Even Women's College Volleyball or extreme games gets higher ratings..
2006-11-22 02:21:26 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Hockey
It is fast and many people can't follow the puck. Others do not like the fighting that is sometimes involved.
Hockey is a 'cold weather' game and a lot of the US and southern hemisphere countries don't have the availability of ice rinks to play/practice on and it can't be done outside. Thus is wasn't something they played as a kid and hold on to fondly as an adult.
And let's face it, girls in volleyball uniforms are much cuter than guys in oversized shorts and lots of pads.
2006-11-22 02:31:29 · answer #1 · answered by Aggie80 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
People are interested in watching something they have a connection to. The majority of hockey teams are now located in the US, but hockey is not people's #1 sport to play or that their kids play. So, they are more involved in football, baseball, basketball and even things like soccer and volleyball. The biggest craze right now is poker it's all over ESPN, but how do you call that a sport? The true fans will find their way to a hockey game, I am just grateful I've found it. Hockey is the one thing that has been there for me my whole life.
2006-11-22 02:52:25 · answer #2 · answered by Speed Of Thought 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
To the people who said there aren't hockey programs in the south - most of the southern states have booming hockey programs because players have no choice but to play in a league. Florida, for instance, has more registered USA Hockey players than all of the other states combined. It's just not as widely known - I think one of the reasons is because schools in the south don't normally have teams, and school is where most kids will play their sports and get to know the different types of sports available. People definitely have to want to play hockey to get involved.
As for watching hockey on TV, I have to agree with those who said it's not for the casual sports fan because it is a different type of sport; it's very fast paced (especially when compared to the two most watched sports - American football and NASCAR), and a lot of people don't have the patience or need to get to know the game.
2006-11-22 05:56:14 · answer #3 · answered by eurekablyth 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Most people in this country didn't grow up playing it. Generally, only the northern-most states have established hockey programs for kids. Plus, its about the most expensive sport for your kid to play, lots of equipment. Hockey is slowly working its way south, but most adults don't have even a basic understanding of the game, despite it being pretty easy to pick up. Some will argue the over-expansion of the NHL has diluted the talent and that the game isn't as exciting as it could be. Plus, the NHL lock-out year is going to kill their ratings for a while, even baseball had a significant recovery period after their latest strike. I am glad hockey is back, though, even though I'm a Blackhawks fan :P
2006-11-22 02:42:00 · answer #4 · answered by JenJen 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The ratings are low because hockey is not a popular sport in the United States
2006-11-22 03:46:32 · answer #5 · answered by M 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For most people atleast in the US they will usually tend to follow sports that they played as a kid or that they watched as a kid. For one thing hockey is very expensive to play unless you live in a place with a nearby frozen pond and even then it's not the same. Most of us growing up tended to follow the more popular sports (baseball, basketball and football) those also tended to be the ones most often played in middle and high school growing up as well.
To sum it up, I bet you the average overall sports fan would probably not know all of the important aspects to hockey in order to appreciate the game enough. It's not a bad sport, it's just mis-understood.
2006-11-22 03:04:02 · answer #6 · answered by Jeremy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hockey is (for the most part) a regional sport, so most of those who didn't grow up playing it or being exposed to it, don't get it. People who don't get it say it's boring, which makes me laugh. They have, obviously never really watched it. I only got into hockey in the last several years, but I love it. Those who don't give it a real chance are missing out!!
2006-11-22 05:13:26 · answer #7 · answered by Shelley L 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because it is too Canadian. Americans are all about the US .The only reason Basketball ( a Canadian game ) is popular is because the ghetto kids only need a ball to play , it's affordable. Hockey will get much bigger than it is now in 15 or 20 years . There are a lot of kids growing up with it these days and once they become familiar with it and have kids of their own , there will be a whole new generation into it...Patience...
2006-11-22 02:33:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Like many other people have said, most southern states don't have hockey programs and people who didn't grow up playing the game are less inclined to pick it up or follow it. Plus, hockey players don't tend to be like pompus over-inflated football or baseball players. Sure there are plenty arrogant players, but they don't get paid near as much as players of other sports and don't make the news for the stupid things that they do. It's all about media coverage. If the networks suddenly dropped the NFL, MLB, and NBA games, and showed only NHL hockey, people would love it. They don't like it because coverage is so limited. You can only pick up games on OLN (or Versus) or an FSN station in the states anymore...
2006-11-22 03:26:20 · answer #9 · answered by Ela 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's because Gary Bettman ruined the game. He took an intense fast paced emotional game and turned it into Basketball on ice. Also he's trying to promote the small market teams in the Southern US. So his large market teams are suffering.
2006-11-22 04:38:40 · answer #10 · answered by Guylemieux 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