Can the NHL capitalize on the problems going on in the other 3 Major Pro Sports?
1. NFL – Thіѕ whole Vick issue coupled wіth Pacman Jones аnd half thе Bengals team hаνе given thе sports leader ѕοmе dіѕtrеѕѕ. Thеу wіll still always bе digit one, bυt even still.
2. MLB – Bonds, steroids, enough ѕаіd. Thіѕ wont еnd till Bonds retires. I dont even know whу people dеѕріѕе hіm, I dont.
3. NBA – Gambing officials аnd calling games mау bе thе wοrѕt one out οf аll three, compared tο a league standpoint.
Sο thе hυgе qυеѕtіοn, Cаn аnd Hοw wіll thе NHL bе аblе tο jump οn thіѕ hυgе oppurtunity?
I doubt it. People delight in scandals too much.
Well, if they had a commissioner with a brain, they might be able, but with Bettman, you’ve got to be kidding.
As crazy as this seems, Scandals attract people.
no. instead of americans watching more hockey, they will turn to COLLEGE football and COLLEGE basketball.
clean refs, fantastic entertainement. hockey is done. it’s sad.
Bettman dies in a boating accident, ESPN takes over the tv coverage, ATL & NASH drop out of the league.
I reckon folks dislike Bonds because he’s not an ambassador of the game, and has always been a jagoff.
You dont reckon there is steriods in hockey ? You dont reckon there is gambling in hockey ? Dude come on , reckon about it. Hockey is all but over with in the States. (sadly)
No question the NBA was suffering even prior to this. Most times any news is excellent news, people won’t stop watching football because of a few terrible apples and they won’t stop watching baseball because of Bonds, instead they’ll come out in droves hoping to see his 800th. The business with these sports is that they are larger than any individual but the NBA is different because there has been waning interest and some may reckon they are watching a bogus game. Also, how many people must be pi$$ed because that ref (Donaghy or whatever) lost them money? Their poor numbers could decrease further.
Don’t forget the collection of weaponry that belongs to Tank Johnson, he’s got enough guns to start a small war, lol. I heard something before today about other NBA officials that will also be questioned or something like that. In order for the NHL to capitalize, Bettman needs to either go find a brain, or resign. The league needs to get back on ESPN, and also do more TV commercials, on channels other than VS.
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James makes a fantastic point, the league should do a commercial with some enforcer showing how tough he is on the ice, then showing how nice he is in real life (i.e. helping an ancient lady cross the street or something). They should jump on this opportunity, show all their players in a positive light. The hotel/road trip commercial was fantastic, but I only saw it on VS. and on the local hockey channel here in Denver, Altitude. If hockey were on ESPN, these commercials would be all over the place.
If they do it aptly, then yes. But hey, it’s Bettman. He’ll probably try to clamp down on hooking.
Hockey here in the states will never surpass those three mentioned sports. Hockey is just a sport not many kids grow up accustomed to playing. I’m a hockey fan through and through but these are just the facts. Reckon about it. To play baseball= mitt,ball, bat…football..well a football!!.. basketball…a ball and a hoop…ice hockey…gloves, chest pads ,elbow pads, shin guards,helmet, hockey pants, skates and a stick…sweet pricey gear for a lot of kids to meet the expense of. Also the sport I feel is not place out in the mainstream enough to attract more viewers. In the market I live in (Chicago) home games are rarely on t.v. …What kid is gonna stay up late to watch an away Hawks Canucks game starting at 9:00 P.M.? I reckon the sport should promote more games on t.v. and show more rivalry games to bring some more excitement to the game…
Honestly, I don’t reckon the NHL could pour water out of a glass if the glass had the directions on the bottom.
Well a few incidents has happened in the NHL community like
1. Rick Tochett in the gambling business
2.Mark Bell hit and run(maybe he will se Vick in Prison)
3.Staals arrested(nothing terrible even if, just a tale for sports)
So NHL isn’t really free of scandals. But they aren’t as terrible as the NBA gambling scandal. Bonds was not proven guilty so how can people call him a cheater. He has never failed a steroid test. He is the Home Run King and people should at least give the guy some recognition, even if he did take steroids, you still have to hit the 90 mile and hour ball. But cheating is cheating.
