Canadians were madder than anyone over the lost season, but even they have forgiven the NHL.
The ESPN on the other hand, has replaced the NHL with soccer, poker, and even bass fishing. The fishing in particular is probably intended as an insult to the NHL.
2007-07-21 07:47:50 · 12 answers · asked by Bill W 【ツ】 6 in Sports ➔ Hockey
It's far more than a vendetta. Did you know there was only ONE NHL award given out at the Espy's? It was for best player,too (Sid won, no surprise) When a hockey story does make it onto Sportscenter, PTI, Around the Horn, etc. it usually involves something bad about the NHL. A blown lead, that missed empty net in the Stars-Oilers game, or an off the ice incident; like the gambling ring. Either that, or the big hockey trades/signings are announced with like 2 minutes left in the program. It's like "And oh, by the way, something happened in hockey today." ESPN would rather cover every single baseball game for the entire season, and talk for 30 minutes when a basketball player breathes wrong.
2007-07-21 08:31:20 · answer #1 · answered by tblightng 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I do not share the disdain of many people regarding the Versus announcers but I do feel that ESPN did a better job of covering hockey when they owned the contract than VS does. ESPN has deliberately reduced their hockey coverage since they lost the contract. When they owned the contract, they put on a double header once the playoffs started every single night. It took VS a few years to get into that groove and it should not have taken fans near revolt to make that happen. Sorry, but an episode of "The Tournament" airing while there were playoff games being played just didn't cut it. Do I feel VS means the end of hockey as we know it? No. Do I feel VS could have done a better job of covering hockey from the onset? Yes. Have some of those issues have been avoided? Yes. Seriously, if you owned or made money from an event, would you spend more time promoting and advertising the product you owned or one that benefits someone else?
2016-05-19 05:14:24 · answer #2 · answered by gwen 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hockey is hard to market. If anything, ESPN has a leg up on the NHL. They are an Eastern based market. The NHL is its strongest in the East Coast. The Bruins, Rangers, Devils, all have a strong market. It's to ESPN's best interest to carry the NHL.
Personally, the only reason they dropped it was cause of Gary Bettman. His incompetent negotiation skills lead to that. Hopefully he does the right thing this summer.
2007-07-21 13:48:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually they had Bass Fishing BEFORE the NHL to be honest. Yeah they are against the NHL but I don't care, I just go against ESPN and started watching Fox Sports Final Score, it is MUCH BETTER then Sportscenter anyway. They give me the scores and a few quick highlights. They don't tell me about the latest movies or the new #1 song.
2007-07-21 08:29:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I listen to ESPN radio and I find that most of the commentators who talk about hockey seem to like the sport but note that it's become marginalized. I hate to agree, but they're right. The NHL had a chance to be broadcast on ESPN but went with the Versus network because it paid money, whereas ESPN coverage would have been free or close to free, but would have resulted in great exposure. Gary Bettman has a lot to answer for.
2007-07-21 07:58:07 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Now Bill, you have struck a nerve. Maybe
soccer and poker but not bass fishing. Goodness. ESPN is a fine upstanding corp.
that shares all it's knowledge with the sports
world. You don't really want to put them down.
I hear they have decided to go to England and
televise the good sport of fox hunting. Don't
you just love me?
2007-07-21 08:48:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
ESPN is a business. It's not as if the executives sit around and decide that they happen to like poker better than hockey. It's their responsibility to make money for the company, and apparently the NHL wasn't a very good way for them to make money.
2007-07-21 08:18:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
Listen to FOX sports radio sometime. They even insult hockey in their promos for no discernible reason. I plan to write my local affiliate regarding their disrespectul attitude, as they are played daily on Canadian radio.
2007-07-21 07:53:05 · answer #8 · answered by balderarrow 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I say screw the NHL and Espn. If the only markets that make money are in the Northern US and in Canada and if they are the only people that really give a damn about it,lets start a league with only those teams. Let the rest of them rot in the squalor that Bettman has put them in. Edited to add: Obviously the teams that are now in the AHL would have to be incorporated to make it any kind of a viable alternative.
2007-07-21 08:08:13 · answer #9 · answered by ? 3 · 1⤊ 5⤋
espn low balled hockey in the tv rights thing and hockey screwed themselves with the lockout no one to blame but them selves
2007-07-21 07:56:18 · answer #10 · answered by SLOMO 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