While curled up watching the Stanley Cup finals last night, all three overtimes of it, I had a small debate with a close girl friend about the sport of hockey. My love of the game was challenged with a question of which states 'actually follow hockey,' followed by comments alluding to a small following of the sport. I gave her the benefit of the doubt on this one, given that our city does not have an NHL team, neither did her small college of under 5,000. Further conversation led to a statement that blew my mind, and ended the debate purely out of frustration: soccer is just as popular, and as big a money maker, as hockey. Maybe if we're talking ages 6-12 but I've got NHL on the brain, and on the TV at the moment.Now I pride myself on being an avid sports enthusiast and last night my sports knowledge was challenged - and I'll be the first to admit I'm out for blood in such challenges; more to prove that I know what I'm talking about than to prove others wrong - that's just a bonus (kidding!). But given that I grew up watching Bill Laimbeer and Isiah Thomas run the court for the Pistons, and Steve Yzerman and Sergi Federov rule the ice for the Redwings, my passion in this issue lies not within being right (though I often argue for this fact alone...hey, at least I can admit it), but to defend those sports that have been such a large part of my life for so long.
During our short debate I had mentioned that when thinking of the "big 4" of sports in my mind they would be football, basketball, baseball, and hockey - both college and professional - as the most popular and the biggest revenue generators for cities and universities alike. Her argument is that more people in the U.S. play soccer than play hockey. This may very well be the case, given the nature of the sport as well as the amount of money it costs to play. This does not mean, however, that it has a larger following.
Now, I'm trying my hardest to see both sides of the debate, so I decided to do a little digging to find an objective answer and found the following in a Wikipedia article (about as official as I could find in my quick Internet search during commercials - good ole Stanley and The Joe were much more important at the time).
"Sports in the United States are an important part of the national culture. However, the sporting culture of the U.S. is different from that of many other countries. Compared to any other nation, Americans prefer a unique set of sports. For example, association football (soccer), the most popular sport in most countries, is not as popular in the U.S. compared to the four most popular team sports, namely, American football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey. The major leagues of each of these sports enjoy massive media exposure and are considered the preeminent competitions in their respective sports in the world. The preeminence of the major leagues is partially attributed to their strong financial power and huge domestic market, as well as the fact that relatively few other countries play some of their dominant sports, like American football, to any significant extent."
Thank you, Wikipedia, for making my opinions and knowledge of sports a little more valid. But because I don't always take Wikipedia's word as fact, I'd like to see what everyone else thinks. What do you consider to be the sports "big 4"?
Cheers!
-A
6 comments:
Editor's note: this post was not meant to belittle my friend. She is often right in arguments when I am way off base, however this topic touched close to home and I thought it best to seek out the opinion of my trusted, loyal readers. And I promise, I will not redicule you for your opinion - that's why I asked.
I am just getting into hockey - and the game last night was incredible - but I do a decent amount of research on attendance and profit for major sporting events and have to say NASCAR is definitely in the Top 4. It is conceivable to think that NASCAR could be on the same level as the NBA if this craze continues. Check this link and see how low soccer ranks: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_professional_sports_in_the_US_rank_in_popularity
I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of sports. Growing up, I watched NBA and college basketball so I could tell you who was on which team based on colors. I can still do that. Or, I would associate each player with who they were or weren't dating at that time. Sad, I know, but at least I can contribute to the conversation in some way.
I'm definitely gonna have to go with soccer over hockey... sorry.
narm - that was a crazy game! I'm a huge Red Wings fan and can't wait to see them win the Stanley Cup again. NASCAR didn't even cross my mind, to be honest. The sport drives me a little loopy (get it?). Though it's popularity has got to be on the rise. Thanks for sharing the soccer stats. The U.S is definitely not the norm given that the sport still ranks most popular in the world, but it's certainly not on my top 4.
allison m. - have you ever won an NCAA tournament bracket based on team colors? seems that every year I'm in a bracket where the winner choses the teams based on which uniform colors she liked best. And I'm still waiting for my win based on strategic picks and educational guesses on upsets...But I give you credit for trying to keep up in conversation - I'm sure the BF appreciates the effort.
playful - no apologies necessary. My "big 4" is just that and your opinion is much appreciated. I've also found lately that soccer is pretty popular in your neck of the woods. Sporting events are highly regional it seems.
Hockey definitely wins over soccer in the US and Canada. No question. I would wager that soccer is much bigger worldwide given its huge popularity in Latin America, Africa, and Europe. Cycling is also huge in Europe.
Bill Lambier and Isiah Thomas...those were the days. You can't forget Joe DUUUUMARS!
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