest protector and helmet as well as blocker.. used, we will still drop three or four hundred dollars, given the level he plays, the helmet, latest technology, we recently priced out at over $350.. and that's not including having it painted.. To play travel hockey in Ann Arbor, the cost to just be a member of the team is $1700.. Woodhaven, where we will play this season, it's half that.. He just finished up a Goalie camp that cost about 700/week.. we just got info on an elite Goalie camp in the Toronto area.. cost nearly two-thousand.. I think you see where this is going..
Most parents choose baseball or football because it costs alot less to play
2006-08-09 05:44:16 · answer #2 · answered by thorfin39 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Wow...lots of ignorance in this Question/Answer!
- Canada doesn't suck
- Americans are not ignorant and don't think they know everything
- baseball is just as much a sport as hockey
- there are never "bench clearing brawls" in the NHL
- plenty of Americans like hockey (I live in Phoenix and hockey is a VERY close second to football)
As for TV ratings, there are many theories. The fact is the NHL back in '94 was on the up and up and was predicted to surpass the NBA in popularity. Then they had a lockout and blew their chance. Then came the clutch and grab hockey of the late 90's early 2000's plus the sky rocketing salaries. Things start looking up with newbie teams making progress. Nashville makes it's first playoff appearance and Tampa Bay winning the Stanley Cup and building a huge following, the Olympics in the US, etc. Then what happens, a lockout and the first major sport to cancel an entire season. They just keep shooting themselves in the foot. This past season was a miracle return for hockey. They actually surpassed the pre-lockout season attendance numbers thanks in large part to revamped rules and enforcing of existing rules that brought back the speed and skill of the game while squashing the clutching and grabbing. Mix in a little Ovechkin and Crosby, the emergence of HDTV and you have a league that is once again poised to make a run! If they can just learn to actually market the sport they have a golden opportunity...well assuming they don't shoot themselves in the foot!
2006-08-09 07:56:56 · answer #3 · answered by Sinurgy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
why people like footbal so much is that it is marketed as being cool to watch football and that man americans are raised watching and playing sports like football,soccer, and basketball where as hockey is a much more expensive sport. football is expensive too but people i believe conform somewhat to liking football because 'everybody else does'. football is an entertaining sport though and i'd say is my 2nd fav behind hockey. With most sports i'd say it helps to have played and its always more fun to play the sport then watch it. hockey is also just establishing itself in many american cities. when the nhl expanded in the 1990's it was going into cities who mostly did not have any established hockey culture/tradition. So these areas are still growing and establishing their fan base which will take time. To further hockey along leagues have to be more available for the youth and no just insanely expensive ice hockey but also cheaper roller and street hockey. Whenever i ask people why they don't like hockey i usuallly get a stupid answer of its gay or its boring or i can't see the puck which is a bs reason. if u can't see it get glasses or a t.v. bigger then 10 inches. Though many people who try to watch it or play it unbaisedly usually like it. If its someone who bitches about how much hockey sucks their not gonna like it no matter what because their mind is already made up. btw im an american and hockey is well liked in the north such as philly where its by far the 2nd fav sport over the phillies and sixers but way behind the eagles.
2006-08-09 12:52:00 · answer #4 · answered by kevrobs8 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think it's because in most American sports, people are watching the ball and not the action so much. Baseball's all about where the ball is over homeplate, and football's about where the ball is on the field (yardage and all of that).
The biggest complaint about hockey is that most people say they can't find the puck when they watch it on TV. Hockey people all know that you don't watch the puck, you watch the play - or the back of the net.
It's not a matter of interest so much as it is a matter of mindset and focus. If you're used to a sport where it matters where the ball is at all times, then of course hockey's going to be difficult to follow. I've spoken to a lot of people who like hockey, in theory, but they've never watched or, or couldn't figure it out on TV.
Soccer has the same problem here in the US, and for similar reasons.
2006-08-09 08:31:34 · answer #5 · answered by Cassie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can't say one particular reason, but here is some possibilities:
It starts at a young age. Children in most of the US grow up playing baseball, football or basketball in school and organized sports. In Canada, we focus on hockey when we are young. As you grow up, you migrate to the sport which you grew up with.
Local teams in small towns draw the attention of the average American, and because of cost of an arena and widespread playing, the local baseball or high school football team draw the attention. That goes on to watch that sport at a higher level and the sports 'hero'.
The US has taken ownership of baseball (America's past time), NFL football, and basketball. Because of this, American heros and memories are from these areas. Ask an American who Gordie Howe is....most won't know. Ask who Michael Jordan is....you know the answer.
Money!!! Hockey is not a $$$ maker. Not for the players, or teams....but for the merchandising!! Tiger Woods makes more money on endorsments then playing, because he can be marketed. Hockey players in the US can't be marketed as fans have no clue what they look like without a helmet on, and hockey is played in so few small towns that you can't sell a stick, puck or skate to.
Finally, the world's number one sport is soccer....the Americans don't care about soccer, so hockey shouldn't feel too bad.
2006-08-09 06:46:55 · answer #6 · answered by Nice Guy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
as shown by previous answers americans are ignorant and think they are better than everyone
and bcuz of that they think there sports are better than everyone. The NHL has bend over backwards for the U.S. even in the orginal six days. i feel the nhl should just leave the american south such as atlanta carolina and tampa bay along with dalla and LA the ducks and san jose. Americans dont watch hockey becuase of the strength of baseball and football in those areas and since basketball is getting more and more popular i dont see it gettin any better... sorry but all the subject changes
SIDENOTE: basketball was made by a canadian but developed in the U.S.
2006-08-09 06:29:33 · answer #7 · answered by calyard_4 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
hockey is not as well marketed as football, basketball and baseball is. american boys are taught that football is a manly sport. it is costly to play. the puck is not easy to follow on tv becuz of how small it is. the strike did not help matters either. winning teams draw better crowds of fans to this great sport. the new rules made the nhl games better to watch this season. i think the americans like baseball, football and basketball becuz the media gets more access to the players and coaches and these sports are played more in the US than hockey.
2006-08-09 19:02:17 · answer #8 · answered by notyouraveragesportfan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a Canadian sport dominated by Canadian players. Yes, the ratings are low in OLN. I guess there's just too many sports varieties to watch in the U.S. but hockey's still a great game to watch and can survive with low ratings. It's getting better now though since the new CBA.
2006-08-09 21:13:31 · answer #9 · answered by tyrone b 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's alwasy been thus. Hockey is a regional sport in the U.S. and that's that. BUT don't despair as the two hottest markets at least as far as avg. attendance of late have been Tampa and Carolina...Winning = interest.
As far as nationwide TV audience, it'll never happen. It's like asking why don't Mexicans tune into downhil skiing like the Europeans do.
Honestly, who cares whether it gets good ratings in the U.S.? All I care about is the quality of play. Non-issue to most hockey fans.
2006-08-09 18:43:08 · answer #10 · answered by fugutastic 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