Take a hint from NASCAR

[Gary Buttman]

I was watching the great Daytona 500 yesterday, which was watched by an estimated 35 million people in the US, and wondered, "NASCAR's huge...why cant' the NHL be that way?"

-Both began as regional sports that aren't played by that many people.
-There's very little, at least on the surface, telegenic about cars going around in circles

Y'know what NASCAR did? THey marketed the stars and they marketed the rivalries. Bill France marketed the Earnhardts, Pettys, Gordons, etc. and parlayed that into a huge TV deal.

Plus the netwoeks use about 150 cameras now and make the race fun to watch from start to finish. I have HDTV now, and when Fox had the cars go by each turn, it was incredible.

Hockey needs marketing whizzes from NASCAR to help them now.

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[blamebettman*]

Nascar is just too different, when the NHL wants to play around with camera angles it makes the game annoying and choppy on TV, I wish they'd just keep the side view for the whole game like they used to. Plus I don't think NASCAR has any trouble with clutching and grabbing.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

I was watching the great Daytona 500 yesterday, which was watched by an estimated 35 million people in the US, and wondered, "NASCAR's huge...why cant' the NHL be that way?"

-Both began as regional sports that aren't played by that many people.
-There's very little, at least on the surface, telegenic about cars going around in circles

Y'know what NASCAR did? THey marketed the stars and they marketed the rivalries. Bill France marketed the Earnhardts, Pettys, Gordons, etc. and parlayed that into a huge TV deal.

Plus the netwoeks use about 150 cameras now and make the race fun to watch from start to finish. I have HDTV now, and when Fox had the cars go by each turn, it was incredible.

Hockey needs marketing whizzes from NASCAR to help them now.

I agree that they need to learn some things from Nascar, but there is a huge difference between NASCAR, which has what 38 events .. as compared to the NHL, which has 1,300 or so games each year.

 

[GKJ]

Plus I don't think NASCAR has any trouble with clutching and grabbing.

That's not anything that can't be fixed as long as referees do their job.

 

[Balej20*]

I agree that they need to learn some things from Nascar, but there is a huge difference between NASCAR, which has what 38 events .. as compared to the NHL, which has 1,300 or so games each year.

exactly...same deal with football

 

[Habsfan 32]

I think they need to market the superstars of the sport and get a t.v. deal and they would be in business.

 

[Isles72]

I watched a show hosted by bob mccown ''business of sport'' regarding Nascar .

they did a piece on how they are trying to establish a market in the north eastern U.s

I just find it ironic how hockey trying to sell in the south and now nascar in the north east

 

[Otter]

I for one do not care if the NHL gets as big as Nascar or the NFL or any other major sport. I just want it to be like it was about 5-6 years ago before the people in charge decided it needed to be for everyone. Hockey is not for everyone. They will never pull in droves of casual fans without dumbing the game down to the point where they lose their true fans. I just wish they would accept that reality and give us our game back......with player salaries and ticket prices back in check. Let the donkeys watch the little cars go round and let me watch some of that good old hockey game. Thanks.

 

[BLONG7]

NASCAR promotes the rivalries...the NHL tries to downplay rivalries, the players try not to get the other guys all worked up(quotes,bulletin board material etc) Hockey players downplay any antagonistic stuff between themselves and the other guys(except JR and Patty Roy) NASCAR can be a little like the WWE, and the fans eat this up...? Personally I don't get it, but...

 

[Otter]

......and NASCAR is fixed. You can be certain that the guy with the most intriguing story wins or comes in second every week. It is ridiculous.

 

[BLONG7]

......and NASCAR is fixed. You can be certain that the guy with the most intriguing story wins or comes in second every week. It is ridiculous.

fixed??? WWE??? Seriously?

 

[Jazz]

Interesting note:

On si.com, on their top header where they list all the sports, there used to be "NHL" as it's own header and "NASCAR" used to be within the "Other Sports" header.....

now it is the other way around....

 

[Gary Buttman]

Here's what NASCAR did. They exploded in 2001; when they got their national TV deal, ratings went way up. Then they decided to expand into the West and Northeast with tracks in Chicago and Kansas and Colorado and eventually into New York and Seattle, etc.

