NHL: Acquiring new fans almost too much of a challenge!

[zipyaj]

Appearing on page 1 of the Wall Street Journal's May 23rd Business section is Mathew Futterman's article, Goal: To Make Fans Love Hockey which includes interviews with Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner, and John Collins, a 46-year-old former National Football League executive who joined the NHL 18 months ago.

IHC readers may find this article of to be interest relative to references in these forums about the growth of inline hockey and of hockey in general.

Some of the conclusions reached therein include that Hockey is tribal. NHL research shows 50% of NHL fans won't watch the finals if their favorite team isn't playing. Television ratings for hockey grow just 41% in the playoffs which compare dismally to other sports.

The responsibility of persuading sports fans that hockey is worth watching again has fallen to John Collins. He convinced Mr. Bettman to forget about growth and focus instead on getting North America's 53 million self-described hockey fans to start acting as though they love the sport. "The question is, how do you build incremental behavior," Mr. Collins says. "To talk about acquiring new fans at this point in our development is almost too much of a challenge."


Marketing Hockey to Hockey...
In this observer's opinion, while I understand the objective for unification (council the tribes), Mr. Collins advice is short-sighted. It would appear that hasn't seen a street or roller hockey game to know where his future players, fans, TV viewers, ticket and merchandise buyers come from, or how easy they are to convert to loyal tribesman. Like so many others, he keeps preaching to the same old choir.

This article may be accessed at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121150452375216175.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[RichardGraham]

Hi Jay,

I haven't read the article yet, but I agree with your assessment that the NHL needs to tap into (and support!) the grassroots inline hockey market like they did back in the '90s.

If they put a little effort into supporting inline hockey leagues in each of their NHL cities, I believe it would pay big dividends down the line.

[bkorea]

What real hockey fans need to do is take their hockey hateing fans to games and show them that it really is a great sport. I continuously take friends to games that think the sport is boring and stupid, and they come away amazed at the speed and entertainment value of the games. We had a group of 12 at the first playoff game between the Caps and Flyers this year and every single one of the guys I took was pumped to be at the game, and couldn't believe the atmosphere. Some of the guys took their kids, which got them hooked on the game as well. They all told me that they had never been to a louder more electric stadium in their lives, and I have to agree with them about that, for this years playoffs at least. But we need fans to sell the league along with the NHL, because they obviously aren't doing enough hockey is a great sport and it sells itself if people go to the games its just a matter of getting the people to the stadium one time and they will be hooked.

[ACCCT2]

Felt this was important enough to post --

I (and my partner) actually met with John Collins at the NHL's offices in NYC earlier this year -- trust me, he's very small-time in terms of any kind of "vision" and/or actual experience/results (check his very middling, mid-level and unimpressive NFL/Browns resume if you really want to know the scoop on him).

Actually meeting and talking with him was quite a disappointing and (for the sport and league itself) an incredibly damning revelation of the NHL's almost inexplicably consistent ability ("talent"?) for always seeming to hire the absolutely worst guy possible for the job. With no natural marketing talent, let alone any genuine affinity or affection for the game, he clearly relies way too much upon commissioned surveys and poll-takers, as opposed to actual "boots on the ground" ("skates on the ice/court"?) to get his so-called "tribal" verdict about the sport (the same "account-guy-bunko-spiel" he tried to run by us when we had our meeting with him). Richard, you and I -- we both know "bs" nothings like him who, even with an almost amazingly evident lack of any discernable talent or vision whatsoever, somehow "Peter-Principle" their way up and through various levels of the "game" (the Broadway show "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" comes immediately to mind -- the guy was finally stopped by another "bs-proof" ad-guy, eh!).

This year's Stanley Cup Finals numbers alone totally rebuke and shoot-down his "tribal" premise, as the Versus viewership numbers are way up and the best they've ever had for any program except one (Lance Armstrong's TD'F victory). That so-called "tribal" fans of the sport are watching the Wings/Pens series in droves is proof-positive that they aren't by any means "tribal" (as in watching only their own local team), but in fact just want a good and entertaining on-ice product to watch. Trust me, Collins is a no-talent/no-clue "bs" flack-hack who's only at the NHL because ONLY the NHL, desperate for anything "NFL-like", was dumb enough to actually hire him and buy his scientifc-sounding, over-their-Canuckle-heads "bunko-spiel"...