While scandals make tales hockey has to market the ‘excellent guy’ business to the masses.
The average NHL enforcer is renowned for being as tough as they come hell raiser on the ice and the nicest guy in the world off the ice (obviously, there are exceptions). Isn’t that marketable? Guys who can do their job and not go beat their wives/girlfriends/dogs.
Hockey players have the guts, the toughness and skill they just need to be marketed better. American ad agency are worried to use guys who don’t speak perfect English in commercials – they shouldn’t be, use their charisma – just look at the Ovechkin Lays commercial.
The three things the NHL needs to do to take advantage of the opportunity the other sports have given it (above and beyond kicking Gary to the curb with a ‘will ruin a league for food’ sign):
1. The NHL needs to market the players better
2. Let franchises go where they’ll be successful. I’d like the Preds to stay in Nashville but if they can’t make it, allow them to go to Canada where they will be financially successful.
3. Don’t expand any more. We’ve got 30 teams. That’s enough. The talent pool is plenty deep but let’s not water down the product anymore. 2 more teams would result in each team losing at least one decent player.
I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Cold steel on ice is aptly. Kids these days in the states aren’t raised with hockey in their lives. Therefore I have made an simple to follow list of instructions on how to fix this.
1)Find partner
2)Marry partner
3)Make babies
4)Raise babies to like hockey
5)Divorce partner
6)Repeat steps 1-5 until hockey is more well loved
To answer the question even if I don’t reckon the NHL will every be able to compete with the MLB or NFL because they are already sooo well loved in the US, but if the NHL really turns itself around they might be able to take a shot at the NBA. But the best business the NHL can do now is to get back on major networks (ie ESPN) and not just VERSUS, and a couple games and playoffs on NBC.
Brent H! Yes!
The NHL needs to stop caring about whether Americans accept it or not and concentrate on Canadians.
How bout this for an NHL slogan? The NHL, “We don’t have thugs!”
NHL house is not just so clean either. Don’t forget that the Betuzzi incident was about the ugliest on-field incident in any major sport in recent memory.
And the NHL would like nothing more than the Rick Tocchet gambling tale to go away, because it is way to close to their sacred #99.
In general, I agree that the other sports are in a moral free-fall, but if Bettman and the NHL continues their current marketing campaign, it is MLS, not the NHL, which will be capitalizing on it.
MLS has all the buzz with Beckham’s arrival. ESPN is SO willing to place games on, since they probably got the TV deal for a song, and they need something during the week during NFL season. So how does the NHL choice to go with OLN/VS. look now? Just like most of the league’s other decisions, like a Wednesday nighttime All Star game…
The NHL isn’t a major sport and it shouldn’t be. The owners and Bettman need to realize that the leagues best years were when they admitted hockey was a niche sport. It was all downhill once they tried to expand and change rules around tiresome to make it compete with them. Until the owners start caring about hockey and hire a commissioner that understands hockey things wont improve.
aptly now, it can’t. the sport needs better exposure- ESPN, for example. then the commentators there could be allowed to promote the NHL some.
“excellent week to be an NHL fan, isn’t it bob? Bonds steroids, vick…”
“yeah Jim, and the game is more fascinating then ever since the lockout too. the Rule changes really worked!”
that kind of business is what then NHL needs to capitalize. Exposure.
Ad buys too…
“sick of sports where players have no shred or morality? Watch the NHL, where the worst any of our players has done recently was get drunk at a party!”
OH: cold steel: Your team is the only one in pro sports that does not announce their home games. Assassinate your owner to change that. the rest of the nhl…. You can see them. Canes are on FSN, with a 30minute pregame show (dull) and a 30 minute post game show. (interviews are fascinating)
sweet excellent exposure here. That’s really sad that the NHL gers better coverage in NC then chicago..
As i was mentioning yesterday, the NBA scandal may get larger and if it does Stern would be gone. This could mean Bettman may jump to the NBA since that is the league he really wants to run. If so, hockey fans everywhere will rejoice. Will it mean the league gets better? It can’t hurt.