From: stanm@comm.mot.com (Stan Macasieb)
Subject: Re: Which Team is More Popular:NBA or NHL?
Reply-To: stanm@comm.mot.com
Organization: Motorola
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 16:07:31 GMT

In article 714923824@craft.camp.clarkson.edu, farenebt@craft.camp.clarkson.edu (Bri Farenell) writes:
>MLINDROOS@finabo.abo.fi (Marcus Lindroos INF) writes:

>
>>-In WASHINGTON, the Bullets have had difficulty drawing fans during the last
>>few seasons. Meanwhile, the Capitals have been contenders (if inconsistent)
>>since the mid-1980s and have done well at the gate. Racism again? WASHINGTON
>>POST once claimed that the Caps are the team for Washington's white population,
>>they even urge their fans to wear white when attending their home games! All
>>this in a city that's predominantly black (70%). Hockey takes this one.
>
>Racism, yeah, right. A) Hockey has a Canadian heritage and they are much
>fewer blacks north of the border than here in the States. B) The "wear
>white" thing might have something to do with one of the teams colors. Teams
>in Vancouver and Winnipeg and other cities have white-clad fans who aren't
>called racist. Besides, how many blacks play hockey anyways (esp. vs the NBA)
>

Keep in mind that the Bullets are really refugees from Baltimore and that
the DC area still hasn't taken them quite to heart as they do the Caps.
Bullets management, plus their talent pool during the 80s, had
a lot to do with their lack of success.
		
>
>If loyalty has any part in this, hockey fans in NYR, Boston and Chicago
>certainly kill their basketball counterparts. You, yourself, even said
>that the hoops teams didn't draw well until they started winning (in all
>3 cases) while the hockey team drew well, win or lose.
>

The point of the original post was meant to be a shallow observation of
the attendance between the two winter leagues that share cities. Loyalty
has something to do with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin (not the Bulls)
drawing huge crowds every night. If the Bulls are smart, they will be
able to hang onto their fans and keep them as interested in hoops as the
legion of Blackhawks fans to their hockey. 

Popularity can also be measured by the amount of ink a team gets during the
course of a regular season. Over the last decade, the Bulls have gotten
more prime real estate on the sports section  than the Hawks. Not a indication
of loyalty, but of popularity. There may be loyal fans, but they'll have
to 1) bash the media for not paying attention to them and 2) search page 3
for the box score of last night's game.

******************************************************************************
--Stan Macasieb (stanm@comm.mot.com)              |  A brain cramp,
--Motorola, Land Mobile Products Sector           |  that's what it
--Schaumburg, IL (just another suburb of Chicago) |  is, a brain cramp!
--------------------------------------------------|
~~The opinion expressed in this post is not       |  "You got a problem
~~necessarily those of this corporation.          |   with that?" 
~~Copyright 1992, all rights reserved.            |   -- Roger Clemens
******************************************************************************

Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey