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Mississauga has had its days where it was very well attended, it's in a down period. As for how Charlottetown and the Maritimes can support these teams better... How about because there aren't many other options? The only show in town is the Junior team (or AHL team in St. John's). Toronto has an NHL team, an NBA team, an MLB team, a CFL team, an MLS team, an NLL team, an AHL team, numerous junior teams, etc. Saying Toronto should be able to support 20 Junior teams is ignoring any and all human geography factors other than sheer population. By that logic Montreal should have more than an NHL team, an MLS team and a suburban Junior team. Does that make it a terrible market? How about Vancouver with an NHL team, a CFL team, a failed NBA team and a Junior team? Calgary with an NHL team, a CFL team and one Junior team? I can keep going etc. etc. |
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Even though it's an original 6 market, hockey is just not a big deal in NYC. In some ways it's a crazy fluke that they even ended up with 3 NHL teams. I know the Islanders exist only because the NHL wanted to keep the WHA out of the then-new Nassau Coliseum in the 70s. |
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Hockey is about as niche and non-mainstream in the US as it gets. At least among 20-somethings, I feel like soccer (especially EPL and MLS) combined are a bit more popular. And that says something. Toronto is the NHL's most valuable franchise -- valued at about $1 billion; approximately twice the value of the Montreal Canadiens. Toronto has the world's largest and best development league (GTHL). Southern Ontario produces more players than any other province or state. Toronto produces more players than any other city in the world. Obviously, if you carve out some ethnic enclave, you can point to it and say, HA! No hockey fandom there. But even then, Toronto is a lot like Vancouver in that many South Asians and East Asians, especially of second generation, follow the Leafs avidly. Although many will also follow, for example, the Raptors. There are dozens of examples of Toronto not adopting something because it is not international enough, or adopting something because it is international. Hockey is not an example of that. Hockey is very domestic. As someone living in the US, hockey is definitely small potatoes here. |
^ I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that the Toronto Maple Leafs are essentially the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the NHL. In other words, a very, very enthusiastic hotbed of fan support despite the fact that virtually all other markets are more lukewarm.
There's a reason that Forbes values the Leafs at $1 billion with the next two teams being worth significantly less (NY Rangers, $750M; Montreal, $575M). Once you get beyond those 3 big-money teams, the range for the remaining 27 teams plummets to a comparatively meager $130M-$350M. |
The news isn't all bad regarding the United States and hockey. The percentage of American born players has slowly increased to about 24% (http://www.quanthockey.com/TS/TS_Pla...ionalities.php). And the NHL has seen a massive revenue increase under Bettman.
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Hockey in the US is a marginal, niche sport at best - but those who are into it LOVE it to a degree that puts most Canadians to shame.
In Canada, "everyone is a hockey fan". But most people I know are casual fans at best. It's our religion and national obsession, but only in the same sense that "everyone is a Christian" in places where most people are the C&E type at best. Americans that I meet who are into hockey seem to be more knowledgeable and more passionate than most Canadian fans, by a long shot. It's very weird. I can parrot an earlier comment that whenever anyone finds out I'm Canadian, the conversation turns to nothing but hockey talk. It helps that because players aren't generally treated as celebrities, they're far more approachable down south. So I hear a lot of stories of people going out for beers with pretty big name stars, things like that. Stuff that almost never happens here. Sure, a friend of a friend of a cousin once saw Iginla at the local Co-op picking up some milk, but for the most part our players need to keep a much lower profile. Of course the problem in the US is that in most markets, there simply aren't enough fans overall. But an individual fan is a FAN in the truest sense of the word. |
Don't forget about the WNBA.
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I just don't think that Leafs fandom or hockey's popularity in Toronto can be classified in the category of 'things Torontonians like because foreigners like it.' |
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The major cities not only have four or five pro teams, but they also have massive college football and basketball support for one, two or more teams in addition to that. Not to mention the other college sports that put ours to shame (not that I necessarily think that big-time college sports dominating what is supposed to be an intellectual academy is a good thing). Toronto has the "big four" sports, but then you go down the road to Detroit, and not only do they have those, but they have 100,000 fans attending football games at U. of Michigan. And several other smaller universities nearby also have followings that dwarf what the U. of Toronto gets. The U.S. is sports mad. We're hockey mad. Two very different things. |
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All I hear are reasons why attendance is POOR. That doesn't mean it's good, now does it? All you're showcasing is that poor support for sports isn't just a Toronto issue. |
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I think it's just that when you have a massive population -- the third largest population in the world that continues to grow rapidly for Western standards -- even niche sports, like hockey, soccer, and basketball (which is somewhat non-mainstream compared to football and baseball) will get fans. With Canada's tiny population, it's harder for the niche sports to flourish. But I do agree that in a general sense, Americans love their sports. But football comes first and foremost. |
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