Soccer Now Outdrawing NBA and NHL

[tigersofjustice]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Averag..._sports_teams_in_the_United_States_and_Canada

Very surprised by that.

 

[sggatecl]

Over expansion. I'm not.

 

[jdeb]

Not me either. NBA sucks, I hate the way the game is played currently. NHL basically got rid of the casual fan with the lock outs. Plus the game play itself needs to go back to the way it used to be.

 

[biggunsbob]

It is not surprising at all.. the NBA blows.. Especially when we do not have a decent team to root for right now.. Plus both Boston and LA stink right now which I am sure really hurts the NBA..

The NHL has become a clutch and grab league. I could be wrong but there are just not much scoring like in the heyday of Gretzky.. There has to be a happy medium somewhere between physical hockey and great passing hockey.. I would make all NHL rinks Olympic size. It would free up so much space plus teams could still play physical if they wanted too..

(It would be great for teams' like Detroit

 

[SpartyNash]

The NBA is borderline unwatchable. I enjoy seeing these small market teams that are great now (Golden State, Atlanta, Portland, etc.) and I enjoy seeing big market teams that get every good FA like the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, etc. suck. However, the games are not exciting, the season is way too long, too many teams, too many terrible teams watering down the quality, too many playoff teams, isolation offense, my interest in the NBA has never been lower.

Bob is right in that scoring is a bit of a joke now in the NHL. I believe ~100 points is a great deal for a player now, 15 years ago that was not even close to the top echelon. The lockout killed a lot of interest in the league, myself included, I barely watched from 06 until the 08 Playoffs. I've watched more hockey this year than I have since around 2004 probably.

 

[tigersofjustice]

I agree with NBA being poor for spectators. NHL is pretty good but the sport is still a limited audience.

Don't know if I agree with you Sparty re: Golden State being a 'small market'. It's a pretty big market that seems to function like a small one is certain aspects.

Atlanta is the same except it functions as a small market in pretty much every aspect.

 

[jdeb]

To bad the NHL has a lame commissioner. The shootout is stupid and ruining the game.

 

[SpartyNash]

I agree with NBA being poor for spectators. NHL is pretty good but the sport is still a limited audience.

Don't know if I agree with you Sparty re: Golden State being a 'small market'. It's a pretty big market that seems to function like a small one is certain aspects.

Atlanta is the same except it functions as a small market in pretty much every aspect.

Regarding the Warriors, I meant that they rarely if ever are able to land a big free agent and are never a threat for a deep playoff run. They've drafted extremely well like OKC has done without luring many free agents or swinging trades.

 

[tomdalton22]

Average ticket price for each sport

NFL $113
NBA $49
NHL $57
MLB $27
MLS $26

Total ticket revenue

NFL $11B
MLB $7B
NBA $3.8B
NHL $2.9B
MLS $280 Million

 

[sggatecl]

Average ticket price for each sport

NFL $113
NBA $49
NHL $57
MLB $27
MLS $26

Total ticket revenue

NFL $11B
MLB $7B
NBA $3.8B
NHL $2.9B
MLS $280 Million

It's no wonder that NFL wants 18 games per season.

 

[dubbsco]

Ugh I wish Detroit would get an MLS team.

 

[Michchamp]

I agree over-expansion is to blame for both the NBA's and NHL's woes, diluting talent way down. and on top of that, the NBA has too many games (both regular season and playoffs). it wears on both the players and the fans.

I don't think any franchises lose money though, given that in most places the costs of building/upgrading new arenas and operating are partially born by taxpayers, even though all the profits go to the owners.

given how this has persisted, we're likely stuck with these dinosaurs unless or until our society goes completely bankrupt. for every city that votes them out, there will be some city willing to pony up a few hundred million in "loans" and tax subsidies to get them to move there.

when was the last time a major league (NFL, MLB, NHL, or NBA) team actually disappeared (i.e. didn't just move cities)? I was thinking of the Expos, but they moved to DC and became the Nationals.

 

[dubbsco]

The NHL needs to figure out where its bread is buttered. You open up 4 more teams in Canada, and those arenas will sell out non-stop. Or, do what Bettman wants to do, and open a team in Las Vegas. Come on.

 

[Michchamp]

The NHL needs to figure out where its bread is buttered. You open up 4 more teams in Canada, and those arenas will sell out non-stop. Or, do what Bettman wants to do, and open a team in Las Vegas. Come on.

I wouldn't be surprised if it comes down to money for the arenas to play in.

I suspect it's tougher to extort $250MM from some midsize Canadian city than an American one. plus rich people pay fewer taxes here... what greedy owner type wants to share a single cent more than he has to with the hosers buying tickets?

 

[Mitchrapp]

The season definitely goes too long. They need to end the Championship in April, not June. Who wants to watch games in June? I remember in the late 70's 16 of 21 teams made the playoffs in the NHL. That probably turned a lot of people off at that time..

 

[Mitchrapp]

The NHL needs to figure out where its bread is buttered. You open up 4 more teams in Canada, and those arenas will sell out non-stop. Or, do what Bettman wants to do, and open a team in Las Vegas. Come on.

Some Canadian teams folded because of lack of fans. Not all Canadian teams roll them in..

 

[dubbsco]

You have a much better opportunity of success opening a team in Quebec City vs Las Vegas.

 

[Mitchrapp]

You have a much better opportunity of success opening a team in Quebec City vs Las Vegas.

They had a team, left because of financial trouble. Some of that because of fan support or lack thereof..

 

[sggatecl]

Ugh I wish Detroit would get an MLS team.

I would be a season ticket holder instantly.

 

[SpartyNash]

I agree over-expansion is to blame for both the NBA's and NHL's woes, diluting talent way down. and on top of that, the NBA has too many games (both regular season and playoffs). it wears on both the players and the fans.

I don't think any franchises lose money though, given that in most places the costs of building/upgrading new arenas and operating are partially born by taxpayers, even though all the profits go to the owners.

given how this has persisted, we're likely stuck with these dinosaurs unless or until our society goes completely bankrupt. for every city that votes them out, there will be some city willing to pony up a few hundred million in "loans" and tax subsidies to get them to move there.

when was the last time a major league (NFL, MLB, NHL, or NBA) team actually disappeared (i.e. didn't just move cities)? I was thinking of the Expos, but they moved to DC and became the Nationals.

The last team to completely cease existence were the NHL's Cleveland Barons in 1978. Apparently after the season, the Barons roster actually merged with the Minnesota North Stars, who ironically moved to Dallas years later.