Why is it that almost every sport in the U.S. is popular except Hockey? and what will save the NHL in the U.S.

Question

will allowing or promoting more fighting promote hockey attendants in the U.S.? what does the NHL commission have to change or promote?

Answer 1

Shhh, you get them all interested and the rest of us REAL fans will never get tickets. Let's keep it our little secret okay?

LOL@pricehillsaint. Zamboni races anyone?

Answer 2

Almost every sport? Here are some more not popular in the US at all--soccer, cricket, rugby, Aussie Rules football, track and field (except during Olympics), tennis (bar the Slams), yachting, cycling (bar Lance), Formula One racing and many more.

Save the NHL in the US? Why does it need saving? The NHL has been trying to grow the game nationwide since the 1960s and it will always be a regional one just like MLB is now.

Fighting is enjoyable but certainly has outgrown its usage in hockey. The best hockey (the playoffs and intl play) sees virtually no fighting so...

NHL need to hand out serious suspensions to Flyers who headhunt, stop charging outrageous ticket prices, get the game on ESPN again, stop tinkering with the rules so much, make goalies wear the '70s-sized equipment and reduce the number of teams. Then you'd have great hockey in the NHL like in the pre-1995 days.

Answer 3

Hockey is a regional sport.. I would argue that in Michigan and Minnesota more youth play organized hockey than organized basketball.. likely the same in the northeast.. Any sport that is popular is so because it was introduced to fans at a young age..

Why would it be popular in, say Mississippi, where there are only two ice rinks anyway.. As kids, new fans are 'introduced' to football, baseball and basketball because that's what their mom's and dads play/watch..

In Ann Arbor, there are four ice rinks alone, and within a 30 minute drive, I stopped counting at 14. and getting a sheet of ice for an hour unless you are an orgainzied team is next to impossible

The NHL will survive just fine in Chicago, Minnesota, Michigan, New England, Pennsylvania and New York, because there are enough "fathers passing the game to their sons" to perpetuate the sport's interest..

The NHL will eventually fail in Florida.. Texas, Arizona.. even Tennessee because if/when those teams are no longer successful, the casaul fans will go elsewhere to be entertained..

Allowing more fighting will do nothing to create long term fans.. even in the 70s and 80s, the sports highlights for hockey always seemed to be fighting, probabaly 75 percent of the highlights, when fighting, even in it's heyday, may have compromised less than 10%.. What the NHL has to do is market the great plays even better.. A crosby or Datsyuk goal.. A Kipprasof unreal save.. Hasek did more for the sport with his American Express, slinky for a spine commercial than the NHL fight promoters or marketing gurus..

The other thing the NHL needs to do is a more balanced schedule.. I am watching Detroit in Montreal this evening.. two original six teams, and it's been four years since Detroit was in Montreal.. imagine if Boston and the Yankees played in Fenway once every four years..

Answer 4

To be entirely honest I feel that the hockey which is played today has more then enough excitement to attract the people it didn't use to. That being said Post Lockout hockey has much more flow then Pre Lockout, the problem is Espn only had contracts before the Lockout. Now that Hockey is back and stronger then ever, at least in the past 10-20 years i would say, it needs to be put out in the public. This cant be done though because Hockey is simply not out there enough for all to see. In the end, Espn and the NHL need to reach a contract deal.

Answer 5

Because Hockey is originally a Canadian sport.

It all depends on where you live in the US.

I'm sure if you live in Boston or something you will really like baseball.

You find alot of football fans.
Theres alot in Pittsburgh, New England area, Florida, and else places.

But I know some places in the US that take hockey serious.
For example, I attend a high school right outside of Pittsburgh PA. There are SOO many Pens fans. Today there had to be atleast 5 of my close friends wearing Pens shirts.
But then theres some kids that don't even know that you play hockey with a stick and a puck.

Eh, yeah, hockey isn't as big, but who cares?
I don't think I'd like it if everyone were so big into it.
It gives you a sense of uniqueness. =b

Whether or not anything happens where Hockey becomes huge in the US is anyones guess.
I guess we'll sit back and watch.

Answer 6

there is nothin wrong with hockey, it doesn't need to be saved, people don'tike hockey cuz they are retarded. Also hockey doesn't promote sterroids, or murder, and the majority of hockey players don't grow up in "da hood" or the "ghetto" or a trailer. ppl suck! hockey is the best sport there is but we gotta keep it on the DL cuz all of us wont get tickets! Shhhhh!! but most people just don't understand it! it's not an easy sport, there are a lot of rules and regulations, u can't just pick up from watching one game u have to actually be a fan and know a lot about it as well as the rules to really understand hockey.

Answer 7

I think Im happy with the way it is. look at baseball, basketball, and football (american) players... they all make 100 times as much as hockey players and feel like they are too good for anyone. You will never find a baseball player without 5000 bodyguards around him. Hockey players are much more simpler and nicer people. They can actually relate to the fans unlike athletes from other sports...
But to answer your first question, Hockey is not an American sport. The only place were it can be slightly popular, is in the northern states. Everywhere else, its baseball, football...and nascar (if thats a sport)

Answer 8

Hockey is more popular than ever. It may never be as popular as the other major sports, but so what? Fighting neither helps nor hurts attendance, it's just another part of the game. It is somewhat regional because kids enjoy sports they can play, and that's harder in Louisiana.

The NHL is fine.

Answer 9

Ahem, aahhhem. Keep it down up there, we're trying to keep it a secret. Bring in a bunch of new guys and the next thing you know they'll be trying to get bigger nets or something equally as stupid because they think the game would be better if .....
The only thing the commissioner's office needs to change is the commissioner.

Answer 10

Cricket, Jai Alai, greco-roman wrestling and field hockey are popular in the US?


To all the people who say 'ESPN'. Please explain?

ESPN had the rights to the NHL during the entire Greztky and Lemieux and nobody watched then. The average Vs telecast, is drawing more viewers than the last 9 years of ESPN telecasts. In all areas where ESPN is available, and Vs is not, the average viewership of the NHL was 19,000 households............or less than a 1% difference. The average US National audience for a hockey game has been around the 2 million mark since 1970. Clarence Campbell couldn;t change it. John Ziegler couldn't change it. Gary Bettman won't be able to change it. Americans aren't going to watch hockey.

Again, Jeff Burton of NASCAR said it best, the fewer Americans involved, the fewer the viewers (and tennis, and CART are excellent examples declining US dominance leading to declining US viewership).

Also, the players are making more money than ever
The owners are making more money than ever (with 4 exceptions)
Why should I care if somebody in Shreveport, Louisiana watches hockey or not?
Why should I care if hockey is #1 or #13 in US television ratings?
What's in it for me?




Somebody buy Rich a beer..............there is nothing wrong with the NHL in America!

Answer 11

Nothing, it's fine. It's just not watered down like other American sports cause the sport is not American, it's Canadian.

And the NHL broke a record this past month for attendance.