question about NHL

[argama2004]

I 'm sorry but i want to ask it NHL is the most popular sport in USA
I ask because I'm a Asian
Also i want to know why American are not keen on English Soccer

[RoadDoggFL]

Hockey is less popular than football, baseball, and basketball. Even NASCAR (car racing) might be more popular in the US. Soccer (English football) is less popular than all of them here.

As for hockey being the most popular sport, that's in Canada. Don't know about the popularity of the rest of the sport, though.

[argama2004]

thanks for your answer*

[CrazyCougar]

I think one of the reason that soccer is not popular in the US is because the kids grow up with exposure to so many other types of sports. The major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA) are pretty much instilled into the youth of America with the advertising, iconic sports stars, and the salaries available if they ever thought of taking up the sport. Whereas in most of the rst of the world, Soccer is the pirmary sport and is instilled into the minds of youth at a very young age where that passion just grows stronger.

The NHL just isnt as popular in the USA mostly due to marketing and the limited season and areas for the sport to be played by youngsters. Most of the US cannot sustain frozen ponds and outdoor rinks for long periods of time as they can in Canada with the colder temps. So the exposure to the sport of hockey is less in the US with exception of the northern states where hockey is very popular.

[abax44]

I think one of the reason that soccer is not popular in the US is because the kids grow up with exposure to so many other types of sports. The major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA) are pretty much instilled into the youth of America with the advertising, iconic sports stars, and the salaries available if they ever thought of taking up the sport. Whereas in most of the rst of the world, Soccer is the pirmary sport and is instilled into the minds of youth at a very young age where that passion just grows stronger.

The NHL just isnt as popular in the USA mostly due to marketing and the limited season and areas for the sport to be played by youngsters. Most of the US cannot sustain frozen ponds and outdoor rinks for long periods of time as they can in Canada with the colder temps. So the exposure to the sport of hockey is less in the US with exception of the northern states where hockey is very popular.

You should stick to baseball, you don't seem to know much about hockey.

Marketing has been kicked up since the lookout. The season starts in Sept. (pre-season) and just ended on Wednesday (June 4th), that's 9 full months.

Hockey has taken off in Texas and California (HUGE roller hockey scene, also where my bro gets his goalie gear from and we are Canadian). Other markets don't do as well, but I don't think ice is really an issue. The other major league sports are just so damn big the NHL can't really compete.

TV ratings were up huge (in terms of hockey) in the US for this years playoffs.

Hockey doesn't translate well onto tv (HD is helping though). It's fast and hard to keep up with when you're new to it. To see it live is amazing though. When you can see the whole ice surface and see what exactly is going on...wow.

[RoadDoggFL]

No, I'd say Cougars statements were pretty accurate.

[abax44]

I was only replying to the 2nd half of his statement. He is quite misinformed. Marketing might be lacking, but it's on the upswing. Short season? Flat out wrong. No ice isn't an issue as a lot of southern cities are getting into hockey. There are more US players in the NHL then ever (good ones at that), the US National program is very strong, the Olympic team is good and they put on a good showing at the World Championships that wrapped up a few weeks ago.

Remind me where he was "pretty accurate" again?

[RoadDoggFL]

People don't know or care about hockey. While the Stanley Cup's ratings were good, they didn't even match the Carolina/Detroit series' ratings from a few years ago (could be mistaken which year exactly it was, the point is that the number are only good compared to recent years' crappy numbers).

He meant calendar season (his words: "The NHL just isnt as popular in the USA mostly due to... the limited season and areas for the sport to be played by youngsters." Meaning that kids can only play pond hockey during the Winter season), the rest of his post makes it clear.

Southern cities are getting into ice hockey? A few might, but my Panthers only sell out when the Rangers, Canadiens, or Maple Leafs come to town (or in this year's case, the Canucks).

I agree with you that hockey's future in the U.S. isn't as grim as the Canadian media loves to brag about, but his reasons for its lack of popularity in the States are pretty much right.

[Cee_Nasty_00]

Equipment... To play Baseball you buy a 30 bucks glove a 3 dollar ball and a 30 dollar bat and your good, Baseketball need I say more? A 25 dollar ball. Football? A 30 dollar ball, Soccer a 10 dollar ball and some cleats of 40 bucks.
Grass sports, this sports get played at schools during psysical education on grass, backyard, it's recreational. Ice Hockey, I need an ice rink to play on, where in Florida can I go to play for free? No where, then the equipment which costs an eye, and if your thinking about playing goalie, just forget about it if your a blue collar person. Street hockey is entertaining but I don't think it's as enjoyable, say I buy my street equipment but who do I play with? No one, because I doubt more than three persons in my neighborhood give a damn about playing hockey, and probably at best two just own street hockey equipment. My post might be a clueless post but well my perspective is that only pretty medium and high class households kids can afford to play hockey. A poor person can not play hockey and why would he be interested if he doesn't even know a hockey player because they get no camera time down here in florida (likely for most of USA not alongside Canada). What the NHL should do is expose this players on popular networks ( A dumb gatorade commercial ain't gonna do it.) in many different ways, the NHL needs a network like ESPN to gain the most exposure possible but thats not anytime soon,but it can be achievable throughout other networks. Let the US people feel familiarized and intimate with the players like they do with King James,Wade,Kobe,Peyton Manning,Derek Jeter Etc... and after that place local ice rinks at states that they think can develop kids all for free yes and even sell equipment at 25% of the price, the Latin kids here in the US might actually have a future in hockey rather than waste their talents on recreational soccer because only a slim few take MLS seriosuly and Euro soccer seems like dreams and Illusions away.

[RoadDoggFL]

I agree with you, Cee. I didn't even know hockey existed until I was 7, when my sister suggested we try it out one day when my cousins and I were all bored. I looked into it and luckily there was a roller hockey rink (Atlantis, Skate Zone's predecessor) half an hour away in Lake Worth (I lived in Boynton Beach at the time). Had I wanted to play ice hockey, league fees would've cost about three times as much, games would've started at 5 am on Saturdays (possible Sundays, also), it would've been almost an hour long drive, and the pads probably would've cost three times as much, also.

While playing basketball takes as much effort as walking down to the nearest park and asking whoever's playing if I can jump in. It's completely night and day.

[kingbrehm]

NHL actually beat NBA for ratings this past season; but is still behind NFL, MLB, NASCAR, NCAA Basketball, and NCAA Football. The blame for hockey's continued sub par performance with the American public falls right back on the NHL for hiring a lawyer for a commissioner in Gary Bettman. When this said commissioner added stupid penalties to the game and added an instigator rule and refused to spend the millions of dollars at his disposal towards an active advertising budget instead of lining the owners' pocketbooks; he through league expansion out the window.

[gosharks]

If you don't know much about hockey, stick to your sport. You'll be more comfortable.

To me hockey is the best sport ever! It is in fact more popular than baseball and NASCAR. I know that. Hockey got more ratings than basketball last year!