RealGM

I hear what you are saying and agree the tunnel vision is frustrating but this doesn't bother me as much. Its like having the dream team preparing to play at home. Of course people are going to be ramped up for it, and really its the dog days of summer so there isn't much else going on.

Regardless the landscape is definetely changing and hockey is in a lot of trouble and really needs to adapt that product and how its marketed.

You can't blame the media for covering what people want to see. When the shift (publics interest) happens you'll see the shift in the media. I've already noticed more soccer coverage then ever before on the major networks and their websites.

I personally like following the Cayote story. Balsillie might never ever get a team, but his determination in expose the hypocrisy of the NHL is what I love to see. Ofcourse I do not need to waste my time listening to TSN to tell me that story. I just go and read it on the internet. If the NHL buys the Cayotes, Balsilee should put offers for Tampa Bay and the Panthers.

Yogi - you realize that Hockey Night in Canada generates ratings here that no sport in the US generates in their market, right? Even when there's no canadian team in the finals the stanley cup generates 2.5-3mm viewers (almost 10% of the country). The juniors get almost 2mm viewers every year (when they play in the gold game) as well.

I think you (naively) misunderstand media.....they play hockey here because it generates the highest ratings, not because there is some conspiracy to force it down our throat. They pay handsomely for the rights to play hockey. Believe me that they would happily pay less to play NBA games (or something else) if anyone would watch (so that they could generate revenue advertising to us).

You ever notice the difference btwn TSN Sportscentre and the Ontario version of Sportsnet? TSN plays 90% hockey to 5% nba highlights.......Sportsnet plays (comparably) waaay more basketball. TSN is national, and sportsnet is regional. Watch sportsnet across the country and the hockey coverage increases substantially.

So, even if you hate hockey (which you don't appear to), what (naive) point are you trying to make here???

ATLTimekeeper wrote:I don't understand the problem.

This is the same kind of treatment the American basketball team gets in the States. These are our star athletes. The kind of names that will attract viewers to the Olympics, which helps everyone involved.

No, in the States all of their major sports get the same treatment, not just basketball; that's the difference.

Here, I wonder if someone who aspires to be a sports journalist or reporter can become one unless they show that they're obsessed with hockey.

If hockey is the only thing that draws attention right now, who's fault is that? Americans have no problem following 3 or 4 different sports, so why can't Canadians? The media has to play its part in attracting fans too. They can't just say, "Oh hockey is king, so lets continue shoving only hockey down people's throats and ignore everything else". How is anything going to change if this is the thought process they have? I don't watch any of the sports networks anymore, period because I know its going to be hockey 24/7. Toronto is not the same as the rest of the country and shouldn't be treated as such. The interest in other sports is definitely there in this city; the sports networks just continue to ignore that.

I was never a fan of putting one nation up against another and having them go at each other based on their race. All this patriotic and national pride bull doesn't mean anything.

cram wrote:Yogi - you realize that Hockey Night in Canada generates ratings here that no sport in the US generates in their market, right? Even when there's no canadian team in the finals the stanley cup generates 2.5-3mm viewers (almost 10% of the country). The juniors get almost 2mm viewers every year (when they play in the gold game) as well.

I think you (naively) misunderstand media.....they play hockey here because it generates the highest ratings, not because there is some conspiracy to force it down our throat. They pay handsomely for the rights to play hockey. Believe me that they would happily pay less to play NBA games (or something else) if anyone would watch (so that they could generate revenue advertising to us).

You ever notice the difference btwn TSN Sportscentre and the Ontario version of Sportsnet? TSN plays 90% hockey to 5% nba highlights.......Sportsnet plays (comparably) waaay more basketball. TSN is national, and sportsnet is regional. Watch sportsnet across the country and the hockey coverage increases substantially.

So, even if you hate hockey (which you don't appear to), what (naive) point are you trying to make here???

thanks for calling me naiive. you know the best way to inspire an intelligent debate.

also, remind me which network broadcasts Raptor games. Sportsnet or TSN?

I havent read the thread but for what it is worth,

This is the last year NHL players get to compete in the Olympics. This is pretty major stuff, as the country bread on Hockey will never see their best players on the highest stage.

