The NHL and Sidney Crosby

by Fish06 on Sep 8, 2011 12:07 PM PDT

I wanted to try and lighten the mood on the site by attempting to move the conversation in a different direction for those who are interested...

I've been wondering (hoping really) that with the NBA likely on hold for the entire year will the NHL be able to gain enough momentum to close the gap on basketball in terms of viewership? Furthermore, does the possibility of Sid the Kid not playing this year damage our chances? More after the jump.

I, like a lot of hockey fans, can not stand basketball. I don't get it, its one great athlete against another in what appears to be a dunk contest. The point is; I hate the fact that our beloved sport gets thumped by this one-on-one, pick-up game in viewership.

I will approximate the numbers for you: Last year the NBA finals got watched by 3 times as many Americans than the NHL finals, compared to 5 times as many Americans watching the NBA finals over the NHL finals in 2005. Hockey is catching up, but only so slightly. I cant find, nor can I remember, the last time hockey was bigger than basketball. I'm 25 so I can't say for certain that we ever were, but I have to assume we were at some point in the 80's or 90's, right?

Point is, now is the time for Hockey to gain its rightful spot above Basketball. Any way you slice it the game is better: More speed, More competition, More passion, More physicality, More grit, More heart, Less arrogance, Less selfishness, Less 'me me me'... Am I crazy to think now is the time for hockey to overtake basketball?

It would certainly help if the games biggest star was involved this year. If you haven't heard Crosbys' doctors have 'no earthly idea' on when he will be healthy enough to return. For people who don't know hockey, Crosby and Ovi are perhaps the only recognizable figures to them. Does losing Crosby for another year, or maybe forever, hurt the game that much? I have my opinions on this, but I'd like to hear yours first.

I apologize for rambling a bit, can't wait to hear your thoughts...

This article is user-generated. It does not necessarily reflect the views of Anaheim Calling. Please do not link this article as representative of Anaheim Calling content or viewpoints . . . unless it's really really good.

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I should point out that I meant to say ‘when basketball returns’ will we be bigger than them… I hope we out-view them this year!!!

by Fish06 on Sep 8, 2011 12:30 PM PDT reply actions

Hockey will most likely never be bigger than Basketball. Hockey may outdraw the NBA next year, but I don’t think it’ll even outdraw NCAA basketball. In the 90’s Basketball had Michael Jordan, and the 80’s had Magic vs Bird. Not enough kids play hockey, so they don’t understand the game. When I was younger, everyone could easily play basketball, they had hoops at every elemntary, middle and high school playgrounds. All you needed was a basketball. I played some street hockey too, but it was harder, the schools would kick us out, and we could only play on the streets. It was also harder to find people to play with because they would have to buy skates and learn to skate. Crosby may be a big star in hockey, but a lot of people who don’t watch hockey, have no idea who he is. If I asked my family if they knew who Crosby was, 80% wouldn’t know who I was talking about. But if I asked who Kobe, Lebron, 90% would know who they are. I think the NHL can gain some ground on the NBA, especially in the lockout, but never pass them. I think I would be happy if they got half the viewers of the NBA.

by fastat3m on Sep 8, 2011 2:32 PM PDT reply actions

I agree here. Basketball is so easy for people to pick up and play that it has a distinct advantage over hockey. I always felt that you love the sports you grow up playing. I was lucky enough to be able to play hockey when I was a kid, and still play. I never played Football or Baseball or basketball in an organized league and as such don’t really care for any of these sports.

by DavidBL on Sep 8, 2011 3:20 PM PDT up reply actions

I hear what you are saying and I think that that is a fair argument… I would counter that by
saying It’s just as easy to pick up a basketball in canada as it is here. Accessability to Hockey resources will grow in the U.S as the viewership/popularity does. I think the only difference between us and them is that hockey is ’Canada’s game’.

I found another interesting nugget. If canada was counted in these stats and we made the ratings all of north america, then hockey is, and has been, bigger than basketball. They do the same thing for Box office numbers for movies; where all of north america is counted… So, in North America hockey is bigger than basketball.

