Racial diversity in the NHL and other sports (moved posts)

[SCMom]

Originally Posted by SteelKnight

Thanks for the Bruins update. I was on the NHL site yesterday and noticing that Tim Thomas...nice.

I couldn't really find any scorers to latch onto though. That Lucic is 29th in goals but since there is not much separating many if he had 3 more goals he could move up to 9th.

They're a more defensive minded team, and get even scoring from a number of players. Savard was a big time point scorer (excellent big play set up guy), but he hasn't been right since Cooke knocked his block off last year. He's only played 16 games so far this season.

BTW, I don't live in New England now and I bet you if I went around most people couldn't name a single Hockey player for the local team. On the news, they don't emphasize specific players. Meanwhile people that don't watch NBA, NFL or baseball could name you some local players.

It goes both ways though. I couldn't tell you anything about any NBA player outside of Kobe and Lebron, and despise baseball. I seriously only know of Derek Jeter because of SNL. I couldn't even tell you the names of the Pirates owners, coaches or any players...that's how little I care about baseball. Since I don't care, I don't pay attention and anything I do hear goes in one ear and out the other. Maybe the local team near you sucks and that's why?

You have a biased view from Pitt. I even knew about Crosby before he entered the league so obviously they did a good job marketing him. At the same time, you seem to know your stuff so you are no casual fan. lol

When playoffs come next year, I will try to watch.

You can call it biased if you want, but I pay attention to more than just Pittsburgh, and followed hockey even when Pitt was absolutely abysmal. Hockey has been my favorite sport since the first time I saw a game at 5. Didn't need hype and flash at all to get me into it...it was just exciting. Took me a lot longer to get into football. And while you could go around and ask about your cities specific team and some people may not know about specific players and such...I guarantee you they know the city has a team and they know what hockey is. Simply put, if they're not fans, they're not fans. Not every team is going to have an overhyped goal scorer...just like every NFL team doesn't have an overhyped TD machine. Know what I mean?

And you should watch the playoffs this year...Boston is fixing to try and make a nice run again.

Let's put it out there this way. The casual NFL fan loves to see Tom Brady or Peyton Manning throw a sweet touchdown...but most casual fans couldn't tell you anything about some of the other players. And die-hard NFL fans cringe and how over-hyped some specific players have become. They also cringe at the thought of Goodell wanting to expand to markets (Europe) that will never sustain a fanbase.

[SCMom]

Originally Posted by SteelKnight

I can't remember the exact Google terms I used but I did do a lot of reading. I think at the time I was focused on checking out TV performance since you were talking about filling the stands. Honestly I don't feel like putting my time into looking it up again.

Set aside the recent winter classic and I'm sure you will find TV performance is poor for the NHL.

And like I said...it depends on the market. The southern cities I mentioned are struggling, but they never should have had teams in the first place. The people there just don't care about hockey.

Atlanta had one of the most exciting players in Ilya Kovalchuk for a good period of time, and nobody there gave a crap. They're in a tight race for first in their division and nobody gives a crap. It's just not the right market for that team. It would be the equivalent of taking the Cowboys and putting them in Nova Scotia and expecting them to have the same kind of fanbase.

It struggled for a long time to gain popularity in the states, but since the lockout and the beginning of the cap limit, it's become much more exciting to the casual viewer. Think of how boring baseball and basketball have become (in terms of knowing who's going to be in the playoffs every year and what team is going to have all the big name players) with no cap limit...think of how things might become in the NFL with no cap limit. If hockey is suddenly the only major sport in the US with any kind of parity, it'll become even more popular.

[SCMom]

Originally Posted by SteelKnight

SC, the other thing is the reason we can't see eye to eye on this might have something to do with local influences. In my area, NHL is not very popular at all ...period (not even for the Winter Classic...I checked). I also bet you if I looked up the major sports nationally, NHL would be the lowest in popularity. Obviously there are different cultures in different cities/towns. Remember I said in Providence we loved even the Providence Bruins. So the country might have pockets of NHL popularity and non popularity with the overall tipping to non.

No, it's actually 4th in the US (behind the NFL, MLB and NBA...but is gaining on the NBA). Soccer, rugby, lacrosse, volleyball....all sports that are more popular worldwide than any of our leagues, rank much, much lower. It's just never going to be more popular than baseball and football though...it's a cultural thing.

