ESPN doesn't hate hockey, exec just doesn't think it translates well

[Comeds]

I pay attention and like baseball, football, and hockey. Hockey is probably my favorite and I would also say its the easiest to follow. You do have to pay attention, but I do think the game is simpler than a lot of others. And i mean that in a good way. So I personally do not think intelligence is a factor in people not liking it, possibly attention span perhaps.

And who needs Espn, NBC has done a great job.

 

[apachef4]

I tell my friends that hate hockey that it's because they're not intelligent enough to comprehend so much going on so fast. Every other sport they get 8 second clips and 12 replays. Hockey is a grown man's game, other sports are for the meek and under developed.

I'm half serious about that.

I really don't think that intelligence is it. Attention span, maybe. What I really think it is is a lock of being exposed to it as children. As a kid, I played pretty much every sport I could (none of them very well, unfortunately) and I grew up to be a big fan of all of them. Hockey was never a part of that, because it just wasn't readily available. Going skating was something that you did every year or two at a friends birthday party. There was just no exposure to the sport at a young age.

Now, I (as are most of us here) am a larger than average sports fan, so saw hockey on tv and wanted to learn more about it. Add to that my mother's work had a box at the Capital Centre so I got to go to some games, so I came to like it along with the other "mainstream" sports. But most people are more casual sports fans, and just aren't going to go out of there way to add another sport to their sports landscape. It's too bad they're missing out, but I get it. There just isn't the attachment to it from childhood that people have for other things that they've been exposed to since childhood.

As for that ESPN guy, he's full of it. They don't cover hockey much because they don't have the rights anymore. As someone else said, they're basically throwing a hissy fit and blackballing it.

 

[johnnytata]

It's true. I love football, but the main reason it is so immensely popular is not because it's that much better than other sports, but because it appeals to the short attention span nation we have become.

It's once a week, there are only 16 games, it is on Sundays when most people are not doing anything (plus it's in the winter when most people are inside), there's only something like 11 minutes of total action in a game so you only have to pay attention for seconds at a time etc.

Compare that to hockey where there may not be a stop in play for half a period. The strategic dump ins, simple but great defensive plays, line matchups, are all lost on people that can't focus for extended periods of time.

while i agree to an extent, i think that for people who are really into football, i mean more than just watching big dudes run really fast into each other, the strategy in football is actually immensely fascinating. i actually find football to be the most cerebrally stimulating of all sports.

but more to the point, saying hockey doesn't translate well to tv in todays era is complete copout bullshit. you know what doesnt translate well to tv? fuckin poker. bowling. and fuckin bighead fuckface dipshit anorexic aliens like skip fuckin bayless.

 

[filosofy29]

What is ESPN?

 

[Eddie_Shack]

I guess I don't really care if ESPN likes, cares about, or thinks hockey translates well. I can watch hockey almost every night of the week, I don't really need it's existence justified by dozens of boring talking head shows treating the draft, preseason, offseason, and every little detail like it's "real news".

 

[BF4L]

I guess I don't really care if ESPN likes, cares about, or thinks hockey translates well. I can watch hockey almost every night of the week, I don't really need it's existence justified by dozens of boring talking head shows treating the draft, preseason, offseason, and every little detail like it's "real news".

Rep + agree

 

[Slimpikins]

I guess I don't really care if ESPN likes, cares about, or thinks hockey translates well. I can watch hockey almost every night of the week, I don't really need it's existence justified by dozens of boring talking head shows treating the draft, preseason, offseason, and every little detail like it's "real news".

You mean you didn't hear the story where the broke down what Tebow thinks of the Jets draft picks effect or the teams preseason roster?!?!

 

[IPostedWhat]

All kidding aside, you have to admit that a slam dunk is an amazing feat of athetic ability.

 

[Eddie_Shack]

You mean you didn't hear the story where the broke down what Tebow thinks of the Jets draft picks effect or the teams preseason roster?!?!

I'm so out of the loop!

 

[TiLoBrown]

All kidding aside, you have to admit that a slam dunk is an amazing feat of athetic ability.

maybe if they didn't happen so much/teams tried to play defense

 

[Wingingit]

The Every Sports Pays Network, no pay we no play!!!

 

[OregonDucks]

Thank God for NBC for picking up this sport and televising it and giving it to the broader audience. I don't know why ESPN hasn't made the movement away from the bore fest NBA and start picking up the exciting NHL games.

NHL > NBA and I grew up a basketball fan and even coach basketball...but honestly, hockey is far more entertaining then the crap the NBA puts out there.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

ESPN doesn't pay much attention to hockey because they don't have the contract. That's the bottom line.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

Seems like a good fit here:

 

[sherbert1421]

I know but it's not THAT hard to follow on TV. It is better in person I agree.

I never understood why people say it's that hard to follow on tv, but any person i talk to that doesn't watch hockey, they say that is their number 1 reason why. I guess hockey fans are more intelligent than the average sports fan

I really don't think that intelligence is it. Attention span, maybe. What I really think it is is a lock of being exposed to it as children. As a kid, I played pretty much every sport I could (none of them very well, unfortunately) and I grew up to be a big fan of all of them. Hockey was never a part of that, because it just wasn't readily available. Going skating was something that you did every year or two at a friends birthday party. There was just no exposure to the sport at a young age.

i think this is part of it too. You can play basketball, baseball, and football pretty much anywhere. You can't do that with hockey because you need ice to play and for most people, you have to go to a local ice rink to do that. whereas with the other sports, you can go play out in your backyard.

Plus, not many high schools in the states have a hockey team. almost all of them have football, basketball, and baseball teams

 

[awaz]

Thank God for NBC for picking up this sport and televising it and giving it to the broader audience. I don't know why ESPN hasn't made the movement away from the bore fest NBA and start picking up the exciting NHL games.

NHL > NBA and I grew up a basketball fan and even coach basketball...but honestly, hockey is far more entertaining then the crap the NBA puts out there.

That's really the only one that bothers me. What do people see in the nba, honestly? I'm fine with hockey being behind the nfl, MLB, NCAAF, and ncaab.. I just don't get why people like the nba.

 

[TiLoBrown]

They hate defense?

 

[awaz]

They hate defense?

I don't even care about that. It's just always the same thing. Pass it inside so someone who has to jump 2 inches to dunk and then yell and scream and watch the tough guy that just dunked do some kind of asinine macho man celebration like he just completed a feat of superhuman proportions that has never been done before, mind you, while half his teammates join in this chest beating ritual for the overgrown, the same thing happens at the other end of the court to the only guy that didn't want to flaunt the manliness of his teammate that successfully completed a rudimentary basketball play.

On top of that, is the excitement of who joins lebron's team, the clerics, and the lakers in the conference finals really interesting enough to carry a fan base?

 

[pixburgher66]

Any time I watch hockey and someone who doesn't like it comments, it's always "I can never see the puck!" Well, to that I say back you have to study the game. You have to understand the movement of the players and their styles to really enjoy the game. Well, that's apparently too much work for many people. Sorry the game isn't simple enough for you.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

All kidding aside, you have to admit that a slam dunk is an amazing feat of athetic ability.

It depends on how tall the person is. For Spud Webb who was 5'7 yeah amazing feat. Most NBA players are so tall they barely have to jump to dunk a basketball.

The kid the Chargers took in the 1st round Melvin Ingram is just over 6'1 & he can dunk a ball with his football gear on, pads & all. Now that's impressive.