Secondly, international Olympics Hockey is one of those things that non sports fans and modest sports fans love to watch, just like the World Cup. Everybody and their mother will be watching this, and so the news story will have a couple more readers for the water cooler talks at work.

jaymeister15 wrote:

Mak wrote:And story #2 is the sell of/bankruptcy of Phoenix Coyotes. So (Please Use More Appropriate Word).

What current sports story do you think should have been ahead of that?

It is all inconsequential. Its just a hockey topic to fill dead air.

raptorschick wrote:
is that true people from western canada hate torontonians? why? what is the bigest NHL franchise here in canada?

It's very true. Just mention Toronto, just watch how they react. There's a lot of reasons why they hate Toronto (Maple Leafs, politics, culture, multiculturalism).

tha-prince wrote:I havent read the thread but for what it is worth,

This is the last year NHL players get to compete in the Olympics. This is pretty major stuff, as the country bread on Hockey will never see their best players on the highest stage.

Is that comfirmed tho? ... Cuz I dont think it is but I brought this up earlier in the thread tho and was wondering if others could shed light.

Question we have to ask is.... what is more likely.

1) Media throws all this attention at hockey (NHL/Olympics)... and thus Public accept it (maybe even as 'status co'), watch it, rating increase, and the suits make the corporate big bucks

2)Public wants to see hockey and they want to see hockey MUCH more then anything else ... and as such Media gives public what they want, which is alot of Media coverage for hockey, and minimal for other sports... corporate suits make big bucks.

Which is it? ... Which would you rather? ... Which is easier to be open to other sports?

In my opingion, the only thing that could take hockey out of the spotlight in this country is if Toronto managed to get an NFL team. Clearly baseball can't do it (even though the jays have sucked for 15 years or so) and basketball can't seem to do it (outside the toronto area mainly).

I've always thought to myself would a NFL team to better in Montreal or Toronto?

tha-prince wrote:I havent read the thread but for what it is worth,

This is the last year NHL players get to compete in the Olympics. This is pretty major stuff, as the country bread on Hockey will never see their best players on the highest stage.

Secondly, international Olympics Hockey is one of those things that non sports fans and modest sports fans love to watch, just like the World Cup. Everybody and their mother will be watching this, and so the news story will have a couple more readers for the water cooler talks at work.

I've never liked seeing pro athleteles compete in the Olympics. It's so hypercritical.

tha-prince wrote:I havent read the thread but for what it is worth,

This is the last year NHL players get to compete in the Olympics. This is pretty major stuff, as the country bread on Hockey will never see their best players on the highest stage.

Secondly, international Olympics Hockey is one of those things that non sports fans and modest sports fans love to watch, just like the World Cup. Everybody and their mother will be watching this, and so the news story will have a couple more readers for the water cooler talks at work.

When those games start, every bar in Canada will be jammed packed and it will be one of the most fun things to do in recent memory. (Even if you hate hockey.)

Jammed on George Street all the way to Gastown.

YogiStewart wrote:

cram wrote:Yogi - you realize that Hockey Night in Canada generates ratings here that no sport in the US generates in their market, right? Even when there's no canadian team in the finals the stanley cup generates 2.5-3mm viewers (almost 10% of the country). The juniors get almost 2mm viewers every year (when they play in the gold game) as well.

I think you (naively) misunderstand media.....they play hockey here because it generates the highest ratings, not because there is some conspiracy to force it down our throat. They pay handsomely for the rights to play hockey. Believe me that they would happily pay less to play NBA games (or something else) if anyone would watch (so that they could generate revenue advertising to us).

You ever notice the difference btwn TSN Sportscentre and the Ontario version of Sportsnet? TSN plays 90% hockey to 5% nba highlights.......Sportsnet plays (comparably) waaay more basketball. TSN is national, and sportsnet is regional. Watch sportsnet across the country and the hockey coverage increases substantially.

So, even if you hate hockey (which you don't appear to), what (naive) point are you trying to make here???

thanks for calling me naiive. you know the best way to inspire an intelligent debate.

also, remind me which network broadcasts Raptor games. Sportsnet or TSN?

I didn't call you naive. I called your argument naive. And your understanding of media. Kind of the way you called a previous poster's argument "childish".

Anyway - did you address my argument? Hockey generates ratings, which is why the networks play it. Sportsnet does broadcast raptors games, but their coverage of hockey vs. basketball is regional. Sportsnet Ontario is different from Sportsnet West. TSN is national, so they are appealing to national ratings.