Hockey expanded and took the risk that it'd be popular once it got there. They were mistaken in that and now are paying the price. It's a little known fact, but Peter Karmanos got stabbed once and instead of bleeding, $100 bills flew out.

 

[PredsFan77*]

Nascar is to wrecks as hockey is to fights...forget promoting hockey as the coolest game on ice, just make it ice boxing and people will be hooked.

 

[CarlRacki]

Interesting note:

On si.com, on their top header where they list all the sports, there used to be "NHL" as it's own header and "NASCAR" used to be within the "Other Sports" header.....

now it is the other way around....

I suspect that's because there isn't a whole lot of NHL news right now.

By the way, when was the last NASCAR labor stoppage? People love NASCAR because they can relate to the drivers. The same can't be said for most professional athletes. You never hear about NASCAR driving holding out for more money, whining about his contract or complaining about this coach. And sadly, one of the biggest reason's for NASCAR's upswing is white flight.

 

[Gary Buttman]

Nascar is to wrecks as hockey is to fights...forget promoting hockey as the coolest game on ice, just make it ice boxing and people will be hooked.

But I dont think people tune in for 4 hours to see the one big crash...once TV was able to convey cars going really fast (which people like), then NASCAR got really big. They market the sport incredibly well now.

 

[Gary Buttman]

And also, the NHL needs to go somewhere where it can get a TV deal with a big game EVERY WEEK. Not 5 Saturdays or crap like that; every weekend with a big production and everything. Hype it up; that's the first start to high ratings.

 

[McDonald19]

I can't think of one person I know who watches Nascar, who are these people watching this crap?

 

[Backin72]

Maybe the NHL should get it's own car for the NASCAR curcuit.

http://i.cnn.net/nascar/2004/news/headlines/cup/01/08/jmayfield_nhl/19_xl.jpg

 

[JohnnyB11]

I can't think of one person I know who watches Nascar, who are these people watching this crap?

I, for one, love watching NASCAR - and I know a ton of people who also do, and I live in Eastern Canada! As for 'crap', I think that's a personal statement on something you know nothing about.

 

[skolgoar]

Gee, seems to me that NASCAR is mainly about going to the track for the weekend and getting rip-roaring drunk in the parking lot before watching the race. About the only event that does more pre-event partying is a Jimmy Buffett concert and that is huge in the South as well. Face it, car races are 5 minutes of actually seeing cars whizzing by you and 2 hours of waiting (or stretching to see the cars on the opposite side of the track). Gives plenty of time to swig down the brews.

The NHL started losing fans when beer sales were cut midway through the third period and beer prices skyrocketed (partially) to prevent people from drinking to excess.

If the NHL was run by the beer companies and the beer flowed freely at games as it did in the past, the NHL would probably catch NASCAR ...

 

[Reilly311]

If the NHL was run by the beer companies and the beer flowed freely at games as it did in the past, the NHL would probably catch NASCAR ...

wasn't one of the promotions for Tampa Bay season tickets is that you got free beer if you bought them?

 

[Bruwinz37]

Maybe the NHL should allow the players to make left hand turns and then all will be solved!

Seriously......there isnt a real comparison. I still cant explain why people enjoy watching other people drive cars around in a circle for four hours, but the people who like it absolutely love it.

The NHL needs a lot, but first they need a CBA, which they dont have and may not have for a long time, so whats the point.

 

[Motown Beatdown]

It's kinda hard to compare the two, but one thing stands out. NASCAR didn't change it rules/style in attempts to land new fans.

 

[overg]

NASCAR didn't change it rules/style in attempts to land new fans.

Actually, they did. A lot. There have been a ton of rule changes regarding cars' bodies, engines, and tires in the past few years, in an effort to even out the playing field and create more drama. Long time fans grumble about it all the time.

They've also made major changes to the schedules, dumping dates at smaller, Southern tracks in favor of races at newer, bigger tracks in larger markets. Long time fans grumble about it all the time.

Finally, last year they overhauled the points system. Before the champion was the person with the most points at the end of the year, with every race counting equally. Last year essentially had a ten race playoff, with only the top ten racers elligible for "the Chase." Long time fans are still grumbling about it.

Really, it looks to me like the biggest difference between Nascar and the NHL is that Nascar succeeded in gaining a national footprint and expanding its fan base, the NHL did not.