FocusCanada Forums

Full Version: Why Doesn't America Like Hockey?
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
Pages: 1 2
I don't really think this question has ever been asked and i think it's a good one, why does the american public seem to hate hockey? It has something for everyone and it is a little more exciting then baseball ,What a sport :rolleyes: but seriously why don't americans like hockey and why does the american sport networks try to reinvent the sport with useless garbage? Let's all have a discussion about this.
"cause there all a bunch of girly men"
It's too Canadian/Russian for them...
maybe its because they have a dislike for Canada, but if thats the reason they are f***ed then, because Basketball was invented by a Canadian, Baseball was made in Canada, and "American football" originated in Montreal.

Another theory is that it is played on ice, and not to many americans can grow up and go in there backyard in the winter and skate around and play some hockey on the ponds and rivers like we can here in Canada. They can go out in a field and play baseball and football and go to a court and play some basketball. So when they grow up they don't have those memories of hockey, so the game seem all kind of foreign to them, so they can't get to interested in it.
crazikev,Aug 19 2005, 01:02 AM Wrote:Baseball was made in Canada
[right][snapback]134001[/snapback][/right]

Nope. It's a purely English game. Evolved in the mid-US out of Rounders. As for American Football, it's origins are debatable... many people say it's a mix between rugby and gaelic football, others say it's a French adaptation of Rugby, still others claim the early Americans thought it up themselves (in which case they were of English decent and thus it in a way came out of England).

To say they don't like hockey because they don't grow up playing it is a little iffy. A shitload of Americans play football (soccer) growing up in local leagues where it can be played all year round (unlike up here, unless you count indoor soccer). Despite that, only recently has American league football been making any noise, and even then, it would be less than what lacrosse generates up here. Hard to say really..
Raine,Aug 19 2005, 01:10 AM Wrote:
crazikev,Aug 19 2005, 01:02 AM Wrote:Baseball was made in Canada
[right][snapback]134001[/snapback][/right]

Nope. It's a purely English game. Evolved in the mid-US out of Rounders. As for American Football, it's origins are debatable... many people say it's a mix between rugby and gaelic football, others say it's a French adaptation of Rugby, still others claim the early Americans thought it up themselves (in which case they were of English decent and thus it in a way came out of England).

To say they don't like hockey because they don't grow up playing it is a little iffy. A shitload of Americans play football (soccer) growing up in local leagues where it can be played all year round (unlike up here, unless you count indoor soccer). Despite that, only recently has American league football been making any noise, and even then, it would be less than what lacrosse generates up here. Hard to say really..
[right][snapback]134003[/snapback][/right]
Largest coverup EVER! Sure it evolved from rounders, BUT the first RECORDED time a game of baseball was actually played with rules that closely resemble the game today was in Beachville ONT. in 1839. Alexander Cairtwright found out about it and a year later he played a game and then claimed he was the inventor, later on Doubleday came along and then said that he created it. in 1905 there was a investigation to find out who the creator of it was by the US government, and then since baseball was so popular in the US(demmed the "National Pastime" in the 1860's) back then it would be a National Catastrophy to find out that the game was played in Canada first so they made the Canadian game dissapear and then claimed that Cairtwright invented the game. Same thing with football, the first recorded game of modern football with rules that closely represnt the game today was played at some University in Montreal.


As to the hockey part, thats just a theory, maybe cause all the anouncers in the US suck, and the US broadcasts all bastardize the game with glowing pucks and crap like that. Or maybe at the moment there isn't realy any Super star playing, sure theres Mario Lemuieu(sp?) and hes a great player but his career has been plagued by stuff. Theres not really a Wayne Gretzky(don't get me wrong i kinda dislike him) in the leugue anymore that gets people excited that when they come to town are going to see one of the greatest atheletes of all time.

A select number of places in the US, hockey is flourishing where it has caught on, and where it hasn't its pretty much dead. Why did it die off? Probably because the fans didn't really get to understand everything about it, and then when they want to learn more the media comes along and turns their attention to other things like baseball and football. And why can't they go and find some hockey by themselves, cause people are lazy and have short attention spans.

Lets face it, sometimes its hard to think about hockey when its 30C outside.
hockey sucks
2001 ZTS,Aug 19 2005, 07:07 AM Wrote:hockey sucks
[right][snapback]134029[/snapback][/right]
:o Blasphamy! :o

Besides, the guys in the USA would rather watch figure skating. :fag:
People tend to like and watch sports that they play.

People that like to watch football often played themselves at one time, usually in their youth. They can relate to it. I did, I watch it (at least occasionally).

People that like to watch basketball often played themselves at one time, usually in their youth. They can relate to it. I didn't. I HATE basketball (because I was never really good at it), so I'd rather paint the house than watch a game.

