Ever since the USA came close to beating Canada in Hockey, all I hear on ESPN and sports talk radio is "Are you going to start watching more hockey now?" Honestly, my answer is NO. For the record, I didn't watch a single game during the Olympics. I had mild interest in reading recaps of the games and found the hinted comparisons with the 'Miracle' squad to be reaching. Was it a great Olympic moment? Absolutely. Does enjoyment of that game mean we should start slavishly watching NHL Hockey 8 hours a week? HECK NO.
Why? Time, Money & Women. Every sports fan has a limited amount of time to devote to watching games and that often gets cut by women, movies, women, TV or actually doing something - with a woman. If I have time to watch sports, I want it to be meaningful, not one of the 100 games in a season. (I have the same problem with NBA, MLB, even college basketball). Call me when the post season rolls around. That's the beauty of football, every game is meaningful and worth watching. There are simply too many demands on our time to make room for more Hockey. Worse yet, the NHL is very inaccessible, now only Vs. and I'd have to upgrade my dish to get it - woman says NO. Plus games are very expensive to go to - women generally don't want to go, especially if its hockey. I'd rather blow my money on something else - like a movie, nachos, ammunition, or diamonds!
The media are always trying to say with righteous indignation that they don't shape opinion, they just reflect it... blah, blah, blah. This is a clear case where they have an agenda. So my message to them is GET OFF MY BACK! I'LL WATCH WHEN I'M GOOD AND READY, YOU GOT THAT?!!??
7 comments:
Barking.
Here's one of the reasons why football is dead to me and I would much rather watch a fast-paced hockey match: http://deadspin.com/5449357/theres-not-much-football-in-your-football?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+deadspin/full+(Deadspin)
Yes, I'll agree that there are like 82 games a year in hockey as in basketball, etc. However, if I could (you do persuade, at least in theory, about the opportunity cost of time), I would watch every one of them!
What other sport has the constant excitement of hockey? Certainly not football (as you'll see from the link above). Basketball? What's the point of watching anything prior to the last 2 minutes of the game (which actually drones on with fouls, time outs, and the like for about 50 actual minutes)?
What about soccer, isn't it like hockey? No. From the meager amount of soccer I've watched, there are usually about 2 shots on goal every two games (snore). Not to mention the field is the size of Africa. As much as I love to watch people running around like aimless Gazelle, hockey is full of people running into (not bumping) each other, smashing people against the boards, all combined with the fluid grace of basketball breakaways and the pinpoint accuracy of Army snipers. So yes, hockey and soccer are both about scoring goals, except one's on ice and is about 20 times smaller than the other (again, more shots on goal = more excitement).
Yes, football is still my favorite sport (you can now exhale) and my incontrovertible heritage. Heck, I still have dreams about playing for my old team as a 25-year-old!. (I really hope my wife doesn't read that.)
But hockey's about a million times more fun to watch (especially at the game, and I've only ever been to ONE pro game, where my team was shut out, 3-0!).
Besides, don't you get Altitude anyway? Or do you mean to tell me that the poor old, one game out of first place in their division Avs aren't good enough for you?
The only reason I can fathom why hockey doesn't draw a wider audience is probably because 99% of Americans never were and still are not talented enough to play it themselves: just about anyone can toss a football or clang a basketball off the backboard, but it takes skill, an ice rink, and $$$ to play hockey (well).
I welcome (and await) your rebuttal (or even an enraged, red-blooded, meat eating rant about how football and basketball are the true men's sports).
P.S. Did I take the record for longest post ever on the F-Word?
The only way I comapred Hockey to other sports was in context of time spent watching a game and how meaningful it is.
You honestly think people don't watch hockey becuase they don't have the talent or resources to play it??? Are you saying the whole world is full of idiots becuase soccer is the most popular sport?
The ratings don't lie. Football blows other sports out of the water for my reason - it gives you the most bang for your buck (in terms of time).
Your argument about watching the last 2 mins of a basketball game is the same reason many people only watch highlights on Hockey, to see the goals and get on with their lives. Of course you can make the same arguement for just about any sporting event.
Your comments about what makes a Hockey game more enjoyable to watch are subjective. What about rugby? I'm sure passionate fans from any sport would give you a hundred reasons their sport is the best. Its up the individual to decide what they enjoy and clearly, the majority of Americans don't dig hockey and there really insn't anything that can be done about it.
This is Jake - I'm logged in under Katie's password because I can't figure mine out myself. My two favorite sporting events are the World Cup and Olympic Hockey. Each involve the best players playing for national pride with multiple teams capable of winning it all. Needless to say I will never forgive you for ruining the gold medal game for me. Watching the US tie the game up in the last seconds should have been one of the great sports viewing moments of my life, but alas, it was rendered only mildly exciting since I knew the result ahead of time thanks to you. Next time I'm taking no chances, I'm skipping church so I can watch it live. Guess you will have to conduct during the World Cup this summer as I will take an extended leave of absence since I know you can't be trusted to not ruin it for me and these things only happen every 4 years.
As an aside, I can barely stand to watch a football game with all the stoppages and ridiculous rules.
Finally, nothing beats a rocking stadium during a Stanley Cup playoff run. The passion and intensity of a seven game series is unmatched. . . except for a gold medal hockey game in Canada. . . jerk.
I'm so excited to have real comments saying nasty things about me. This whole experiment has truly come of age.
Ah, Fletchword. You and I are definitely on the same page on this one. I don't have the patience to watch many other sports and the women factor is definitely key. If I was going to watch Hockey, I should have started doing it years ago.
I agree with you about hockey, basketball, etc. I love the football season at BYU because I know there are 6 days that I need to get prepared to do nothing but get over to the football stadium and "rise and shout." With my busy schedule I can make it happen, but for 20 + basketball games I am not so eager to do the same. I am a bad wife because Shaun always lets me know last minute about the basketball games and he usually ends up going with buddies because I have to stay and get things done.
In short, after a not so short explanation, I think you are correct about not enough time to adopt all these other sports that have a million games in each league.
Vindication from a woman. I'll savor the moment.
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