baggio202 Posted February 15, 2003 Share Posted February 15, 2003 bowling has had an increase in viewership of 18% on ESPN this year after switching from ABC...how significant is that??.well according to HBO's bryant gumbel the numbers they have put bowling ahead of NHL hockey..is bowling amking a comeback??...or is hockey really in that much trouble?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted February 15, 2003 Share Posted February 15, 2003 Both, it appears. This whole "retro" craze has apparently led to the resurgence in bowling interest. I have always enjoyed watching bowling on a lazy winter afternoon. I used to watch it on ABC, and I'm glad that ESPN has picked it up on Sunday afternoons. Also, hockey viewership is down, for reasons we've discussed here before. Another reason is that the average American "casual sports fan" is too stupid or lazy to follow "the little black puck", and apparently too xenophobic to care about anyone who "ain't an Anerican". I actually heard an in-depth discussion on the radio about how "American sports fans just can't realte to someone from another country". That's insane - what difference does the person's nationality make if they're good at what they do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 Hey, I love bowling....I carry about 165 average right now and just bowled in my local league today....though baseball is #1. I also love watching bowling...and I think it would be sweet to do that someday...that is, bowl for a living. That has got to be damn tough though....you bowl like 20 games a week....or about 3 a day....and on the championship day(assuming you qualify)...you'd bowl between 1-5 games....it doesn't sound that bad....but when you bowl 6 games in a row....your fingers are pissed at you, screaming in pain(and sometimes blisters are a result as well....those hurt like a b****). And then sometimes your sponsor is like odor eaters...I think that's who Walter Ray Williams Jr's sponsor is...and he has an odor eaters spare ball...LMAO I can normally handle 4 games at a time though....and sometimes 5. Any more than that and my finger tips start to hurt. I've never really followed hockey....I like having to be able to use your hands....probably the same reason I've never liked soccer. Only one player uses their hands.....however, in baseball, you use hands on defense, fielding and throwing.....hands can make you safe instead of out when sliding....and coaches use them to give signs...and there are probably more as well. Football and basketball are dominated by the hands....I like hands-on sports, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandoFan Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 ....I like having to be able to use your hands And hockey is a feet-dominated sport? Learn something new every day. Many people don't like hockey because of the geo-cultural conditioning and habits; Brazilians couldn't give a sh*t about it in the same way Iceland-ites don't care about beach volleyball. Plus, one often chooses the same sport simply because their parents did and their parents did...As understandeable, not to mention common, as this phenomenon is, I find it limiting and just plain boring. I don't care about bolwing, pool and ping-pong and all sort of arcades (indoor non-team sports suck!), but then again I love soccer, hockey, tennis and baseball. Racial and/or national diversity is not the last reason why I love them. There. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Prawn Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 I started to get into hockey about 2 or 3 years ago. Another reason it is losing fans in the US is the idiot they have as commisioner. That guy couldn't get an some in NY to buy a shovel this weekend. A big screw up he had was not getting more hockey games on ESPN. That was the only way I got my hockey fix and now the games they televise are few and far between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 ....I like having to be able to use your hands And hockey is a feet-dominated sport? Learn something new every day. Many people don't like hockey because of the geo-cultural conditioning and habits; Brazilians couldn't give a sh*t about it in the same way Iceland-ites don't care about beach volleyball. Plus, one often chooses the same sport simply because their parents did and their parents did...As understandeable, not to mention common, as this phenomenon is, I find it limiting and just plain boring. I don't care about bolwing, pool and ping-pong and all sort of arcades (indoor non-team sports suck!), but then again I love soccer, hockey, tennis and baseball. Racial and/or national diversity is not the last reason why I love them. There. Not saying hockey is a feet dominated sport....but not only do you have to be able to skate(which is difficult in it's own right), you also have to use the hockey stick. Baseball is like that to...but you do get to use your hands more in baseball. I also like the fact that baseball is an untimed sport....you don't have to worry about 3 seconds left on the clock or anything like that....hell, the Sox were in like an 8 hour game that lasted 25 innings that ended with a Harold Baines walk-off homer, right? How often will you see one game last 8 hours? Hell, pro golfers could shoot 2 1/2 rounds in 8 hours with spectators watching. However....the last part you wrote pretty much summarizes me. I hadn't thought about it. My dad is a big baseball fan, and he loves bowling, and likes football and will watch important basketball games....though he hates soccer and couldn't give a rats-ass about hockey(though he, along with me too, will occasionally watch a game when nothing else is on). I personally don't find it boring....but others may. It is good for father-son bonding....and is probably a big reason why my dad and I are so close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baggio202 Posted February 19, 2003 Author Share Posted February 19, 2003 the reason hockey isnt popular is in 75% of the country it doesnt get cold enough for ice...even here in chicago...try signing your kid up for ice hockey...500 bucks later youre getting up at 3 in the moring to get to the rink because the only time your team can practice is from 330 to 430 AM...it doesnt work very well in the lower 48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeportHeather Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 I started to get into hockey about 2 or 3 years ago. Another reason it is losing fans in the US is the idiot they have as commisioner. That guy couldn't get an some in NY to buy a shovel this weekend. A big screw up he had was not getting more hockey games on ESPN. That was the only way I got my hockey fix and now the games they televise are few and far between. Another thing the IDIOT known as Bettman did was breaking up the tradition of the NHL...He renamed the Wales and Campbell conferences the Eastern and Western conferences!!! In addition, he broke up the traditional division names (Adams, Patrick, Norris, and Smyth), and he gave them names such as "Central" and "West" and the like! He's trying to make the league more like the NBA WHICH WILL NOT WORK IN THE NHL! Hockey and basketball fans are different breeds!!! Hockey purists are more caring about the TRADITION of the game, and this NBAization of the NHL by Bettman has left those of us "old school" hockey fans beyond PISSED!!! In addition, he's put new rules into the game that limit the amount of physical play that's allowed. I've been following the NHL by myself since the 80s now, and I really miss the classic fights of the league back then, and even in the early 90s! In today's soft NHL, thanks to Bettman, you won't see anything remotely close to a Probert/Domi altercation! GOD DO I MISS WHEN HOCKEY WAS!!! And, of course, I'll throw this out there too...... DETROIT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Prawn Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Was he the idiot that did that? My bf and I were discussing that at the hawks-Senators game we went to earlier this season. I asked him who changed it because I liked the old names better... I'd kill to see a probert-Domi fight -> those guys fight more than most hockey players (pro or minors) I've ever seen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 In no particular order, hockey has too many teams, too many games, to much playoffs, not enough talent, a .62 Canadian dollar, too many s***ty players on s***ty teams, Gary Bettman, the Ney York Rangers, The Detroit Red Wings, too high ticket prices, a very ignorant majority of major pro sports media, I'm sure I could go on but you get the point. They will have to have a salary cap and figure a way to stop the (according to Brett Hull) 75% of the players are over paid. It's worked really well in some U.S. markets and horrible in others, give up on the ones that don't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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