What do think will happen with NBA, MLB, NHL 1) They’ll continue to lose popularity 2) They’ll start gaining popularity 3) They’ll stay where they are Like to hear your thoughts
how precisely would the NHL 'continue to lose popularity'? season games total avg. NHL 1978-1979 680 7,758,053 11,409 NHL 1979-1980 840 10,533,623 12,540 NHL 1980-1981 840 10,726,198 12,769 NHL 1981-1982 840 10,710,894 12,751 NHL 1982-1983 840 11,020,610 13,120 NHL 1983-1984 840 11,359,386 13,523 NHL 1984-1985 840 11,633,730 13,850 NHL 1985-1986 840 11,621,000 13,835 NHL 1986-1987 840 11,855,880 14,114 NHL 1987-1988 840 12,117,512 14,426 NHL 1988-1989 840 12,417,969 14,783 NHL 1989-1990 840 12,579,651 14,976 NHL 1990-1991 840 12,343,897 14,695 NHL 1991-1992 880 12,769,676 14,511 NHL 1992-1993 1,008 14,158,177 14,046 NHL 1993-1994 1,092 16,105,604 14,749 NHL 1994-1995 624 9,233,884 14,798 NHL 1995-1996 1,066 17,041,614 15,987 NHL 1996-1997 1,066 17,640,529 16,548 NHL 1997-1998 1,066 17,264,678 16,196 NHL 1998-1999 1,107 18,001,741 16,262 NHL 1999-2000 1,148 18,800,139 16,376 NHL 2000-2001 1,230 20,372,240 16,563 NHL 2001-2002 1,230 20,614,613 16,760 ... despite the increased regularity of TV coverage and skyrocketing ticket prices
Re: What do think will happen with NBA, MLB, NHL 1) MLB - they have trouble marketing, and the pace of the game makes it difficult to make exciting. 2) NBA - they have marketing madness. Plus they are now getting into Europe. 3) NHL - they seem to have filled their niche. There are no Wayne Gretzky's (the talent matched with the good looks matched with the aura) currently, and because it is "weather related," the southern states will be limited in popularity.
Re: Re: What do think will happen with NBA, MLB, NHL yeah... that and the southern states are limited in taste
Re: Re: Re: What do think will happen with NBA, MLB, NHL Um, we're talking about hockey, right? Hockey is right up there with Nascar and Monster Trucks in the taste department.
Re: Re: Re: Re: What do think will happen with NBA, MLB, NHL what a surprise! say... do you get paid by the stupid post?
NBA: I think they are in for a downswing--perhaps they're already in the middle of it. I think the marketing department for the league too thoroughly embraced "ghetto chic" as the image of the league, and suburban America is getting turned off by the moronic thugs who are all a far cry from the Dr. Js and Magic Johnsons of years past, not to mention Jordan. NHL: Aren't they in for some major labor strife or something? Seems like I usually hear doom/gloom when the NHL is mentioned, but it'll survive. It would help if they cut down on the playoff berths, so as to make the season mean something. MLB: Will probably continue to see its fan base erode outside of the major bb cities like Boston, St. Louis, NY, and Chicago. Getting the Expos down to DC would be a step in the right direction.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What do think will happen with NBA, MLB, NHL Sorry, I didn't mean to offend any monster truck fans.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What do think will happen with NBA, MLB, NHL Cut me a little slack since I obviously have no taste. I'm working on it, though. I just picked up "White Trash for Dummies" from Barnes & Noble. Let me see... Chapter 5: Hockey
OK. But most of the stuff I read was about NHL dropping in TV ratings and clubs in financial troubles because they overpaid players. To the mod: Could you please put the “you” in the title?
wow ben you really captured hockey there! as for slack... nah 1- this is true enough... on a national level - i haven't taken the time to collect figures, but local broadcasts are probably somwhat healthy 2- this is also true enough, but not an indicator of popularity - if they have shutdown at the beginning of 04-05 they may have some troubles though
Re: Re: Re: What do think will happen with NBA, MLB, NHL As I live in Olando, and like hockey, and soccer, and dislike NASCAR and Monster Trucks, I do believe I speak with a bit more athority than you do, as you are sitting from afar.
