53 replies to this topic

[Konnan511]

It's always going to be Football>MLB>NASCAR> In no particular order: NBA,NHL,Golf, Soccer. That's just how it's going to be. And before anyone gets on my case about NASCAR, there are more people who attend NASCAR events than any other sport out there....and I have no idea why!!!!

[mindfly]

It's always going to be Football>MLB>NASCAR> In no particular order: NBA,NHL,Golf, Soccer. That's just how it's going to be. And before anyone gets on my case about NASCAR, there are more people who attend NASCAR events than any other sport out there....and I have no idea why!!!!

That track in indiana has room for 250.000 people or something i read... crazy red necks

Watching exactly similar cars go round and round and round in all eternity.. great sport!

[RedWings Gone Wild]

Jordan, Bird, and Magic were all Americans, spoke English fluently, and were marketed the moment they stepped onto the court, and it was predicted this would happen. The most marketable people are marketed for a long time, and you can foresee the continuation of that. If you ever watched Crosby before he came to the NHL, you knew he was going to be highly marketed in this league. You did not know that of Ovechkin. Why? He was not here, and he was not pushed and given the attention Crosby was. These other attributes you state have nothing to do with marketing. The only way to see the viability of marketing is by sales and attention. Let's see. Crosby comes and suddenly the seats in Pittsburgh fill up. Crosby comes and suddenly Crosby jerseys sell more than any other. Crosby comes, and even before he came, and suddenly every media outlet is paying attention to him. I think we have a winner. It's flat out that obvious, and again, the only arguments I've seen against Crosby being the most marketable all come down to vitriol and dislike toward him and nothing to do with marketing.

You've basically given a poor evaluation of the circumstances. Ovechkin wasn't pushed as much as Crosby... sure.. that's right, but what's that got to do with it beyond initial press and speculation? Nothing. The argument is who is the face NOW, and that is Ovechkin. Crosby lost that war because quite frankly, he is boring off the ice: and to a casual fan/never seen the game kind of fan, he's even boring on the ice. Ovechkin is getting the commercials now, and he's getting the press.

That's why Ovechkin signed a deal with the top Marketing company on the planet IMG (same company that has Kobe, Tiger Woods, etc).

To quote a Puck Daddy article on it:

To some, the news that Ovechkin has signed with IMG will be a blip on the radar, a brief note in the business section. To hockey fans, it should mean something much, much more significant: It's a premier marketing company indicating that the NHL has potentially produced its first global crossover superstar since former IMG client Wayne Gretzky.

You want more on it click here

[GMRwings1983]

Hockey is not an American sport, hence it'll always be behind the American sports.

For instance, baseball is boring, the best players are steroid cheaters and the salary cap system is a joke when it comes to competition. Baseball fans know this, bust still don't care.

You can't teach elephants how to fly. Americans will never put hockey above their own sports.

[mindfly]

Americans won't ever switch to the accurate metric system either....
They won't allow *** people to get married all accross the country...

Americans are old fashioned and traditional

[Tane]

we can Top NBA, Not football, not baseball.

Priority #1 is getting a Hockey guy as commish. Until that happens, there's no hope.

[Howard He Do It?!]

Americans won't ever switch to the accurate metric system either....
They won't allow *** people to get married all accross the country...

Americans are old fashioned and traditional

The metric system is more accurate? It's easier to understand and convert, but by no means is it more accurate.

Not everyone shares the sentiment of denying gays the right to marry.

Oh yeah, NONE OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH HOCKEY!

Edited by Howard He Do It?!, 21 January 2010 - 07:04 PM.

[RedWings Gone Wild]

we can Top NBA, Not football, not baseball.

Priority #1 is getting a Hockey guy as commish. Until that happens, there's no hope.

NHL already tops the NBA in attendance. And as far as the TV ratings... well... one's on versus, the other is on ESPN, TNT, and ABC, not much else can be expected.

[hokeychik22]

hockey in any league is #1 to me

[Paul MacLean's Mustache]

To be honest, I like hockey being a regional or niche sport. I think American markets like Detroit, Minnesota, Buffalo, and Boston thrive because hockey has always been deeply embedded in those particular areas' culture. I couldn't imagine hockey games becoming the "it" sporting event to attend and while I think it would be great for the league, I feel that a strong majority of hockey fans today are extremely knowledgeable and dedicated to their local markets.

Baseball and football have so many casual fans because I think that many Americans feel that they HAVE to accept these sports on some level because everyone else has. Hockey fans actively seek the sport out. Living in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area now, I've seen the Caps firsthand go from the basement of D.C. sports to the hottest ticket in the city and most of those fans only started paying attention when names like "Ovechkin" and "Green" became household names. Not to mention, more popularity breeds a higher market demand. It was an absolute travesty to me that I had to shell out more money for two tickets to a regular season Caps game than I did for the two tickets to game one I purchased for this past year's cup final (the seats were comparable). I think if the NHL wants to flourish, they should work on promoting the sport first and superstars second.

Edited by Paul MacLean's Mustache, 21 January 2010 - 11:54 PM.

[Hockeytown0001]

This is what must be done to make the NHL more attractive to the average football/baseball fan.

[luvmnger]

yeah....that's funny.

in a sad way.

the simplest explanation about football's domination over all the other sports is that IT IS designed for a casual fan.

12 seconds of action....followed by 45 seconds of replay/analysis explanation of every guys move and the end result.

then do it again.

casual fans don't have to stay focused. they wont miss much.

they can freely get snacks, talk, hit the bathroom, all in between plays.

the hardcore fans follow the discussions, analysis, etc....in between plays....but you can still be mobile during this "down time"

and the other reasons football will continue to dominate...short season, 1 game per week, big fat guys can do it, "so that means i can do it too" and lets go to the backyard and "re-enact the game"

and my personal favorite reason.....we Americans have been programmed to celebrate mediocrity....hence...the personal celebrating for something mildly successful.



p.s. i am a born and raised Michigan- American, and i worshiped football until i was 17 and played quarterback/receiver for 5 years in middle/high school.

this was all before the tumor was removed and i accepted hockey as my savior.

[up2here]

we can Top NBA, Not football, not baseball.

Priority #1 is getting a Hockey guy as commish. Until that happens, there's no hope.

Theres that blame Bettman mentality again. Bettman is a weasel but HE IS PAYED BY THE OWNERS! The owners run this league not Bettman.

[Barrie]

If the NHL can get a national tv deal, then it could maybe pass the NBA and be 3rd. Currently the NHL has better attendance than the NBA. Plus the NHL only works in half of the country, so the chances of the NHL passing the NBA and even getting a tv deal are very low.

The NFL and MLB are king in the USA, and have been for 100 years, no sport will ever pass them.