The most popular in Sweden

[swisdan]

I am just wondering who is the most popular in Sweden between Ibrahimovic or guys like Lidstroem Forsberg or Zetterberg? Around the world it seems pretty clear but how is it in your country?

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[Hockeyfrilla]

Zlatan by far.

He alone gets pretty much more attention/news than all of hockey combined

 

[joe89]

NHL players don't stand much of a chance against footballers and skiers(could add X individual athlete doing good in the Olympics, too)in popularity. Hockey players never win athlete of the year awards in Sweden, this despite various individual NHL awards the last 10 years.

 

[Jonimaus]

I am just wondering who is the most popular in Sweden between Ibrahimovic or guys like Lidstroem Forsberg or Zetterberg? Around the world it seems pretty clear but how is it in your country?

It's like asking, who is more famous/popular in Canada, Gretzky, or an Indian Cricket player. Combine the fame/popularity of Lidström, Forsberg and Zetterberg and they still are not even in the same universe.

He alone gets pretty much more attention/news than all of hockey combined

This.

 

[Garl]

It's like asking, who is more famous/popular in Canada, Gretzky, or an Indian Cricket player. Combine the fame/popularity of Lidström, Forsberg and Zetterberg and they still are not even in the same universe.



This.

I'm pretty sure, that is overdramatic.

Still, the fact that soccer is more popular worldwide and of course the fact that Ibrahimovic plays in Europe, while Forsberg for example played his prime years in USA/Canada plays a big role.

 

[Jonimaus]

I'm pretty sure, that is overdramatic.

Still, the fact that soccer is more popular worldwide and of course the fact that Ibrahimovic plays in Europe, while Forsberg for example played his prime years in USA/Canada plays a big role.

It is, but fact remains that outside of Olympics/World championship the name Zetterberg is not mentioned at all in media. I wouldn't even say he's very famous, a casual sports fan probably doesn't know who he is. If I asked my friends who are hardcore football fans I'm not sure they could mention more hockey players than forsberg, sundin, the older ones salming and a few maybe Lidström too.

Football is much more popular in Sweden than hockey is (not saying hockey is not popular, but it can't compete with football), and NHL is not very popular at all due to time difference and the fact that our own league is not god-awful. The only hockey player we've got that is widely known in Sweden from NHL is probably Lundqvist, most people knows who he is, both because he's good and that he has his face in some commercials.

 

[Swedish playmaker*]

lol. Remember that Sweden has got ALOT of arab/kurdish/somali/syrian immigrants (At least 25-30 % 1st or 2nd generation), and they do only watch football and UFC (and the occassional basketball game).

1. Zlatan










2. Forsberg








3. Sundin



4. Zetterberg/Lidström/Sedin brothers/Lundqvist

 

[svartgul]

lol. Remember that Sweden has got ALOT of arab/kurdish/somali/syrian immigrants (At least 25-30 % 1st or 2nd generation), and they do only watch football and UFC (and the occassional basketball game).

1. Zlatan










2. Forsberg








3. Sundin



4. Zetterberg/Lidström/Sedin brothers/Lundqvist

Your list is probably numerically correct though I would put Lundqvist ahead of the other 4s, but the gap between Zlatan and Forbersg is atleast five time wider at a minimum.

 

[Dosing]

lol. Remember that Sweden has got ALOT of arab/kurdish/somali/syrian immigrants (At least 25-30 % 1st or 2nd generation), and they do only watch football and UFC (and the occassional basketball game).

1. Zlatan










2. Forsberg








3. Sundin



4. Zetterberg/Lidström/Sedin brothers/Lundqvist

The foreigners has little to do with it, i have met a bunch of real "svenssons" that had no idea who forsberg was. You can probably put a number of skiers between him and zlatan.

 

[maroon 6]

Why is Forsberg more popular than Lidstrom?

 

[Dosing]

Why is Forsberg more popular than Lidstrom?

Because the number of people actively following the nhl is probably limited to this forum. The majority only watches hockey when its the national team playing.

 

[icing]

Why is Forsberg more popular than Lidstrom?

I would like to qoute Eddie Murphy:
"What have you done for me lately?"

Forsberg, and for example Sundin, have had more success where it actually count for a swede. World Championships and Olympic games, i.e the national team. Lidstrom never made a huge impact on the national team, except for the 2006 olympics. The fact that he was a superstar in the NHL and was a god in Detroit really doesnt matter when it comes to capturing the hearts of the swedish people.

