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

[SteelKnight]

Originally Posted by Shea

Damn $100,000? Looks like the NHL has some bucks to fly around so why does their marketing team suck?

They need to drop some serious cash in that department and start to get the game on people's radar.

People didn't like me saying it but I think it would be a more popular game if it had diversity. Possibly not though because soccer is diverse and people just don't like it.

I think it would be interesting to watch Rodriguez over to Miller over to Jones...score rather than all these Eastern European names that blend...yawn.

[SteelKnight]

Originally Posted by Atlanta Dan

To have mass appeal a game needs to be one that many fans have played in some form (most guys have played some version of baseball, basketball and football at some point in their lives) - the need for a rink eliminates that possibility for hockey and limits the appeal of the sport more than the absence of non-white players.

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That's a good point. I think you are on the money with that. I still think some diversity might bring some excitement and make it more entertaining to watch. Look at what Tiger did for golf. I don't think it was just because he was an awesome player but I think being different than stuffy rich white country club guys made it fun because even when he was really good you sort of saw him as an underdog and it is fun to root for the underdog. If he was some rich white kid who was just really good, he would have had an impact but not the same impact. Before Tiger, most just thought Golf was boring.

Heck, if they could muster up ONE diverse team, (and they were good) that might do the trick. They don't need the whole league. It would be fun to watch.

Same goes for NASCAR by the way. Instead of one Southern white guy vs another Southern white guy, if there were some drivers from Cali, Chicago, some blacks, Hispanics, Asians, women, it would be more fun to watch. JMO Maybe if they had one driver from each state and you could enjoy rooting for your state and they could do some marketing letting you know your guy so you care to root for him that might be fun.

[SCMom]

Originally Posted by SteelKnight

That's a good point. I think you are on the money with that. I still think some diversity might bring some excitement and make it more entertaining to watch. Look at what Tiger did for golf. I don't think it was just because he was an awesome player but I think being different than stuffy rich white country club guys made it fun because even when he was really good you sort of saw him as an underdog and it is fun to root for the underdog. If he was some rich white kid who was just really good, he would have had an impact but not the same impact. Before Tiger, most just thought Golf was boring.

Heck, if they could muster up ONE diverse team, (and they were good) that might do the trick. They don't need the whole league. It would be fun to watch.

What do you mean by diverse? Isn't having Canadians, Americans, Swedes, Russians, etc. etc. all playing on the same team diverse?

IMO, football, basketball and baseball are far less diverse than hockey will ever be. At least the American leagues. Except for baseball, they are heavily flooded with black Americans. And no, that is not a racist statement, or a slight against black men, but rather an honest statement.

Soccer is probably the most diverse sport (racially and nationality wise at least). It's also the most popular sport in the world. Pretty much only Americans don't care much for soccer...so that kind of throws the "diversity" argument out the window lol.

[pete74]

Originally Posted by SCMom

What do you mean by diverse? Isn't having Canadians, Americans, Swedes, Russians, etc. etc. all playing on the same team diverse?

IMO, football, basketball and baseball are far less diverse than hockey will ever be. At least the American leagues. Except for baseball, they are heavily flooded with black Americans. And no, that is not a racist statement, or a slight against black men, but rather an honest statement.

Soccer is probably the most diverse sport (racially and nationality wise at least). It's also the most popular sport in the world. Pretty much only Americans don't care much for soccer...so that kind of throws the "diversity" argument out the window lol.

agreed

[SteelKnight]

Originally Posted by SCMom

What do you mean by diverse? Isn't having Canadians, Americans, Swedes, Russians, etc. etc. all playing on the same team diverse?

IMO, football, basketball and baseball are far less diverse than hockey will ever be. At least the American leagues. Except for baseball, they are heavily flooded with black Americans. And no, that is not a racist statement, or a slight against black men, but rather an honest statement.

Soccer is probably the most diverse sport (racially and nationality wise at least). It's also the most popular sport in the world. Pretty much only Americans don't care much for soccer...so that kind of throws the "diversity" argument out the window lol.

I mentioned soccer in my initial post.

No...I don't think hockey is diverse...sorry....or at least not in any interesting way. For any topic we can choose to focus on something to make it seem diverse (like eye color, socioeconomic background, favorite colors) but it won't do the trick for everyone.

Football is still pretty diverse to me. Even if a lot of the fast players are not diverse, because of quarterback, coaching, other player positions, it still feels like a mix. Baseball is diverse. It is true that NBA basketball is not very diverse. I think the reason they survive is marketing. If you can make a player a star and make it so the fans feel differently about that player, you MAY be able to pull it off. Really I find NBA boring except the final quarter of each game and the playoffs.

[SteelKnight]

Originally Posted by pete74

agreed

LOL. It is the kind of people that think Hockey is super diverse and more than any other sport that enjoy it. lol More power to them.

[SCMom]

Originally Posted by SteelKnight

I mentioned soccer in my initial post.

No...I don't think hockey is diverse...sorry....or at least not in any interesting way. For any topic we can choose to focus on something to make it seem diverse (like eye color, socioeconomic background, favorite colors) but it won't do the trick for everyone.

