Hockey: Losing Its Edge?
Josie Hills
2025-05-12 06:54:50
Count answers: 4
Ratings are on a rapid decline.
For the longest time, I could not find anyone who watched hockey.
Many of the people who I went to school with didn’t have a clue about how the sport worked, let alone where the games were aired.
Of course now with the Sharks struggling it isn’t getting any better for the sport.
Hockey’s view count dropped an astonishing 61% from the previous year in the 2020 season.
It went up 2% in 2021, but to dip in more than half of a total view count in just a year is alarming.
One thing that doesn’t help the NHL is the time the season starts, which is right around the time both the NFL and the NBA begin, and the postseason for the MLB begins.
The timing for all of these sports’ airtime overshadows the NHL, and it makes one wonder if the NHL were to change the time these start their seasons, would it make a difference in their ratings?
The decline in viewership for the NHL is a travesty.
Antonetta Lang
2025-04-30 05:08:40
Count answers: 6
One reason for the decline in viewership may be the lack of a national broadcast deal in the United States. Currently, games are split between several different networks, making it harder for fans to access and follow their favourite teams. Additionally, the start times of games tend to be later in the evening, which can be a deterrent for some viewers.
Another factor that may contribute to the decline in viewership is the saturation of live sports on television. The NHL might be getting lost in the shuffle because sports fans have so many options to choose from.
Despite the challenges the NHL is facing, the number of people playing hockey has been increasing in recent years, particularly at the grassroots level.
Regan Grimes
2025-04-30 02:17:22
Count answers: 5
Hockey is not as popular as other sports because of the regional differences in the United States, from the issue of where hockey must be played, how much it costs, and how hard it is to play. Hockey is very popular in Canada because of the climate fitting the sport so well. The cold climate of Canada is required for a rink to be formed, especially when the technology for indoor rinks were not available. But the United States has such a diverse climate, so it only works in the Northern States.
Another reason why Hockey is less popular is because it is a hard sport to play. You not only need to learn how to ice skate, you must also learn how to stick handle, shoot, pass, hit, forecheck, backcheck, and the list goes on and on and on.
Elmo Towne
2025-04-29 23:49:04
Count answers: 6
As for why the sport itself is not catching on, there is no singular reason but rather a combination of many different ones. Violence is very polarizing, as people usually love it or want it gone from the game entirely. The NHL as a league makes less money than the MLB, NBA, NFL and Premier League. Since the NHL does not bring in as much money as other leagues, TV stations are more reluctant to broadcast NHL games, causing less exposure to the sport. Another reason hockey is not very popular is that it costs a lot of money to buy the equipment. Pickup hockey can be played in a street with relatively cheaper equipment, but is still harder to play pickup than football, basketball or soccer.
These inconsistencies have annoyed longtime fans and alienated new fans. The NHL is not blameless either, as they have not been marketing the game as well as possible.
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