NHL Marketing and violence

[BOS358]

In individual sports or even team sports like NBA its easier to make it about athletes. More team oriented sports such as NHL and MLB have much bigger uphill battles since single athletes don't have as much of impact. MLB ratings were up during steroid era as individuals chased record books.

I can't disagree with this. It is much easier to have one super-dominant player in football and basketball than in baseball and hockey. That is what gets the headlines (unless, say, a massive line brawl happens. That gets people talking about the sport in a big way.) During MLB's steroid era, anybody with half a brain knew what was happening, but the media did a great job keeping it under wraps. It helped that the two guys chasing the record were, while not very charismatic, quite likeable. This kept the attention off the fact that one looked like a bipedal horse swinging a telephone pole and the other had the acne of a teenager despite being (allegedly) 29 years old. The next guy to break the single-season home run record wasn't so lucky.

I do agree, even if challenging, both leagues have to allow its athletes individual personalities to shine especially in today's social media world. Even if some behaviors may be deemed disrespectful by old/conservative standards.

How quickly we forget the last NHL player to make a splash on social media. If I were an agent, I would instruct all of my players to stay off of it. Yes, social media can be a great way to reach fans. It can also be a great way to torpedo your future, and not just as a professional athlete.

As you said sports are part of entrainment business.

That is correct. The problem is that the entertainment landscape is rapidly changing and the entire sports industry, not just the NHL, is losing money. I'm too lazy to link to it, but there was a thread on here about the sports industry's Gen Z problem.

Some worry individuality is detrimental to team cohesion. PK was often scolded in Montreal for showing too much of personality and making it about himself rather than the team. Hope that mentality changes.

I'd place the blame for this on the shoulders of the sportswriters more than anybody else, as they often tell the fans what to think (see above with McGwire and Sosa vs. Bonds.) I wouldn't mind seeing much of the current crop of writers having to join us peons in anonymity.

 

[Negan4Coach]

Oh no, I had a typo in my post I must be stupid. The rest, this is the business forum and I don't feel like you're worth being infracted. But all I'll say is people like you being who the NHL appeals to is why it'll continue being an also ran league forever.

BFD. Guess what? I don’t need hockey to be more popular, because I don’t seek validation from others. It is fine the way it is. Let all these other jerkoffs watch an incredibly boring, 4 hour baseball game, we’ll be just fine watching the “also ran”

 

[BOS358]

HFBoards posters: Why does nobody pay attention to our sport?
(Line brawl happens, reported all over the news, non-hockey fans start paying attention)
HFBoards posters: These are not the people who we want paying attention to our sport!

 

[Bucky_Hoyt]

Pretty safe to say the NHL's marketing has been more than inept for most of our living memories.

We have a player averaging 1.89pts a game - which hasn't happened in decades - yes DECADES. It's hardly being noticed, even amongst a lot of hockey circles.

If this were any of the other major leagues, it would be plastered on every website, mentioned almost daily on sports shows, and on message boards like these.

One can only hope the ESPN and TBS deals elevate the publicity of the game cause the NHL sure as $h!t ain't gonna do it.

 

[Lunatik]

The NHL making a former goon the head of the DoPS tells me more than there being fewer fights. Wilson apparently wasn't going to be suspended for his incident against the Bruins either but Bettman got involved. Only reason there are fewer fights is because teams are trying to have actual NHL players on their roster. The penalty for fights is the same it's always been.

George Parros, Princeton Graduate you mean?

 

[Negan4Coach]

George Parros, Princeton Graduate you mean?

A highly educated thug is still a thug...trust me, I know.

 

[varsaku]

HFBoards posters: Why does nobody pay attention to our sport?
(Line brawl happens, reported all over the news, non-hockey fans start paying attention)
HFBoards posters: These are not the people who we want paying attention to our sport!

Looks like non-hockey fans didn't care much for the game.

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NHL REGULAR SEASON L: WASHINGTON/NY RANGERS

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

7:03 PM

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[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[LeHab]

How quickly we forget the last NHL player to make a splash on social media. If I were an agent, I would instruct all of my players to stay off of it. Yes, social media can be a great way to reach fans. It can also be a great way to torpedo your future, and not just as a professional athlete.



That is correct. The problem is that the entertainment landscape is rapidly changing and the entire sports industry, not just the NHL, is losing money. I'm too lazy to link to it, but there was a thread on here about the sports industry's Gen Z problem.

Yeah being controversial will attract attention but it has to be done the right way and may backfire. Sometime being the bad boy is not bad as long as it is done the right way.

Indeed societies evolve and change. Emergence of new entertainment alternatives is definitely changing the landscape but also offer opportunities to enhance our own product. Ever traditional sport as you said has to deal with it.

We can look back at the days of Rome and Gladiators fights to death which were very much acceptable at the time. Perhaps in future people will look at sports like hockey and also see them as barbaric in nature.

 

[Marshmallow Man]

Don't have time to read through the whole thread, but I believe advertisers see the NHL audience as among the youngest, most highly educated and affluent in all of sports. Look at the luxury car commercials during NHL games. You don't market those to old, uneducated people.

The problem for the NHL is not the type of fan it has, it's that it doesn't have enough of them.

 

[BOS358]

Looks like non-hockey fans didn't care much for the game.

26

NHL REGULAR SEASON L: WASHINGTON/NY RANGERS

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

7:03 PM

162

0.14

423

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Not that I care, but some of the posters on this thread can rest easier knowing that "the wrong kind" of people didn't watch the game.

 

[LadyStanley]

Last week's 31 Thoughts podcast addressed some of the marketing issues of violence.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I do think one important clarification needs to be made here:

Very few fans seem to have a problem with violence per se. The issue is injury. People don't like seeing their team's season ruined by a cheap shot, or seeing their favorite player's career end with disabling brain injuries.

It is completely possible to have a violent game without major injuries. That can happen when players are aware of clear boundaries and are disciplined into playing within those boundaries, or gotten rid of if they can't manage themselves.

 

[Negan4Coach]

I do think one important clarification needs to be made here:

Very few fans seem to have a problem with violence per se. The issue is injury. People don't like seeing their team's season ruined by a cheap shot, or seeing their favorite player's career end with disabling brain injuries.

It is completely possible to have a violent game without major injuries. That can happen when players are aware of clear boundaries and are disciplined into playing within those boundaries, or gotten rid of if they can't manage themselves.

well said.