Why hockey is not popular in America

[polsefest]

But hockey? Cmon now. There has to be some good athletes in hockey, but do you really think as fast as Crosby is on the ice he could outrun Rajon Rondo in a sprint on foot? Or could Crosby outrun the fastest player on Spain's national soccer team? I doubt it. I'm speculating of course but I think it's logical speculation.

And another thing, USA almost won the gold medal in hockey (got silver). In fact USA beat the Canadian team that won the gold, and almost beat them in the final match. So even though we don't concentrate on hockey like the Canadians do, we are still right up there with them amongst the elite.

1. Crosby probly can't outrun them, what's your point? they can't outskate Crosby either.

2. USA doesn't concentrate on hockey? what you think they send figure skaters? no, they sent hockeyplayers, who concentrate on hockey. just because if an american team beats someone else in their sport doesn't diminish that countries sport. that's why so many people hate the US in sports, that kinda thinking

[WileOut]

1. Crosby probly can't outrun them, what's your point? they can't outskate Crosby either.

2. USA doesn't concentrate on hockey? what you think they send figure skaters? no, they sent hockeyplayers, who concentrate on hockey. just because if an american team beats someone else in their sport doesn't diminish that countries sport. that's why so many people hate the US in sports, that kinda thinking

1. Rondo probably has never skated in his life. Every human athlete (other than the disabled ones) knows how to run. I was just finding common ground to compare the 2. But I will concede that you have a good point here. Forget I tried to compare the 2.

2. My point here was that hockey is behind football, baseball, basketball, tennis, soccer, golf, bowling, track and field, skateboarding, snowboarding, and probably skiing in terms of popularity in America. Compare that to Canada where it is a top 3 sport, if not the number 1 sport in the entire country. Almost nobody below the northern states ever play hockey or even watch it growing up or as adults. I'd say that around 90-95% of the US population has never played hockey and has no interest in it whatsoever. So no, we don't concentrate on it when you look at our country as a whole. Of course the hockey players themselves concentrate on it, but I was talking about how such a small amount of our athletic resources (athletes) are dedicated to the sport of hockey. As opposed to Canada where so much of the resources are dedicated to hockey.

Atlanta has a pro hockey team. I would guess that 95% of the people who live in Atlanta have no idea about the rules of hockey. I would guess that 99% have never played the game, and those who have played it had to have moved there from up north. Same for the other non northern hockey teams. Nobody cares about them. Like I said before, there are no youth leagues down here at all.

In the vast majority of the USA, you do not have the option to play hockey, it is not available.

Edit: Now that I've run my big mouth, I find that there is indeed now youth hockey available in Atlanta. It must be relatively new. There is even youth hockey now available in Augusta, GA. This is definitely something that is new though and not very popular. I live in the city and have never heard of anybody's kid playing hockey. But obviously some do.

But my point remains the same. Hockey is behind a lot of sports (and even non sports like bowling) as far as what our best athletes play.

[cantin]

Soccer and Hockey players if they started in football and basketball could have been good and great players. It is just like how some go into different trades than others.

[jsmithj88]

black people dont play hockey, thats why its not popular in the US

[HoulihansTX]

need that commercial break to go to the fridge to get a beer and make a sandwich. .

No need for a commercial break in a game where you just wait for someone to score. One can roll their fat ass to the kitchen for dinner, and have dessert B4 a goal, or any play of significance happens in hockey.

[THE PROFIT]

black people dont play hockey, thats why its not popular in the US

I agree. I flip through the channels & see a bunch of white guys I just keep flippin, thats not sports

[nj6]

Americans dont like fast sports cause they are all( well too many) fat and lazy and need that commercial break to go to the fridge to get a beer and make a sandwich. Thats why they dont like hockey .

Must be why they don't like soccer either .

[OTL]

The answer is quite simple. Hockey is the most expensive sport by a large margin. A full bag of hockey equipment can easily set a parent back $1500 or more, and then you have hundreds more to spend on lessons, league enrollment fees, and other extras. It's not like football or baseball where the schools run the leagues, provide most of the needed equipment, and its free for anyone who wants to play. Hockey requires a large initial outlay of cash to get started in, more than most parents have or are willing to spend. Nobody can even afford to play hockey in the inner city.

[THE PROFIT]

The answer is quite simple. Hockey is the most expensive sport by a large margin. A full bag of hockey equipment can easily set a parent back $1500 or more, and then you have hundreds more to spend on lessons, league enrollment fees, and other extras. It's not like football or baseball where the schools run the leagues, provide most of the needed equipment, and its free for anyone who wants to play. Hockey requires a large initial outlay of cash to get started in, more than most parents have or are willing to spend. Nobody can even afford to play hockey in the inner city.

great point!