And to be fair, hockey is more popular worldwide than American football. Americans are the only ones who are really, really into it.

[SteelKnight]

Originally Posted by SCMom

And you should watch the playoffs this year...Boston is fixing to try and make a nice run again.

Thanks. I will. Part of me inside still would like the Bruins so that's who I'd root for. Thanks for catching me up to date on it. I don't know why i was able to stay a Steelers fan through the tough years but couldn't stick with the Bruins. It's not like i switched though...just lost interest in the sport. If I end up liking the playoffs, I could probably get it on the PS3. That would help me learn the players better.

ETA: You got me a little excited. I was going to try to watch the next game but they are playing at the same time as the jets game so that is a no go but i hear the Canadians are 7-1 in the last 8 games against the bruins so that should be good.

I've come a long way in football. Although I've always been a loyal fan, it is not until the last 5 years or so that I fully understood the difference between a 3-4 DE and a 4-3 DE and started to know ALL the players of the 53 and even the ones that didn't make the cut. I'm always learning. It was only last year that i learned what a "twist" is.

Originally Posted by SCMom

No, it's actually 4th in the US (behind the NFL, MLB and NBA...but is gaining on the NBA). Soccer, rugby, lacrosse, volleyball....all sports that are more popular worldwide than any of our leagues, rank much, much lower. It's just never going to be more popular than baseball and football though...it's a cultural thing.

And to be fair, hockey is more popular worldwide than American football. Americans are the only ones who are really, really into it.

LOL That's where I would have put it...4th (last). I only considered 4 major sports lol. I never counted soccer, Rugby, lacrosse, volleyball as major sports.

Basketball is only exciting during the playoffs. Regular season basketball is funny because when I come 4th quarter I feel like I've seen all I need to see. If the game is close, perfect...I didn't miss anything and the good part will be the 4th quarter. If the game is a blow out, then watch for a little then turn it off if it doesn't seem like a comeback is forming.

I am a Lebron fan so i follow the Heat. I hate the Lakers (my brother likes them)...lol

[SteelKnight]

SC...I think Heavy Metal would be a good analogy. You can't question a person that likes heavy metal about its popularity. Their network will be filled with other people that like the music because they attract each other etc. Meanwhile the person who doesn't like heavy metal will have been around a network of people who also do not like it (for the most part).

[SCMom]

Originally Posted by SteelKnight

Thanks. I will. Part of me inside still would like the Bruins so that's who I'd root for. Thanks for catching me up to date on it. I don't know why i was able to stay a Steelers fan through the tough years but couldn't stick with the Bruins. It's not like i switched though...just lost interest in the sport. If I end up liking the playoffs, I could probably get it on the PS3. That would help me learn the players better.

Yeah, I can understand the regular season being hard to get into and follow for some. Playoffs are a whole other beast though. Every arena is charged up and teams just play with a different intensity. Most pregame shows do a pretty good job of covering who's done what for the team and who sits in what place in the stats and what not as well (for people who don't follow a ton of regular season coverage). It's a good time...it's even better in person. There's no way you can go to a live playoff game and not get swept up in it.

I've come a long way in football. Although I've always been a loyal fan, it is not until the last 5 years or so that I fully understood the difference between a 3-4 DE and a 4-3 DE and started to know ALL the players of the 53 and even the ones that didn't make the cut. I'm always learning. It was only last year that i learned what a "twist" is.

I know the feeling. It took me a long time to get the intricacies of football down. I enjoyed rooting for the Steelers with my Dad as a kid, but it wasn't until I was 15 or 16 that I really ever cared to even sit down and actually pay attention to what was going on. I had just never had the same focus with it as I did with hockey. I'm still not the biggest X's and O's type of person when it comes to football, but I'm learning more from the boards every season.

LOL That's where I would have put it...4th (last). I only considered 4 major sports lol. I never counted soccer, Rugby, lacrosse, volleyball as major sports.

And nationally it's gaining on basketball (and will with baseball soon too, as long as both don't have a cap, it will continue too). There's just something utterly boring about leagues with no cap limit. Parity is essential for leagues IMO. Unless you live in the city that is constantly in the playoffs or constantly winning championships, you get bored with it. That's pretty much why football surpassed baseball as the most popular sport in the US...there was more parity. And if the NFL goes uncapped a ton of people will become disinterested. It won't happen overnight...but if it stays that way long enough, it'll absolutely ruin the sport for many. Guarantee it.

