NHL possibly getting bumped for a WNBA game

[GeorgesLaRAWK]

So, 5% of the U.S. population watched one game? Gretzky’s face has been on TV commercials and movies in the U.S. for ~20 years. That is far more exposure to the average American.

I agree with Gretzky. I meant current NHLers.

Today's top players - McDavid, Matthews, MacKinnon, whoever you want to include - could walk down the street in most U.S. cities without being recognized.

Meanwhile, LeBron tweets about Caitlin Clark and she was just on SNL.

I'm not saying NHL fans should necessarily care about any of that, mind you. My initial comment was only about recognition in the sports mainstream.

 

[kingsholygrail]

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Indeed. The NHL is the worst marketed sport and it's not even close

Marketing doesn't matter much when 50%+ of the market doesn't have ice.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

That's embarrassing

She is alright at basketball

NHL is the better sport

Very subjective argument.

 

[12ozPapa]

People go to baseball games to drink, socialize, and eat crap food.

People go to basketball games for the drama and the superstars

People go to football games for the party of it all.

Etc

People go to hockey games because they enjoy the game itself. It is very hard to do that 41 times a year with most games being a total snoozefest.

A WNBA game with a new superstar who embraces it and goes on SNL? The NHL would never nor would it matter because most nights, the games are a bore

 

[CTHabsfan]

People go to baseball games to drink, socialize, and eat crap food.

People go to basketball games for the drama and the superstars

People go to football games for the party of it all.

Etc

People go to hockey games because they enjoy the game itself. It is very hard to do that 41 times a year with most games being a total snoozefest.

A WNBA game with a new superstar who embraces it and goes on SNL? The NHL would never nor would it matter because most nights, the games are a bore

I can't say that I agree with you stating most hockey games are "a total snoozefest". Some games are boring, but that's true with all sports.

Do fouls, free throws, and timeouts that cause the final two minutes of a basketball game to take a half-hour count as "drama"?

 

[Suntouchable13]

NHL went 10 years without Olympics and 8 years without any type of best on best at the international level. These events are the best place to showcase the game to casual and new/prospective fans. When you go that long without it, you are basically saying “no thanks lols” to adding more fans. It’s an absolute joke.

Meanwhile they have their shitty ass allstar game each year, which no one really gives a shit about. International championships grow the game SIGNIFICANTLY more.

Like I give 2 shits if the game grows or not. Who cares? It’s the owners problem. You or I don’t profit from more popularity. Besides, they went in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, what growth exactly have you seen from that?

 

[varsaku]

If the Fever can even get a half decent team around Clark and have wins to show, the hype would be even greater.

 

[x Tame Impala]

If the Fever can even get a half decent team around Clark and have wins to show, the hype would be even greater.

Doubtful IMHO. Sorry, but I think after the hype dies down people are going to remember they’re watching women’s basketball and lose interest. It’s simply not as compelling and I can’t imagine it being a consistently major draw

 

[Voight]

Indeed. The NHL is the worst marketed sport and it's not even close

Ehh MLB is pretty close.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

How do you want to market people nobody can relate to?

Not just relate to in social status and backround (the majority of normal people can't relate to these dudes at all unless they were also brought up in minor hockey or hockey communities) but also simply relate to the fact they are playing a sport on ICE. An element that doesn't even naturally exist in the majority of the world lol

 

[joelef]

Doubtful IMHO. Sorry, but I think after the hype dies down people are going to remember they’re watching women’s basketball and lose interest. It’s simply not as compelling and I can’t imagine it being a consistently major draw

Well it marketed better then the wnba.

 

[DaveG]

Ehh MLB is pretty close.

no argument there. The pitch clock has helped some but if any sport needs a hard cap to prevent the nonsense like we've seen with the Dodgers off-season spending and to help with competitive balance, and a hard floor while we're at it to actually force the Pirates, A's, and Marlins of the league to actually invest to compete, it's baseball.

 

[joelef]

no argument there. The pitch clock has helped some but if any sport needs a hard cap to prevent the nonsense like we've seen with the Dodgers off-season spending and to help with competitive balance, and a hard floor while we're at it to actually force the Pirates, A's, and Marlins of the league to actually invest to compete, it's baseball.