[suckerforparlays]

Americans dont like fast sports cause they are all( well too many) fat and lazy and need that commercial break to go to the fridge to get a beer and make a sandwich. Thats why they dont like hockey .

actually i read awhile back that scientist did test or something on why americans dont like soccer and the conclusion ended up being because Americans dont have a Brain Intention Span of more than 5 minutes. There you look at baseball commerical every inning, basketball commercial ever 4 minutes , football commerical whenever the **** basically

[Ian]

BASKETBALL, the sport with the absolute least athletic ability if I've ever seen it, no defense, just savages waving their arms around

Am I the only one who caught this gem from earlier in the thread?... I think it's also cross-posted in the Klan subforum.

[Goat Milk]

Hockey boring???? Yet you watch GOLF BASEBALL the two slowest sports alive and then BASKETBALL, the sport with the absolute least athletic ability if I've ever seen it, no defense, just savages waving their arms around and FOOTBALL, which I like, but also has so many stoppages for many plays that last 3 seconds and involve a guy running straight for 4 yards. ??????????????????

Matt,

Hockey is unreal- arguably involves more skill than any other sport. But in terms of pure athleticism, you're very, very, very wrong. Athleticism is a combination of speed, strength, quickness, vertical leap ability, body contortion, etc.

Basketball (NBA) players dominate hockey players in all athletic aspects. They're stronger, they're faster, they're quicker, they jump higher, they jump further, etc. Whether you want to argue that hockey involves more skill than any other sport is a completely different story. But you're not going to get away with saying Hockey players are more athletic than basketball players- aren't, and NEVER will be.

Don't underestimate NFL players either. They're not as athletic as NBA players- no where near- but they're more athletic than hockey players (note that toughness is NOT an aspect of athleticism). Any RB, CB, or WR in the league is faster than any hockey player in the world. And strength- NFL players by far the strongest athletes in the world.

Also- I'm not going to let you get away with saying NBA players "don't care about winning" and are just "savages."

Have you ever heard of two players named Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant? Ever heard of Bill Russel or Magic Johnson? Kobe and Jordan are BY FAR the two fiercest competitors ever to play any sport. I've watched NBA and NFL for about 25 years, and NHL for around 10, Tennis for around 10, Soccer for about 15-20. I've never seen a competitor like Jordan or Bryant. Federer and Gretzky are close to that level- but even they is not there yet. There is no more more obsessed with winning.

[fedtpels]

actually i read awhile back that scientist did test or something on why americans dont like soccer and the conclusion ended up being because Americans dont have a Brain Intention Span of more than 5 minutes. There you look at baseball commerical every inning, basketball commercial ever 4 minutes , football commerical whenever the **** basically

I heard that too. I watch hockey but only the playoffs and only because football hasn't started. I think it's too fast in the sense that sometimes you hardly know where the puck is which annoys me. And also.....Don Cherry is a joke!

Basketball is these huge gladiator-built guys that can hardly touch eachother before the game is stopped. I like the finesse and timing of the game, but I don't see it as that much of a team sport as I think it should be. A lot of the time it's just "get it to the superstar".

Baseball.......well that's not real athletes if you ask me. It's something you have in the background while doing other stuff or you go to to get drunk.

Football I love cause you get the hard contact with the fast pace (I know there's a lot of breaks) and you get the finesse as well cause that ball is god damn hard to catch. Also every game in the regular season is important unlike hockey, basketball and baseball.

I would love for the americans to get into aussie rules football. Now that's athletes! You would love the hard contact and fast pace. Every time a goal is kicked you would have time to get you beer and snacks. The game is gaining ground in the states, but I wish it would be on tv more than it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx_nZhqfx68 I apologize for the music

[thespeculator]

hockey skating and running require a totally different angles and muscles, skating requires more power in the calf ankle and lower thighs, while in running it is in the upper thigh and butt, a man with skinny ankles and calves is not going to be great skater, a man with heavy calves and small butt isn't going to be a great sprinter , it is biomechanics , not skin tone

[Flying Dutchman]

Also hockey wasnt invented in America, like our top sports were, such as Basketball, football, and baseball(though it has been argued baseball was played in Great Britain B4 America)

Baseball was invented in Holland. We have paintings from the 16th century where Dutch children are playing the sport. It was then brought over to America through our colony of New Amsterdam (now New York). All you Yankees fans would be speaking Dutch if those English a$$holes hadn't stolen our colony from us.

Something else Americans don't do and know nothing about: history.

[HoulihansTX]

Baseball was invented in Holland. We have paintings from the 16th century where Dutch children are playing the sport. It was then brought over to America through our colony of New Amsterdam (now New York). All you Yankees fans would be speaking Dutch if those English a$$holes hadn't stolen our colony from us. Something else Americans don't do and know nothing about: history.

Then why does your country suck at Baseball then????

[Flying Dutchman]

Then why does your country suck at Baseball then????

We're a socialized country; we don't have big fat-ass rich owners to exploit the fans, overcharge on tickets, and buy the best players like the Red Sox, Yankees, etc.

You guys have ruined the game.