Lidstrom never "did" anything for us....so to speak. He did a lot for Detroit and the NHL.



And yes. Zlatan wins in a landslide when it comes to fame and popularity compaired to any hockey player. A lot of what is written about Zlatan is "off pitch". Almost everything that is written about any hockeyplayer is "on ice".

 

[swisdan]

Thanks for your replies guys!

 

[pucky]

The Sedin twins aren't even on the radar? Weird...

 

[joe89]

The Sedin twins aren't even on the radar? Weird...

Henrik Sedin is nominated to the male athlete of the year award. But he won't win over Zlatan or Stenson.

 

[Jonimaus]

Henrik Sedin is nominated to the male athlete of the year award. But he won't win over Zlatan or Stenson.

That's actually a weird nomination this year. It must be because of the world championship right? He obviously has no chance whatsoever to win it, but this year it feels like a semi-weak nomination.

 

[Den]

Other then the years when a Swede wins the Eurovision, Zlatan is the most popular person in the country, point.

 

[BackhandToeyJoey]

What about Alexander Gustafsson (UFC fighter, probably should've won against UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones)? How popular is he in Sweden?

 

[Garl]

Pretty funny, because, while Zlatan is a very good player, I honestly think he's not even so great.

I would imagine, that in Russia, if for example Andrei Shevchenko was russian, he would also be most popular by far. Even Andrei Arshavin who was never a TOP 20 player in the World is more popular than Ovechkin.

 

[Garl]

The foreigners has little to do with it, i have met a bunch of real "svenssons" that had no idea who forsberg was. You can probably put a number of skiers between him and zlatan.

Well, it's like to say that mexicans have little to do with the fact that soccer is catching up to hockey in USA.

In Russia it's like this: russians from big cites care mostly about soccer. Russians from hockey regions(Ural/Siberia) care about hockey more than soccer. Not by much though.

Non-russians from southern regions care only about soccer and sometimes various martial arts. And since they are quite numerous and are breeding unlike russians they make overall picture much more heavy towards soccer.

 

[Den]

Non-russians from southern regions care only about soccer and sometimes various martial arts. And since they are quite numerous and are breeding unlike russians they make overall picture much more heavy towards soccer.

Sigh... The 5 largest "non-southern" ethnicities (russians, ukrainians, tatars, bashkirs and chuvashis) make up 87% of the population... What does the Caucuses have to do with making soccers much more popular? It is more popular, simply because it is more popular across the ethnic range. The Caucuses does not have the numbers to "tilt it heavily"

 

[Garl]

Sigh... The 5 largest "non-southern" ethnicities (russians, ukrainians, tatars, bashkirs and chuvashis) make up 87% of the population... What does the Caucuses have to do with making soccers much more popular? It is more popular, simply because it is more popular across the ethnic range. The Caucuses does not have the numbers to "tilt it heavily"

I don't see a point to argue about really.

Yes, russians are generally more intersted in soccer than in other sports combined.
Southern non-russians(caucasus plus middle asian people) care only about soccer as far as a team sport goes. Interest in hockey among them is close to zero.

 

[Jonimaus]

What about Alexander Gustafsson (UFC fighter, probably should've won against UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones)? How popular is he in Sweden?

His popularity is raising, though most people still have no idea who he is. Media is talking a little about him now though.

Pretty funny, because, while Zlatan is a very good player, I honestly think he's not even so great.

He is a top 3 player in the world right now, and has been top 10/15 for many years. Who do you have to be to be great? Messi?

 

[Den]

I don't see a point to argue about really.

Yes, russians are generally more intersted in soccer than in other sports combined.
Southern non-russians(caucasus plus middle asian people) care only about soccer as far as a team sport goes. Interest in hockey among them is close to zero.

The point is that there is no need to invoke the "Caucasus threat" in this context...

 

[Garl]

The point is that there is no need to invoke the "Caucasus threat" in this context...

It's not a threat it's a fact. Numbers of people from Caucasus and Middle Asia are rising and they do not care about anything other than soccer as far as team sport goes.

It doesn't mean they are all evil or smth. It's just a fact. Southern regions don't care about hockey, and thanks to the heavy migration Moscow cares much less about hockey and much more about soccer in percentage than it was 20 years ago.