Cheapskate owners are going to be cheapskates no matter how many spending caps you put in.

 

[DaveG]

Cheapskate owners are going to be cheapskates no matter how many spending caps you put in.

not wrong, see the Yotes past 15 years or so of history before the sale to Utah. Or the last 5 or so years of Carolina under Karmanos.

 

[joelef]

not wrong, see the Yotes past 15 years or so of history before the sale to Utah. Or the last 5 or so years of Carolina under Karmanos.

Yep that why I think all these people that talk about “ small markets “ and “ parity” are just idiots . No amount of salary caps on the dodgers and Yankees is going to make John fisher any less of a. Cheapskate

 

[StreetHawk]

Doubtful IMHO. Sorry, but I think after the hype dies down people are going to remember they’re watching women’s basketball and lose interest. It’s simply not as compelling and I can’t imagine it being a consistently major draw

It's a rough first season given the turnaround WNBA draftees have. I mean, the NCAA men's tournament went at the same time and those kids are not getting drafted til June, while the women are over a week into the WNBA season. The men get almost 5 months off before camp opens.

WNBA needs Clark to be good. Not best player in the league good, but top 10 good to keep it going. But, it's a tall given she didn't get a break to rest and work on her game.

 

[Voight]

no argument there. The pitch clock has helped some but if any sport needs a hard cap to prevent the nonsense like we've seen with the Dodgers off-season spending and to help with competitive balance, and a hard floor while we're at it to actually force the Pirates, A's, and Marlins of the league to actually invest to compete, it's baseball.

They have Trout and Ohtani, two of the best players of all time (both trending to retire in the top 20/25) yet they dont market them at all (or very little).

 

[elitepete]

Like I give 2 shits if the game grows or not. Who cares? It’s the owners problem. You or I don’t profit from more popularity. Besides, they went in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, what growth exactly have you seen from that?

What growth have we seen from that? You’re joking right?

The game being more popularity means theres more kids growing up playing hockey, meaning theres more competition and better players in the league, meaning a better overall product.

 

[joelef]

What growth have we seen from that? You’re joking right?

The game being more popularity means theres more kids growing up playing hockey, meaning theres more competition and better players in the league, meaning a better overall product.

Aldo being more popular means it would alleviate the demographics issue that is and going to be a problem for hockey.

 

[patnyrnyg]

Like I give 2 shits if the game grows or not. Who cares? It’s the owners problem. You or I don’t profit from more popularity. Besides, they went in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, what growth exactly have you seen from that?

Agreed. I will never get all the "grow the game" chatter on this site. It has been going on for 20+ years here. I will never understand this obsession that fans have with growing the game. I have heard Bettman say it and I feel like they are just parroting his propaganda. I for one could not possibly care less which channel the games are on, so long as I can watch. Also do not care what other shows/games/leagues the networks choose to show. I know, I know, growing the game will make the league better yada yada yada. The next McDavid could live on Mongolia right now, but if he is never exposed to the game, he will never pick up a stick and we will miss out as fans.

BTW, anyone who doesn't think the "game has grown" under Bettman might want to look at USA hockey participation numbers in the US as compared to the pre-bettman days.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Marketing doesn't matter much when 50%+ of the market doesn't have ice.

You can still watch hockey from the swamps of Florida

 

[elmaco]

People go to baseball games to drink, socialize, and eat crap food.

People go to basketball games for the drama and the superstars

People go to football games for the party of it all.

Etc

People go to hockey games because they enjoy the game itself. It is very hard to do that 41 times a year with most games being a total snoozefest.

A WNBA game with a new superstar who embraces it and goes on SNL? The NHL would never nor would it matter because most nights, the games are a bore

Hockey is the only sport you listed that doesn't make me fall asleep.

 

[StreetHawk]

NHL guys are mostly reserved. From the little I’ve seen of Clark she seems to get it in terms of what the expectations are for her to market herself and the game.
She slyly threw in on the macafee show that she could be a regular guest if he wanted since they are both based out of Indy.

 

[12ozPapa]

Hockey is the only sport you listed that doesn't make me fall asleep.

Right on, and enjoy it! The game is soft and a bore. There’s no passion or physical play.