I'd NEVER watch golf on TV before I actually started playing.

It's hard for many southern Americans to like hockey because they can't relate ( I say southern because hockey IS popular in the northern US.). The average American has never ice skated, let alone play hockey. And the sport is damned expensive to play.

Baseball bat, glove, ball. $150 (modestly)

Basketball, $20 and the hoops are at the playground (free)

Hockey, I can't speak for everyone, but I've got a "decent" set of equip, and it cost over $1500 before you even hit the ice.

My $.02 anyways.

they dislike hockey cus all the great players are Canadian
paolo,Aug 19 2005, 09:04 AM Wrote:they dislike hockey cus all the great players are Canadian
[right][snapback]134062[/snapback][/right]

I like this reason.
Americans cannot appreciate good things in life, which one of them is hockey!
2001 ZTS,Aug 19 2005, 11:07 AM Wrote:hockey sucks
[right][snapback]134029[/snapback][/right]

i second that!!

anybody remmber when fox did that "puck tracer" where it lit up blue and then red when it was a hard shot. They did it becuase americans complained they couldnt see the puck, and thats why they didnt watch it.
didn't anybody read my post up there?
I think a lot of it does come down to the fact that Americans outside of those locations in the northern parts of the US never grew up playing hockey so that it really looks foreign to them not having been exposed to it, in say, Utah, where the conditions aren't condusive to the game.

However, the fault also lies with the NHL's marketing department, who are so stupid that they couldn't sell a glass of water to a man dying of thirst! <_<

Take NASCAR as an example of a sport that started out as a niche sport, but grew itself by promoting those drivers that were from outside the "traditional" viewing areas and by getting TV deals that while initally netted them next to squat in revenue got them exposure.

Once the exposure took hold, they started promoting those "new age" drivers. They then took the TV production "in house" and have had tracks built outside the traditional fanbase and have grown their audience even more. What the NHL needs to do is hire these brains, 'cause they need em...

The NHL has the American stars needed to grow the game, they just need to properly promote them and I'm sorry the Olympics once every four years just isn't enough.

NefCanuck
That's pretty much it. That's why baseball is their national sport. Because it's the slowest of all 4 major sports in north america. Also because they aren't #1 at it like basket ball where they own everyone at the olympics. After huge losses in hockey like in Salt Lake in 02 they just boycott hockey. Remember their still holding on to the "miracle on ice".
crazikev,Aug 19 2005, 03:58 PM Wrote:didn't anybody read my post up there?
[right][snapback]134114[/snapback][/right]

to be honest...no.
SVT ZX3,Aug 19 2005, 11:00 AM Wrote:That's pretty much it. That's why baseball is their national sport. Because it's the slowest of all 4 major sports in north america. Also because they aren't #1 at it like basket ball where they own everyone at the olympics. After huge losses in hockey like in Salt Lake in 02 they just boycott hockey. Remember their still holding on to the "miracle on ice".
[right][snapback]134116[/snapback][/right]
i thiought the USA bassketball team also last at the oylimpics didn't they?
FociPhil,Aug 19 2005, 11:04 AM Wrote:
crazikev,Aug 19 2005, 03:58 PM Wrote:didn't anybody read my post up there?
[right][snapback]134114[/snapback][/right]

to be honest...no.
[right][snapback]134119[/snapback][/right]
thanks, i spent a f**k!ng hour making it!
crazikev,Aug 19 2005, 04:06 PM Wrote:
FociPhil,Aug 19 2005, 11:04 AM Wrote:
crazikev,Aug 19 2005, 03:58 PM Wrote:didn't anybody read my post up there?
[right][snapback]134114[/snapback][/right]

to be honest...no.
[right][snapback]134119[/snapback][/right]
thanks, i spent a f**k!ng hour making it!
[right][snapback]134122[/snapback][/right]

sorry, i read the first line and my head starting to hurt, and i saw how long it was...was lazy.

Yeah the USA has declined huge in Olympic Basketball. Cuz they got all these young punks that have no sence of team.

Any body remember the DREAM TEAM!!??
[Image: dream%20team.jpg]
FociPhil,Aug 19 2005, 11:40 AM Wrote:
2001 ZTS,Aug 19 2005, 11:07 AM Wrote:hockey sucks
[right][snapback]134029[/snapback][/right]

i second that!!

anybody remmber when fox did that "puck tracer" where it lit up blue and then red when it was a hard shot. They did it becuase americans complained they couldnt see the puck, and thats why they didnt watch it.
[right][snapback]134106[/snapback][/right]

Yah can't see a baseball either :lol: Thier just to lazy to look for it, they need a super laser beam to see it :rolleyes:
Pages: 1 2