I don’t care much about that though, I want Hockey bigger in the U.S!

by Fish06 on Sep 12, 2011 12:37 PM PDT up reply actions

I think if you added the ratings of Canada and US, the ratings might add up to be higher for NHL, but in terms of viewership, I don’t think the NHL has more than the NBA. US has a lot bigger population than Canada. I’m pretty sure the amount of viewers for the NBA in the US is higher than the total viewers of the NHL in the US+Canada combined. Hockey is also the national sport for Canada, but not in the US. Also, the US is closer to the Equator, which creates hotter weather. It seems like the farther away from the Equator you live, the more people play hockey, because winter sports are more popular. Even in the US, most of our hockey players come from the northern states. I agree that accessibility will grow in the US, but it will never grow as big as basketball. It is also easier to pick up basketball in the US, we typically have better weather than Canada, so kids play basketball at recess and lunch. The colder the weather, the kids have less opportunity to play.

by fastat3m on Sep 12, 2011 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions

Ya, I guess weather has to play a huge role in accessibility.

<a href=“http:// ”http://www.thestar.com/article/171418" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/article/171418 " > Here is the article in which I found the stat regarding North American viewership. I recommend reading the entire article; its Marc Cubans message to the NHL. Good stuff.

by Fish06 on Sep 12, 2011 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions

http://www.thestar.com/article/171418

Sorry, here is the article

by Fish06 on Sep 12, 2011 2:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Basketball is a simpler, easier to sport to follow and play so it will always be more popular than hockey. Basketball is also flashier so that draws in more simple-minded fans. It’s like squirrel hunting while hockey is more like deer hunting.

Losing Crosby wouldn’t be a big deal if the NHL didn’t put all their eggs in the Crosby/Ovechkin basket. They neglect most other stars in the league so they can overwhelm us with those two. If the NHL gave more attention to other stars around the league (I can think of a certain exciting top line in Orange County that could bring in more fans if they were on national TV more often) than the shit wouldn’t be hitting the fan with Crosby’s injury. There are stars on literally every team in the NHL, but most people who aren’t hockey fans would have a hard time naming anyone other than Crosby or Ovechkin because the NHL neglected to promote anyone else over the last few years.

Fight on!
EMAW!

by Shackleford on Sep 8, 2011 4:49 PM PDT reply actions

"Basketball...draws in more simple minded fans."

Even as a die hard hockey (and much more casual) basketball fan, I find that statement a little condescending. But as people have already said, basketball is inexpensive to play, has excellent media coverage, and is very American (even though Dirk Nowitzki was the 2011 NBA Finals MVP, the history of basketball in America is connected to the history of black cultural expression….but that’s another conversation…). Hockey, while awesome, and very popular in New England/Midwest, is expensive, has poor media coverage, and is culturally associated with Canada/Northern and Eastern Europe.

Contributor - Anaheim Calling

by light_the_lamp on Sep 8, 2011 7:04 PM PDT reply actions

I’m not a basketball hater. I don’t care for the NBA but I am a big college basketball fan. I stand by my statement, although it probably could have been worded better. It’s an easier sport for casual fans to follow. I live in the middle of Kansas, so that should tell you how much my roommates know about hockey. It took months of explaining to get them to understand offsides, icing and what different penalties were (slashing, hooking, boarding etc). You could take someone who has lived under a rock his whole life, turn on an NBA game and they will have a decent grasp of basketball by halftime.

What you said (basketball being more American than hockey, excellent media coverage and basketball being cheap to play) definitely contribute to basketball being more popular than hockey, but the game does appeal to people who don’t want to take the time to learn the nuances of hockey. My experiences with Lakers fans and Heat bandwagoners are the reason why I said simple minded.

Fight on!
EMAW!

by Shackleford on Sep 8, 2011 7:56 PM PDT up reply actions

I feel like most basketball fans dislike Lakers fans/Heat bandwagoners as well…

Contributor - Anaheim Calling

by light_the_lamp on Sep 8, 2011 8:48 PM PDT up reply actions

I don’t think people hate Lakers fans. I think people hate LA. The reality is that every team has fans that are loyal die hards and fans who are only around for success, and every team has fans that are douches and fans that aren’t. LA fans just seem worse because its a major hub of people, and a cultural center, which means we produce more bandwagon fans and people from other regions are more willing to jump on the bandwagon because it’s LA.

by Daniel AC on Sep 9, 2011 9:25 AM PDT up reply actions