Its a bit of a chicken/egg scenario (why would people watch NBA if they don't yet know that they like it because the networks don't show it) but its simple stuff, really. Networks buy and play the sports that generates ratings for them so that they can generate ad revenue.

You can say whatever anecdotal stuff you want about friends in scarborough or whatever, but hockey is what generates ratings here. Ask Mark Cuban (who recently and jealously compared hockey viewership here vs NBA viewership in the US)

Brownman06 wrote:

raptorschick wrote:
is that true people from western canada hate torontonians? why? what is the bigest NHL franchise here in canada?

It's very true. Just mention Toronto, just watch how they react. There's a lot of reasons why they hate Toronto (Maple Leafs, politics, culture, multiculturalism).

being a Western Canadian, I can confirm the hate.
there are different types of hate.
the first is the most obvious. Westerners hate the Leafs because 1) you get Leaf fans from the days before there were other Cnd teams, and those holdover fans annoy current fans since they still cheer for the Leafs, 2) Leaf fans are indeed an obnoxious breed...you can ask them and they will agree
All of Canada hates Toronto. some reasons are unjustified (like Toronto being a huge and financially powerful city), some are justified (Torontonians are the least typically-Cnd Canadians, tend to be grumpy, are indeed more self-centred than other Canadians and complain a lot).

Brownman06 wrote:

raptorschick wrote:
is that true people from western canada hate torontonians? why? what is the bigest NHL franchise here in canada?

It's very true. Just mention Toronto, just watch how they react. There's a lot of reasons why they hate Toronto (Maple Leafs, politics, culture, multiculturalism).[/qu


Lol if someone does not like the miltuculturalisme of Toronto he is just ignorant . i have been in almost all continant I speak more the 7 languages lol abiouvsly I'm not fluent in english but Toronto still by far the most diverse city in the world for the simple reason that you never feel like a stranger you can found anything you want people won't judge you based on your accent,skin color,religion ect... the city is just special .
I wish I could live there

YogiStewart wrote:...Torontonians are the least typically-Cnd Canadians...

What is a "Typical Canadian" anyway? Beer + hockey?! Please... Honestly, the most un-Canadian I ever felt was when Molson ran their stupid "My name is Joe, and I am Canadian" ads

cram wrote:
I didn't call you naive. I called your argument naive. And your understanding of media. Kind of the way you called a previous poster's argument "childish".

Anyway - did you address my argument? Hockey generates ratings, which is why the networks play it. Sportsnet does broadcast raptors games, but their coverage of hockey vs. basketball is regional. Sportsnet Ontario is different from Sportsnet West. TSN is national, so they are appealing to national ratings.

TSN doesn't show Basketball. hence the lack of coverage. you think that they want to promote a sport that they don't benefit from?

and my debate was not hockey versus basketball. its hockey versus other sports, including basketball. CFL gets great ratings. last summer, there was that stupid Canada vs Russia Jr hockey "summit" series. the ratings were absolutely awful. yet it was still the #1 sports story. so its not always about ratings.

YogiStewart wrote:

cram wrote:
I didn't call you naive. I called your argument naive. And your understanding of media. Kind of the way you called a previous poster's argument "childish".

Anyway - did you address my argument? Hockey generates ratings, which is why the networks play it. Sportsnet does broadcast raptors games, but their coverage of hockey vs. basketball is regional. Sportsnet Ontario is different from Sportsnet West. TSN is national, so they are appealing to national ratings.

TSN doesn't show Basketball. hence the lack of coverage. you think that they want to promote a sport that they don't benefit from?

and my debate was not hockey versus basketball. its hockey versus other sports, including basketball. CFL gets great ratings. last summer, there was that stupid Canada vs Russia Jr hockey "summit" series. the ratings were absolutely awful. yet it was still the #1 sports story. so its not always about ratings.

Yet TSN has - by far - the highest viewership amongst the sports stations. Rogers/BellExpressvu etc pay a pretty substantial multiple more for TSN than they do for The Score (and i absolutely love The Score).

TSN also plays a ton of curling. Why? Viewers.

If the revenue/profits fall from the Maple Leafs side of businesss, CTVglobemedia (TSN) will not be happy.