NHL Marketing and Fighting

[WatchfulElm]

MMA is probably the fastest growing sport for young people today. And you people want to grow hockey by removing fighting?

Lol.

I enjoy MMA. The point of MMA is to beat your opponent. Despite that, you're not allowed to fight with gloves off. You're not allowed to slam your opponent's head on a ice surface. You're not allowed to wear skates while fighting. You're not allowed to grab or remove your opponent's protective gear. You cannot have a 3rd fighter coming to your rescue. Fights are only allowed within the same weight category. All fighters are willing participants. None of them is obligated to fight because of some "code", or because someone jumped at them. And an illegal hit will result in an automatic disqualification/loss.

In hockey, the goal is to score more goals than your opponents. And yet, all these safety rules that MMA has don't apply when players decide to fight, even though it's a total side show to the game.

Can't you see the irony?

 

[SotasicA]

Everybody will want to watch tomorrow's Caps-Rangers now. Successful marketing.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

This will be a fun thread to look back on when the rating for tonight’s game comes in...

 

[CartographerNo611]

Did you read the debate I had with BruinsBtn? Or did you pick and choose? He said that the league lost viewers when it went "woke" and stopped physical play. I showed him that sure the "woke" thing is true but not relevant, and during a period of time offense opened up and the physical play declined the NFL has seen an INCREASE in viewership. I was rebutting his argument that was false.

I did read and comparing the biggest sport in America to a niche sports TV ratings is a poor counter argument. Its like saying the NHL attendance skyrocketed so that must mean the USHL is going to be the NCAA football equivalent to the NFL. Its comparing a watermelon to a Sardine... completely different set of circumstances.

You also completely glossed over the fact the NFL is fighting a lawsuit thats bigger than the NHL's entire yearly revenue so it had to change its rules to make a defense against the case, CTE and former players wanting health coverage. The decrease in defense physicality is of course going to increase offense. The NHL has a similar situation on a smaller scale. You cant honestly tell me that when YouTube stars boxing and UFC making PPV draws the NHL dreams about for a single event and then say fighting is a negative to the NHLs growth.

Violence, drama, and sex puts money in entertainers pockets. Not the numbers on the score sheets or stat sheets.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I did read and comparing the biggest sport in America to a niche sports TV ratings is a poor counter argument. Its like saying the NHL attendance skyrocketed so that must mean the USHL is going to be the NCAA football equivalent to the NFL. Its comparing a watermelon to a Sardine... completely different set of circumstances.

You also completely glossed over the fact the NFL is fighting a lawsuit thats bigger than the NHL's entire yearly revenue so it had to change its rules to make a defense against the case, CTE and former players wanting health coverage. The decrease in defense physicality is of course going to increase offense. The NHL has a similar situation on a smaller scale. You cant honestly tell me that when YouTube stars boxing and UFC making PPV draws the NHL dreams about for a single event and then say fighting is a negative to the NHLs growth.

Violence, drama, and sex puts money in entertainers pockets. Not the numbers on the score sheets or stat sheets.

Sure it's hard to compare the NHL to bigger leagues but what leagues should I compare them to? Every other league is much bigger and more successful. Maybe they should look at what those other leagues are doing so that they're not an also ran mickey mouse league that they are. The NHL will likely see similar lawsuits as well. You don't think NHL players have CTE? And comparing a sport where THE central aspect of the sport is fighting and is done by professional fighters to a sport where the central aspect of the sport is scoring and preventing goals and fighting is a side show is silly.

 

[CartographerNo611]

Sure it's hard to compare the NHL to bigger leagues but what leagues should I compare them to? Every other league is much bigger and more successful. Maybe they should look at what those other leagues are doing so that they're not an also ran mickey mouse league that they are. The NHL will likely see similar lawsuits as well. You don't think NHL players have CTE? And comparing a sport where THE central aspect of the sport is fighting and is done by professional fighters to a sport where the central aspect of the sport is scoring and preventing goals and fighting is a side show is silly.

You cant compare the NHL. Its revenue doesnt come from TV deals like the NFL, MLBm or NBA. Lacrosse is the only thing I can think of and they too have fights in the pro leagues. Just much less frequent.

I already said they had a similar lawsuit in the NHL... so yeah take your own advice on the reading and cherry picking lol.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Everybody will want to watch tomorrow's Caps-Rangers now. Successful marketing.

That'll likely be from existing hockey fans. The ratings from one game is different than broadening the overall appeal of the game to a larger market.

We hockey fans have proven time and time again we're gluttons for punishment. Lockouts, clutch and grab era, shootouts, ads plastered all over the rink and now helmets, DoPS being a joke, refs managing games, whatever other issue fans have with the NHL, we keep coming back and opening our wallets.

But if they eliminate fighting they could potentially appeal to a broader more family friendly audience, which Bettman has been doing for years now. Hockey fans would be outraged but how many would tune out?

I'm not saying it will happen and am definitely not saying I support it, but I believe 100% that Bettman has already done the math on outrage level from existing fans vs potential new revenue. He's just waiting for the scale to tip a bit more.

 

[SotasicA]

But if they eliminate fighting they could potentially appeal to a broader more family friendly audience, which Bettman has been doing for years now. Hockey fans would be outraged but how many would tune out?