[intensomayor]

Alot of places don't have ice or indoor ice hockey floors

[terpkeg]

The answer is quite simple. Hockey is the most expensive sport by a large margin. A full bag of hockey equipment can easily set a parent back $1500 or more, and then you have hundreds more to spend on lessons, league enrollment fees, and other extras. It's not like football or baseball where the schools run the leagues, provide most of the needed equipment, and its free for anyone who wants to play. Hockey requires a large initial outlay of cash to get started in, more than most parents have or are willing to spend. Nobody can even afford to play hockey in the inner city.

Yea, this. Plus, ice time is hard to come by. I used to play hockey with a group of friends on a pond for a couple winters growing up in NJ. My only firend that actual played in an organized league had to get up at 4:30 a.m and his parents had to drive him 45 minutes to practice that started at 6:00 a.m. because that was the only time the rink was available.

Every year I find myself watching the hockey playoffs and tell myself I am going to follow the regular season. Next year, i think I am following through. I grew up as the biggest basketball fan around, but I cannot watch the NBA any longer. I am so disinterested it is almost hard to believe I am the same person that grow up loving the sport. I can't even watch an NBA playoff game if I have $$ on it. There is basically no point to watching before the 4th quarter anyway.

But, to one his own. Not everyone will be entertained by the same thing. It is pointless to argue about whose opinion is right.

Hopefully, the NHL can get a contract back with ESPN. I think this will help recognition in USA.

[jjgold]

Sport is dominated by Euros and Whites which kills it
It is 85 fukkin degrees here and I am not watching hockey
I watched approx 15 minutes of hockey all year
All it is good for is betting and action

Fuk Hockey

[DrunkHorseplayer]

Hockey's popularity would soar if they wised up and started going 4 on 4.

[lakerboy]

No need for a commercial break in a game where you just wait for someone to score. One can roll their fat ass to the kitchen for dinner, and have dessert B4 a goal, or any play of significance happens in hockey.

What significant event happens in a NBA game before the last 3 minutes which take 40 minutes to play?

[HoulihansTX]

We're a socialized country; we don't have big fat-ass rich owners to exploit the fans, overcharge on tickets, and buy the best players like the Red Sox, Yankees, etc. You guys have ruined the game.

If we were still in an era were the owners of art were the riches in the world, then the Dutch would have big fat assed owners to do all those things you listed. So just b/c you dont do those things, doesnt mean you wouldnt like those things done to you. My overpriced San Diego Charger tickets were great.

What significant event happens in a NBA game before the last 3 minutes which take 40 minutes to play?

teams average a bucket a minute in basketball, so made baskets are the significant plays that happen B4 the last 3 minutes. People who only say watching the last 3 minutes of an NBA game, are those jaded by their gambling.

In hockey of course there are powerplays, and checking into the boards. But 95% of the game is spent waiting for someone to score. Not enjoyable, when you are used to sports were scoring is a major part of the in game action.

Besides the question was "why is hockey not popular in America"? The answer is b/c we are not as good at hockey as are foreign contemporaries.

[forsberg21]

they have to listen to American commentary What a joke, it's terrible. They don't have a clue and make the dumbest comments I've ever heard. Often they're not even 100% sure of the rules. to yanks with satellite... watch hockey on canadian networks and you will see the difference.

Bob Cole and Harry Neale are God's gift to hockey. Hearing those guys call the game will convert any non fans into fans. American announcers are just clueless and it's clear that they're trying to oversell the game to their audience by making ridiculous statements and boneheaded commentary.

Comparing watching hockey to golf/baseball/cycling/Nascar is just plain retarded.

[Snowball]

unless you've played hockey, you can't even begin to appreciate it.

[TheLock]

Am I the only one who caught this gem from earlier in the thread?... I think it's also cross-posted in the Klan subforum.

No I caught it too Ian.

Pure gold.

[LT Profits]

I guess I am in the minority. I was born and raised in New York and now live in Pennsylvania. And Hockey is one of my favorite sports to watch, one of the few sports that I can watch without having a bet on the game.

[Goat Milk]

What significant event happens in a NBA game before the last 3 minutes which take 40 minutes to play?

LB I don't think you'd be saying this if you were a true fan of the game. Studying the games of players like Jordan, Kobe, Magic, D Wade is what I look forward to. When you've played ball yourself your whole life, and then you watch these guys play, it's simply amazing what they're capable of. I'm sure you feel the same way about some sports.

[SRBI]

First time I heard of this Don Cherry guy and I must say what a character, guy is funny as ever because he's so blatantly honest about everything...gotta love these guys. I could watch his shit all day

[MathewXB]

To OP all announcers are morons and we all know it. It has nothing to do with where they are from.

[jetsjets1028]

thats good question im in mass and its becoming my fac sport deff best sporting event to be at so much fun

[Cougar Bait]

Don Cherry is more important in Canada than any Prime Minister has ever been

Your new Prime Minister looks like a fukkin homo Mathy



And hockey is pretty big here, at least near Chicago...vid coming soon

[jjgold]

If Blacks played hockey there would be no more white players
They would be too big, fast and strong for anyone else

[THE PROFIT]

Black people have more fukin sense than to play hockey

[Sawyer]

Do you know why hockey & soccer are not popular in US?
Because they're low scoring games..

Americans love action!