From: prb@chinet.chi.il.us (Paul Botts)
Subject: Re: Hawks News 12-24
Organization: Chinet - Public Access UNIX
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 22:20:08 GMT

In article <1992Dec24.180139.9128@news.acns.nwu.edu> scholvin@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (John Scholvin) writes:
>OBSERVATION: The media here in Chicago are *really* pissing me
>off. The Hawks are the hottest thing in the NHL right now, 8-1-1
>in their last 10 and their goals against average is miles ahead
>of everyone else's and dropping. But what do we see in the
>Tribune and Sun Times? Endless wailing and whining about the
>Bears, and worse, the Bulls, who everyone says are "slumping."
>Right: 17-7, second best record in the league. Some slump. What's
>more outrageous is TV coverage. Last night's 10:00 news, which
>was a good 45 minutes after the game ended, had next to no
>highlights of the game (I did see the Roenick hit, but only one
>of Larmer's goals). They still have time to weep and moan about
>Greg Maddux leaving, though. THIS IS INSANE! Belfour is having a
>career year, Larmer is blistering, the team defense is almost
>invincible right now, and they are putting distance between
>themselves and the rest of the Norris division. But the media
>here still want to piss and bitch about whether Harbuagh and
>Ditka will be here next year. The only hope, and this is a
>terrifying thing to say, is Mike North on WSCR.
>
>All I want for Christmas is some respect for hockey in Chicago!
>(World peace would be nice, too. :)

Well, I am a devout Hawks fan and hockey fan in general, and I have had
more than my fill of coverage of the Bears and Cubs, too, but I have to
say I understand perfectly why such imbalances occur.
1) The NHL in general, and Bill Wirtz in particular, have all the
marketing and public-relations savvy of my dog. No, check that - my dog
at least knowe enough to look grateful when she gets patted on the head.
So while it pains me to say it, it is clear that in terms of the number
of devoted fans, the Hawks are a *distant* fifth in Chicago. This will
remain true so long as Wirtz owns the team and fighting is allowed - I
can't tell how many big sports fans I know who enjoy watching Olympic
hockey on TV but have absolutely no interest in watching or attending
Hawks games, and the first reason cited is alwasy the fights. It's not
necessarily that the violence is offensive, its that it interrupts the
game and makes it last so long. I know a guy who is a big boxing fan,
but won't attend a Hawk game until the fighting is eliminated. Plus,
having kept the Hawks off free TV for an entire generation, Wirtz has
simply written off one whole generation of fans. Next time you're at a
game, look around and count the number of people undeer the age of 20.
It won't take you more than the fingers on one hand.
2) I think the sportswriters and their editors have gotten quite jaded
about the NHL regular season. AFter all, how many times do teams finish
with great regular-season records and then flame out in the playoffs? Or
conversely, look how many teams with mediocre regular-season records
turn it on come April and storm to the Finals. More than any other
sport, the NHL has relegated its regular season to almost exhibition
status, at least for the top 10 teams or so. That has not been reflected
in the attendance in CHicago, but I think it is refelcetd in the media
coverage. In the NBA, there is a much better correlation between
regular-season performance and playoff performance, so the regular
season games don't seem so meaningless.
3) The Bulls are the most successful franchise in any sport this town
has seen in decades, so they are ging to keep dominating winter news
coverage until the Hawks do something like win a Cup. This is as it
should be; they've earned it.
4) The Bears have been very successful, and have a great pr/marketing
department. If they have another season like this one, you will see
their ink start to drop off next year, but for now, they're still living
on recently past glories. I know it has been 7 years since they won it
all, but they've continued to be a threat, and besides, winning it all
once is worth much more than making the playoffs 24 years in a row or
whatever it is that the Hawks have going.
5) It seems clear to me, and I think to the local press too, that the
Hawks are not among the top 2 or 3 teams in the NHL. They are among the
top 6 or 8, but without another scorer they are only an outside threat,
at best, for the Cup. And the Penguins own them. So unless the Pens get
shot down in the Wales COnference playoffs, and the Hawks get a winger
who can score, I see no reason why the local media should take their
current hot streak all that seriously. Hard to swallow, perhaps, but
true.