Look at it this way. The NHL was in real trouble 6+ years ago, when there was no cap and little parity. They had the lockout, instituted a cap limit, and it's done nothing but get more popular nationally ever since. It's not going to shoot up to the top overnight, just like not everyone is going to quit watching the NFL overnight if it goes uncapped...but that parity makes a ton of difference. Outside of Canada, the NHL hasn't ever seen the kind of success it's seeing right now. It's the one really good thing that Bettman did lol.

Basketball is only exciting during the playoffs. Regular season basketball is funny because when I come 4th quarter I feel like I've seen all I need to see. If the game is close, perfect...I didn't miss anything and the good part will be the 4th quarter. If the game is a blow out, then watch for a little then turn it off if it doesn't seem like a comeback is forming.

I am a Lebron fan so i follow the Heat. I hate the Lakers (my brother likes them)...lol

I was into basketball a little when I was in high school. It just seems like so much showboating now. I haven't watched it in years, so maybe it's changed a little...but I never got the sense that players were in it for each other, for the team. It always felt like guys just out there for themselves. I don't know...maybe I'm wrong, but it just hasn't appealed to me in a long, long time.

[SteelKnight]

SC...the other interesting thing to see would be where Hockey fits in with ALL sports. I'm convinced College football would be more popular and college basketball might give a run for its money.

The interesting thing would be if the top 2 rivals of each sport was on TV vs hockey, who would watch hockey vs the other sport.

Red Sox vs Yankees vs Hockey
Patriots vs Steelers vs Hockey
Lakers vs Heat vs Hockey
Top 2 College Football teams vs Hockey (It doesn't have to be the Championship game)
Top 2 College Basketball teams vs Hockey (" ")
Tiger vs Michelson on a Sunday vs Hockey
Women's Tennis might even give hockey a run...lol Serena W. vs Clijesters

For Hockey you can sub whatever 2 teams you think Hockey fans would most like to see.

I think all those i named would give that hockey a run for its money.

[SteelKnight]

Originally Posted by SCMom

I was into basketball a little when I was in high school. It just seems like so much showboating now. I haven't watched it in years, so maybe it's changed a little...but I never got the sense that players were in it for each other, for the team. It always felt like guys just out there for themselves. I don't know...maybe I'm wrong, but it just hasn't appealed to me in a long, long time.

I know what you mean. I get that feeling until 4th quarter (except playoffs). I really do think it feels like a team game 4th quarter. The intensity kicks up.

You have to have a favorite team and favorite players to enjoy the game.

[SCMom]

Originally Posted by SteelKnight

SC...the other interesting thing to see would be where Hockey fits in with ALL sports. I'm convinced College football would be more popular and college basketball might give a run for its money.

The interesting thing would be if the top 2 rivals of each sport was on TV vs hockey, who would watch hockey vs the other sport.

Red Sox vs Yankees vs Hockey
Patriots vs Steelers vs Hockey
Lakers vs Heat vs Hockey
Top 2 College Football teams vs Hockey (It doesn't have to be the Championship game)
Top 2 College Basketball teams vs Hockey (" ")
Tiger vs Michelson on a Sunday vs Hockey
Women's Tennis might even give hockey a run...lol Serena W. vs Clijesters

For Hockey you can sub whatever 2 teams you think Hockey fans would most like to see.

I think all those i named would give that hockey a run for its money.

In the states yeah...but the NHL doesn't just market to the US. Canada alone would boost the ratings up.

I'll always agree with you, that at the moment, the other leagues get more attention. That doesn't mean that there aren't a ton of people that watch the games though.

[SteelKnight]

Originally Posted by SCMom

In the states yeah...but the NHL doesn't just market to the US. Canada alone would boost the ratings up.

I'll always agree with you, that at the moment, the other leagues get more attention. That doesn't mean that there aren't a ton of people that watch the games though.

Well you are a good spokesperson and you know your stuff. You got me interested in it a little. You should get a marketing job with the NHL...lol

I really think I'd have fun if we had a superstar scorer. Like I said...You did a good job.
I'm feeling good about our Goalie Tim Thomas now though.

We are winning 1-0. I might watch both games (Jets/Bruins). Beating the Canadians is good.

ETA: Score 2-0. I'm going back to Football. Tough to watch both.