No idea why anyone would want to alienate their core fans.

 

[Peasy]

No idea why anyone would want to alienate their core fans.

Except not every core fan cares for fighting...

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

No idea why anyone would want to alienate their core fans.

It would be a calculated strategy. There might be a case where they lose some core fans but could potentially gain more to make up for it.

 

[thefutures]

After every period they should let the fans that love fighting onto the ice. Probably would be better than any other intermission show. That way hockey players can keep playing hockey and the fighters can show us what its all about.

 

[Iapyi]

I'm opening myself up to attacks here because this will be an anti-fighting thread and hockey fans clutch their pearls anytime someone dares question the holy practice of hockey fighting.

There are two problems with fighting from a marketing standpoint:

1) It's this super quirky part of a beautiful sport that defines the sport for many people. Some people who aren't fans like it (only thing I like about hockey is fighting), but they're not serious fans. But overall it makes the league not look serious. Every other sport there are real repercussions when it comes to fighting. As is it makes the league look bush league. It's like your friend that says silly things all the time. He's lovable but no one takes him seriously.

2) 99% of fighting is clean and these guys respect each other. That said when you promote fighting it creates a culture of violence where dirty plays end up being overlooked because it's not that much of a leap to dirty play. Kind of like in politics things tend to go into extremes more and more, even if they start center left or center right. And that's what creates the DOPS giving a guy a $5k fine for dangerous actions. Once again bad marketing, makes the league look completely bush league.

Oh and fighting doesn't deter anything, these guys that are dirty fight for a living, what will it actually do if they fight and even lose a fight. They've done that their entire lives.

If you want the NHL to grow you need to get rid of unnecessary violence and promote tough physical forechecking hockey instead. Because that's actually part of the game.

Flame away...

LOL

Not having fighting is bush league.

No one has ever been able to provide a good reason for a lifetime fan like me, who has played, watched and participated in it my whole life why I should care about "growing the game".

I literally love hockey.

Matter of fact the NHL has made things worse by trying to "grow the game". Let's face the facts "growing the game" is a scam that they have gotten people to buy into for the sole purpose of gauging you for more money. They're laughing all the way to the bank. Many of you have boughten the Koolaid.

Did you ever think that tough physical forechecking hockey and fighting are both "actually" part of the game. Do you comprehend that this is a reality. Your attempt to distinguish the two is transparently agenda/crusade driven.

Think outside the box.

 

[Iapyi]

The OP is contradicting himself so much I don't know where to start.

Fighting IS a part of the game whether you like it or not. Live with it. Calling it bush league is bush league posting.

 

[Nihiliste]

IDK hockey was pretty entertaining in the 90s. Fighting probably needs to go for health reasons, but not marketing reasons

 

[Iapyi]

I think it’s pretty rare to find people who don’t like hockey and only watch it for fighting. That premise is ridiculous they’d just watch ufc or boxing.
Massive majority of people who support fighting in hockey like it being apart of the sport, while still enjoying skills and high scoring.
What Wilson did doesn’t qualify, fights aren’t even crazy common anymore, I think just leave it as it is. We are experiencing highly skilled hockey with a mixture of physicality without employing a no talent goon on every team.
The mix is great.

I wish I could like this post.

What you say is so true. The OP using the weak, feeble, and transparent lie that people who understand and appreciate the aspect of fighting in hockey can not and do not also enjoy every other component i.e. the skill side of things is a fallacy known as a 'problematic premise'.

It is pure poppycock and basically a joke of a stance.

 

[JianYang]

I'm opening myself up to attacks here because this will be an anti-fighting thread and hockey fans clutch their pearls anytime someone dares question the holy practice of hockey fighting.

There are two problems with fighting from a marketing standpoint:

1) It's this super quirky part of a beautiful sport that defines the sport for many people. Some people who aren't fans like it (only thing I like about hockey is fighting), but they're not serious fans. But overall it makes the league not look serious. Every other sport there are real repercussions when it comes to fighting. As is it makes the league look bush league. It's like your friend that says silly things all the time. He's lovable but no one takes him seriously.

2) 99% of fighting is clean and these guys respect each other. That said when you promote fighting it creates a culture of violence where dirty plays end up being overlooked because it's not that much of a leap to dirty play. Kind of like in politics things tend to go into extremes more and more, even if they start center left or center right. And that's what creates the DOPS giving a guy a $5k fine for dangerous actions. Once again bad marketing, makes the league look completely bush league.

Oh and fighting doesn't deter anything, these guys that are dirty fight for a living, what will it actually do if they fight and even lose a fight. They've done that their entire lives.

If you want the NHL to grow you need to get rid of unnecessary violence and promote tough physical forechecking hockey instead. Because that's actually part of the game.

Flame away...

I probably wouldn't miss fighting either with the way the game has evolved.

The nhl has lost something, but it's not the fighting I would miss. The game is so scientific today, that it's become a bit robotic, while the intensity and dislike has been somewhat neutered.

I'm not sure how to change that. The world is so small today and alot of players personally know each other from around the league, and that takes a little edge off the game too.

The chirping between the benches used to almost be a daily occurrence, but it's almost non existent now. Now I'm not saying the chirping itself was fun to watch, but it was an indicator of the temperature being a bit higher.