cupforwings 138 Report post Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) this is why Detroit is hockeytown... the only state that prefers the NHL playoffs Edited April 16, 2011 by cupforwings 13 PenaltyShot 96, HadThomasVokounOnFortSt, MCleveland89 and 10 others reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregsbouch 4 Report post Posted April 16, 2011 "The rest of the world" really picked NBA? Sad I hate how the ESPN homepage always seems to have anything but hockey on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Z and D for the C 712 Report post Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) That and the Pistons suck. Awesome picture either way. Edited April 16, 2011 by Z and D for the C Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest CaliWingsNut Report post Posted April 17, 2011 Detroit is hockeytown because Ilitch copyrighted & trademarked it. ESPN sucks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 Those polls are worth watching. Whenever the question pits something Detroit-related against other cities, Michigan always supports its own better than the other states do. P.S. Minnesota = State of Hockey.....my ass Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ricky0034 89 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 why is Pennsylvania gray? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thedisappearer 291 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 (edited) why is Pennsylvania gray? Two NHL teams, one NBA team. *ETA* 50/50, usually. Edited April 17, 2011 by thedisappearer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueMonk 102 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 Just awesome. F**k the haters. Not sure if anyone has been paying attention, but there have been articles in the News and Freep about the sellout streak and surge of energy from the home crowd at JLA recently. It seems some of the wine and cheese crowd that held their season tickets for so long are no longer around and an infusion of younger, newer fans has made a big difference. Lots of credit goes to Tom Wilson, I think. He did the same thing for the Pistons and they had a really enthusiastic, young, raucous crowd. The Joe is a lot livelier lately and it's nice to see. 1 Rick D reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 Canada would rather watch the NBA playoffs? What? Did only 20 people vote in that poll at that point? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeymom1960 5,107 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 I know why the fans were so quiet during the regular season they think like the Wings do. Real hockey doesn't start until the playoffs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plopster 136 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 thats not a representation of the hockey fans watching the playoffs at all. Come on, thats an ESPN poll. Most people who still pay attention to their polls and stats are mostly football and basketball fans. Real hockey fans know ESPN are hockey haters so they don't even bother. Look how dark blue the states are in the south east though.... 1 Tman77 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 thats not a representation of the hockey fans watching the playoffs at all. Come on, thats an ESPN poll. Most people who still pay attention to their polls and stats are mostly football and basketball fans. Real hockey fans know ESPN are hockey haters so they don't even bother. Look how dark blue the states are in the south east though.... Actually it's about right. TV ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals aren't even half of what they are for the NBA. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Crane 289 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 That and the Pistons suck. Awesome picture either way. I thought that for a second too, but even states with teams out of the NBA playoffs and in the NHL playoffs still voted for NBA Specific Examples - Washington and Phoenix States with both playoffs - Illinois, California, Boston, New York, Florida and Pennsylvania Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Theophany 110 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 Those polls are worth watching. Whenever the question pits something Detroit-related against other cities, Michigan always supports its own better than the other states do. P.S. Minnesota = State of Hockey.....my ass Wild aren't in the playoffs, and it's more of a college hockey state anyway. 1 HadThomasVokounOnFortSt reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jwo 7 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 I'm not surprised at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 Wild aren't in the playoffs, and it's more of a college hockey state anyway. Neither are the Timberwolves, which are the most miserable team in basketball. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lookalive07 251 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 Actually it's about right. TV ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals aren't even half of what they are for the NBA. If the NHL was actually on a respectable TV station aside from one or two games a week on NBC, we might have some more viewership support in other states. The NBA playoffs are on TNT (which could be sort of considered our VS.), but they also have ABC (our NBC) and games on ESPN. Along with the fact that they have way more NBA analysts willing to talk about how Shaq won't be able to play because he's a ******* dinosaur or what LeBron's pregame meal was, we're not going to see any more support for our sport until ESPN hires some people who give a s***. To be honest though, they had a respectable amount of hockey analysis on yesterday during an evening edition of SportsCenter, IMO, the perfect amount of coverage. If they actually did this with every other sport instead of looking at every block, every other shot, every play in baseball, etc. they might have some time to cover other sports that exist too. But as I said, hockey gets a bum rap because they have people willing to talk about the s*** in regards to basketball, and worse, people actually watch and are genuinely interested in that kind of crap, and the cycle never ends. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,803 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 Why are people so obsessed with the predictable NBA playoffs, where the higher seed wins every damn series? There's no mystery there at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hockeychik25 10 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 detroit fans are better anyway. they love their sports win or lose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Theophany 110 Report post Posted April 17, 2011 If the NHL was actually on a respectable TV station aside from one or two games a week on NBC, we might have some more viewership support in other states. The NBA playoffs are on TNT (which could be sort of considered our VS.), but they also have ABC (our NBC) and games on ESPN. Along with the fact that they have way more NBA analysts willing to talk about how Shaq won't be able to play because he's a ******* dinosaur or what LeBron's pregame meal was, we're not going to see any more support for our sport until ESPN hires some people who give a s***. To be honest though, they had a respectable amount of hockey analysis on yesterday during an evening edition of SportsCenter, IMO, the perfect amount of coverage. If they actually did this with every other sport instead of looking at every block, every other shot, every play in baseball, etc. they might have some time to cover other sports that exist too. But as I said, hockey gets a bum rap because they have people willing to talk about the s*** in regards to basketball, and worse, people actually watch and are genuinely interested in that kind of crap, and the cycle never ends. It doesn't matter the exposure that hockey gets; basketball survives because of star players and the rate of play/scoring. Americans in general like a sport that they can get up and get a beer or get up and use the restroom and not miss much. If you do that at any time other than commercials and intermission in a hockey game, you will likely miss some good plays. It's also harder to get into as a game because it's not as accessible to play. Anyone can go play a pickup game of basketball, but to play a pickup game of hockey, you have to find a rink, find skates, gloves, etc. Just skates alone are a fairly sizable investment to a sport that you're likely not going to play very often. Since the rules are more obscure (try going to a game in SoCal and listening to people around you), it's harder for people to understand. Just getting the game back on ESPN would not substantially help the NHL viewership. It's a niche sport, destined to perpetually be #4 unless USA Hockey makes a huge push in getting the game to the youth of America. Hell, lacrosse is growing faster than hockey at this point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted April 18, 2011 Actually it's about right. TV ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals aren't even half of what they are for the NBA. Really? Are you sure? I haven't seen numbers but I was under the impression that nobody watched the NBA finals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plopster 136 Report post Posted April 18, 2011 I was actually under the impression that the NBA was on the decline while the NHL has been moving forward. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Autika 34 Report post Posted April 18, 2011 Really? Are you sure? I haven't seen numbers but I was under the impression that nobody watched the NBA finals. Nah, it's just that we don't watch the NBA finals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robby2419 7 Report post Posted April 18, 2011 an espn poll doesnt tell me much. espn is a joke. for an entity that prides itself on being the world wide leader in sports, they sure are lacking in hockey and soccer coverage. 30 seconds of barry melrose each time sportscenter airs is a joke. and lets not even discuss its way over the top NFL coverage. anyway screw that noise and screw espn. go wings! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frozen-Man 144 Report post Posted April 18, 2011 That is awesome for Detroit but I think that the poll is probably pretty skewed. How many hockey fans regularly check ESPN? They pretty much ignore the sport. There are about a dozen places I would check before I go to ESPN, sort of an unofficial boycott I guess as well as the fact that their NHL coverage is horrible and they charge you for any real information. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
