Hockey was once one of the four major American sports. The big four were the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. But yet, even as some in those group dominate the others (the NFL dominates all sports in terms of popularity), the NHL has not been able to really keep up with the others.
In fact, hockey is not truly considered to be in that big four grouping any longer. Of course, a more accurate description of the sports climate might show that NASCAR and MMA have joined the NFL, NBA and MLB in that top tier. Hockey however is on the outside looking in, no longer enjoying the popularity it once did.
How did this happen to the NHL? Was it the entire season that was lost to the lockout that did this? No, that wasn't the reason, that lost year to the lockout was actually a symptom of the problem itself. The lockout was held because salaries were getting out of control and many franchises, outside of the most popular ones such as the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings, simply could not afford to keep paying as much to their players as they were.
They weren't making enough revenue to pull it off. Revenue is brought in for sports teams through several areas, the most important of which are television rights and ticket sales. As the popularity of the sport waned, these sources of income did as well. Therefore the lockout was a result of the problem, not the cause of the problem.
The lockout however certainly didn't help the situation. When hockey returned the next season they made a deal with the network known as OLN - now Versus - to broadcast their weekly national games. However that cable station reaches only a small fraction of the homes that the major networks reach. This means that hockey simply isn't viewable by a great deal of the population, leaving it in a spot where it can hardly increase its popularity.
Adding to this problem is the fact that hockey isn't the most captivating sport to watch on television. It is a fantastic sport to take in live. This helps explain why the sport is so popular in major metropolitan areas where there is a hockey team. These fans get to go to the games and take in the rabid culture. You can hear the turns and stops of the skating, you can feel the jarring checks as players hit the ice and fall into the boards. The speed and precise nature of the game comes out in a way that it simply cannot on television. Those people who never see a game in person therefore, may not even know what they are missing out on by not being a hockey fan.
Therefore the answer to the question is that no, hockey is no longer one of the major sports in this country. It has lost it's place in that upper echelon, and is struggling for a strategy to get back. It needs to find a way to make its television games more exciting, while also getting those games aired in a spot where more people can view them. Until both of those happen it may be hard for the NHL to regain the spotlight it once had.
In fact, hockey is not truly considered to be in that big four grouping any longer. Of course, a more accurate description of the sports climate might show that NASCAR and MMA have joined the NFL, NBA and MLB in that top tier. Hockey however is on the outside looking in, no longer enjoying the popularity it once did.
How did this happen to the NHL? Was it the entire season that was lost to the lockout that did this? No, that wasn't the reason, that lost year to the lockout was actually a symptom of the problem itself. The lockout was held because salaries were getting out of control and many franchises, outside of the most popular ones such as the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings, simply could not afford to keep paying as much to their players as they were.
They weren't making enough revenue to pull it off. Revenue is brought in for sports teams through several areas, the most important of which are television rights and ticket sales. As the popularity of the sport waned, these sources of income did as well. Therefore the lockout was a result of the problem, not the cause of the problem.
The lockout however certainly didn't help the situation. When hockey returned the next season they made a deal with the network known as OLN - now Versus - to broadcast their weekly national games. However that cable station reaches only a small fraction of the homes that the major networks reach. This means that hockey simply isn't viewable by a great deal of the population, leaving it in a spot where it can hardly increase its popularity.
Adding to this problem is the fact that hockey isn't the most captivating sport to watch on television. It is a fantastic sport to take in live. This helps explain why the sport is so popular in major metropolitan areas where there is a hockey team. These fans get to go to the games and take in the rabid culture. You can hear the turns and stops of the skating, you can feel the jarring checks as players hit the ice and fall into the boards. The speed and precise nature of the game comes out in a way that it simply cannot on television. Those people who never see a game in person therefore, may not even know what they are missing out on by not being a hockey fan.
Therefore the answer to the question is that no, hockey is no longer one of the major sports in this country. It has lost it's place in that upper echelon, and is struggling for a strategy to get back. It needs to find a way to make its television games more exciting, while also getting those games aired in a spot where more people can view them. Until both of those happen it may be hard for the NHL to regain the spotlight it once had.
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