Fighting in hockey

Where is said growth going to come from even if hockey outlaws fighting?

Hockey will always be a relatively niche sport in the U.S., based solely on climate. The sport's stance on fighting is irrelevant.

 

How do you know?

 

Where is the audience going to come from?

 

Where do sports fans come from generally?

And the idea that interest in ice hockey is determined by climate alone isn't very sound. Especially when talking about a league with teams from Miami to LA along the southernmost reach of the lower 48.

 

And the majority of Sun Belt teams have -- generally speaking -- struggled to maintain fan interest. I don't think those teams are suddenly going to gain great numbers of fans if there were no fighting in hockey.

Where are the fans going to come from?

 

Now we're wandering completely off course.

NHL attendance holds steady at about 20 million people per year. I would suggest that new fans might come from any of the 330 million Americans and Canadians not already interested in the sport.

 

Well, if the move from Atlanta to Winnipeg has proven anything, the future of the growth of the game is up here in Canada, not the US. I think it's safe to say that the Bettman expansion into the southern USA was less than successful. A recent study also shows that about 1/3 of league ticket revenues last year came from the six Canadian clubs. The Jets will only add to that.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/1109400--for-nhl-the-cash-is-in-canada

As far as the game itself goes, the league and various networks have been trying to flog hockey in the US for about fifty years, with little limited success. Not only is it a niche sport, it's a regional one as well. My understanding that ratings for games on the local networks like NESN are consistently strong. In my opinion the reason hockey will never be popular in the US is that most people have never played it. Once you have played hockey --at almost any level---every other sport pales in comparison.

You could easily move three teams to Canada and increase both revenues and profits.

And someone compared hockey fights to basketball fights. Please. The only thing more embarrassing than a basketball fight is a baseball fight.

Hockey fighters fight. People get broken noses, shattered orbital bones and concussions.
Until the NHL and the owners decide to get rid of fighting, it will stay.

 

Mark Cuban:

There's not a single NHL franchise that lacks the tools to grow new fans. The expense of the ticket, not the game, is the biggest hindrance.

 

Disagree. This American disinterest to hockey is about as old as TV itself. It has very little to do with prices but everything to do with the sport itself.

If people want to see professional sports, they should be prepared to pay professional sports prices.

Businesses who attempt to draw new customers through price reduction have only devalued their product. At one point the Coyotes were so desperate that they were selling a couple of lower bowl tickets for about $40.00 and threw in a bottle of vodka as part of the promotion. That's not how you build a fan base.

 

I'm guessing you disagree with my assertion that ticket prices are the hindrance, and not necessarily Cuban's post.

The key is to get people emotionally invested in the team, and to create a good game day experience.

And, in the sunbelt, teams need to be involved in the community, and with community hockey programs. As you point out, if you've played the game, you are likely to become a fan.

But, community involvement of all sorts builds a connection with the team.

My only point about ticket prices is that getting a kid to a game with his mom or dad is likely likely to lead to that kid watching the game on TV. And, since parents are always looking to bond with their kids, they might join them.

Because of stadium size, the number of games, and the cost, it's relatively easy to bring your kid to an MLB game as compared to an NHL game.

 

I love the argument that the NHL "needs" to attract more Americans in non traditional markets. How many years has this been tried? What is the success rate?

It is OK that the game is not universally loved down south, there is nothing wrong with that. Why do we have to force feed a game that a majority of people have no interest in down their throats.

I can barely afford to go to Canuck games here, that is fine, they have been sold out for 10 straight years. Here's the problem, 2 teams competing in the same league where one or ten are selling PROFFESIONAL HOCKEY tickets at the same rate junior hockey tickets are sold for. I'm sick of hearing how it is NEEDED that the NHL get the fan that doesn't give two shits about the game, it has never happened and it won't now. There are not 30 NHL markets in North America, there simply isn't, that is OK.

Yankee Fan, I agree about making some tickets affordable to kids and families, but those tickets should not be your best tickets. Some of the promotions and give aways make the the league look even more bush.

The revenue discrepancies in this league are ridiculous, and that is with a hard cap and revenue sharing.

 

Sadly. Bench brawls are awesome.