Re: Re: Re: Re: What do think will happen with NBA, MLB, NHL first of all, i lived in georgia for 3+ years and alabama for 8+ years i should also clarify that i don't view florida as being part of the deep south - i find it to be a region all to itself - and i love orlando so dont get all offended
MLB attendance is at around 67 million. I'd rather not kill a team to get that number to 68. Baseball can work in Montreal, it has in the past. Too bad they won't get the chance.
NHL: They are going to have a major strike or lockout or whatever after this season. Two teams in it have extremely serious financial problems and after the work stoppage a lot of teams will be out of business. This sport isn't as popular as NBA or MLB let alone NFL (by far the most popular league in the USA) and they will struggle. I think their popularity has peaked and will start to drop. NBA: Basketball is the most played sport in this country. Basketball is starting to grow in other places and players are now starting to come in from Europe, South America, and Asia. The best players are still American, in my mind only a couple of the top 25 players in the league are not American, but this sport is either going to stay where it is or growing. They had a dropoff in popularity after Jordan retired, but I think it is starting to come back. MLB: A Red Sox/Cubs World Series would have really helped this league. However, ratings for the league have gone up in the playoffs for the first time in a long time. Popularity in baseball has gone down a lot lately, but I think the dropoff will stop.
MLB: I believe baseball is a dying sport, espically outside of New York, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis and the Bay Area. Less and less people play the sport, the average fan is in his mid 40s, the speed of play is horrid. If MLB contracted to around 18 or so teams, it could have a revival because there would be much more talent in much fewer teams, making the games better. In 20 years, I would not be shocked to see MLB on its last legs. NBA: Is finally coming out of its post-Jordan hangover. You are finally seeing teams like the Mavs and Kings who play a fast paced attacking style, which is much more attractive to the fans. Also the infulx of forieng talent brings in new fans and a new dimension to the league. NHL: Also needs contraction. It is one of the best sports to watch live, the speed of play is amazing, but it does not translate well onto TV. If there is a lockout that goes 2 years like people say, then the league could come back as a shell of itself.
MLB: I do not think it has room to grow in the US. But it will continue to be a popular sport because it is an American pasttime. Parents will continue to brainwash their kids by telling them that it is exciting to watch a guy standing there for 5 hours. NBA: With the new influx of talents, NBA is turning the corner. Besides, it is a global sport and the league is getting more international each year. The league will generate additional revenue from overseas. Money means everything. NHL: In the short run, it is going down. In the long run, the league has not reached out to every regions in the US. So it still has room to grow in the US. I know it has not taken off in the South, but you will never know in 10 or more years from now.
MLB: It's fine. It's not going anywhere. Sorry for those of you who think that soccer's success in the US depends on baseball's demise, because the latter isn't going to happen. And that's not going to prevent the former, either. NBA: the foreign influx of talent might actually work against the NBA, as it has for marginal fans of the NHL. Some American fans tend to have a hard time cheering for people who aren't themselves American, or at least North American. If F-1 drivers were to suddenly switch to NASCAR and dominate the top 10, you'd see that sport drop in popularity, probably even faster than it would if most of the top ten drivers were black. European and South American players will increase global interest in the NBA (and lead David Stern to more and more stupid pronouncements about how the NBA is more popular than soccer), but that will hurt its ratings and attendance at home, I'm guessing. NHL: The labor strife will result in a shake up and probably fewer teams. There will still be hockey, though, and if the NHL doesn't recover, another league will take its place, probably even with an MLS style single-entity set up at first. Ideally, a prolonged work-stoppage (which isn't ideal, but should it happen, an ideal scenario is that it...) will strengthen the European leagues in the short run, then after the NHL returns leaner and better, we'll eventually see the NHL champions play the European champs for a World (well, Northern Hemisphere) championship.
1-just out of curiousity, which teams should be shut down? 2-this is a tired argument - most of the people who gripe about hockey not translating to TV, never watch it anyway - i have zero problems knowing where the puck is 3-who says a lockout will go 2 years? i'm not being argumentative, i just haven't seen anything of this nature and have a nearly impossible time believing such a thing would occur
I have read it in various columns by people who know the league. It is a general belief that there will be a major work stopage, 2 years might be an extreme, but missing an entire season would be quite likely. I was thinking more about people who play the sport instead of watch it. If there had been a strike last summer, I wonder what those numbers would look like.