Football is still pretty diverse to me. Even if a lot of the fast players are not diverse, because of quarterback, coaching, other player positions, it still feels like a mix. Baseball is diverse. It is true that NBA basketball is not very diverse. I think the reason they survive is marketing. If you can make a player a star and make it so the fans feel differently about that player, you MAY be able to pull it off. Really I find NBA boring except the final quarter of each game and the playoffs.

I know you mentioned soccer (and did say it was diverse). You also said it wasn't very popular, which is false. It's just not popular with Americans. It's actually the most popular sport in the world.

If you don't like hockey, that's fine. Everybody has their own tastes...I just don't get the "not diverse enough" statement. You mentioned Tiger bringing diversity (and I can only assume you meant racial diversity) to golf, thus making it more exciting, when making a comparison to how you'd like to see hockey be diverse (when it's already extremely ethnicly diverse). Then you bring up player positions...just not sure where you're going with the diversity statement is all.

To me, hockey has always been the most exciting game. It's extremely fast paced, allows for different players personalities to shine. It can be a tough, gritty, muck it out kind of game...and also an eloquent game (when it comes to scoring a pretty goal, or making a beautiful save). I just never understood how people thought a sport that allows players to beat on each other, score amazing goals and make pretty saves (all without a tv timeout every 2 minutes) was boring. I like football a lot, but it just doesn't have the same kind of game speed or intensity. Constant time outs and stoppages of play slow the game down way too much. That's why there aren't many people outside of the US that like American football. Baseball just puts me straight to sleep.

Now, if you don't like the sport, you don't like it and nothing I say will make you feel any differently about it. That's all fine and good. I just think it's weird that you would say the sport is not popular (or not as popular in America as football) because of a lack of diversity. Just don't get what that is supposed to mean.

[SteelKnight]

Originally Posted by SCMom

I know you mentioned soccer (and did say it was diverse). You also said it wasn't very popular, which is false. It's just not popular with Americans. It's actually the most popular sport in the world.

If you don't like hockey, that's fine. Everybody has their own tastes...I just don't get the "not diverse enough" statement. You mentioned Tiger bringing diversity (and I can only assume you meant racial diversity) to golf, thus making it more exciting, when making a comparison to how you'd like to see hockey be diverse (when it's already extremely ethnicly diverse). Then you bring up player positions...just not sure where you're going with the diversity statement is all.

To me, hockey has always been the most exciting game. It's extremely fast paced, allows for different players personalities to shine. It can be a tough, gritty, muck it out kind of game...and also an eloquent game (when it comes to scoring a pretty goal, or making a beautiful save).

Now, if you don't like the sport, you don't like it and nothing I say will make you feel any differently about it. That's all fine and good. I just think it's weird that you would say the sport is not popular (or not as popular in America as football) because of a lack of diversity. Just don't get what that is supposed to mean.

First, I'm educated enough to know that football (soccer) is the most popular sport in the world. Rather than saying I made a false statement, you should have deduced (in context) that I was talking about here in the US. And I did point it out as a counter argument to my point.

Now...as far as your hockey diverse comments, that's like me saying the NBA is the most diverse. They have players from Phily, DC, Miami, Compton, NY. That's the way I see your comment. And BTW, NBA does have a bunch of Europeans. but i don't think it is very diverse in reality...just like i don't think hockey is.

As far as hockey, I mentioned what would make it interesting to me. There will be some others that agree with me and some others that don't. If there are some that agree with me than it would increase the viewership so long as it doesn't make some of you already lovers leave for whatever reason.

I tried to like hockey. I started as a Bruins fan and just stayed loyal and then after several years I became bored with the sport. Just because you are spoiled to have had Lemieux and now Crosby, don't think it is interesting for all teams. lol

[SteelKnight]

Originally Posted by SCMom

Now, if you don't like the sport, you don't like it and nothing I say will make you feel any differently about it. That's all fine and good. I just think it's weird that you would say the sport is not popular (or not as popular in America as football) because of a lack of diversity. Just don't get what that is supposed to mean.

Sorry...I forgot to address this point. So I'm guessing that if hockey and Nascar were more diverse they MAY gain more appeal/ interest. The truth is we don't know. It could go that way like what Tiger did for golf or it could go the route of diversity in soccer with still nobody (in the US) caring.

[Stu Pidasso]

Originally Posted by SCMom

I just never understood how people thought a sport that allows players to beat on each other, score amazing goals and make pretty saves (all without a tv timeout every 2 minutes) was boring. I like football a lot, but it just doesn't have the same kind of game speed or intensity. Constant time outs and stoppages of play slow the game down way too much. That's why there aren't many people outside of the US that like American football.

I have a good theory about that: Football is a social game. With other sports (like hockey, soccer, etc.) you have the fast paced, constant game that you continually have to watch (and not make a sammich, pee, or look away for a second) so it doesn't fit into the American "social" paradigm. Unless you watch your sports alone.

Now Football, you have time in between plays to talk to your friends, pee, hang out, and be social with each other, especially in public gatherings like bars.