Today is a historic day in America. No, it’s not the start of MLK Day weekend. No, it’s not about the NFL playoffs going on.
Today is the start of the National Hockey League’s 2012-2013 season.
I know, you probably had no idea. The NHL hasn’t exactly been the example of a successful public relations campaign. It’s quite the opposite, to be honest.
The season was nearly lost before an 11th hour deal was agreed between the NHL and the NHL Players Association on January 6, before being ratified on January 9th, setting the stage for a 48-game intraconference season, and ending the fourth lockout in 20 years with Gary Bettman sitting as NHL Commissioner.
The NHL now has a lot of work to do. What was once a respectable league that had fans around the country, can now count on their hands the amount of fans they have outside the northern United States. Phoenix still has no owner, the Los Angeles media still has no idea who the Kings are, and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky would rather stay in his home country of Slovakia than earn $5,600,000 for the New York Islanders.
However, there is hope. The NHL can help restore its shattered reputation over the next few years with a few unlikely, but simple changes.
1) Cut Ticket Prices:
Everyone knows that in American professional sports, ticket prices have risen higher and higher, as have player salaries. Nowadays, the average NFL ticket costs $78.38. Baseball tickets are $26. The NBA? $47.66. (Source: Team Marketing Report). Add transportation+parking, food and drink, and souvenirs, and its no wonder why many fans feel that a generation is missing out on attending sporting events.
According to Team Marketing Report’s last survey of NHL prices, released in October 2010, the average NHL ticket was $54.25. That’s an incredibly high number for a team with at least 41 home games in a regular season.
If NHL teams continue their policy of exclusion to the middle and lower classes, they will start to see their fan base disappear in some cities, if it hasn’t happened already.
2) Create Supporters Sections:
Ever since finding out last summer that soccer (football) is drawing more to stadiums on average than hockey or basketball, I have surmised one of the main reasons to be the atmosphere of the event.
And after writing about my experience at a hockey match in Sweden last December, I believe this even more.
I think Americans love attending college athletics for two reasons. To feel part of a unified group, all cheering for one team, and to be part of an electric atmosphere that is never seen in professional sports, at least until the playoffs.
In a way, this is exactly the route the NBA, and more importantly, the NHL, need to take. Create a section behind one of the goals with the most passionate fans. Let them bring flags. Let them stand and sing and shout. Let them create an atmosphere, so that it doesn’t feel like sitting in a library when at some hockey venues.
In Major League Soccer, the creation of supporters groups for each of the 19 teams has gone a long way into the successes of the teams on the pitch and at the box office. The NHL has every chance to succeed in the same way.
3) Get into America’s Living Rooms:
ESPN may not be the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” but like it or not, they are the king of sports in the United States. They may deny that they “make the news” but what they decide to talk about is eventually what the rest of the country ends up talking about.
The NFL, MLS, and NBA have all recognized this, and have taken advantage, signing deals with the media giant to keep their products on televisions around the country. ESPN is currently in 98.5 million homes, as well as very bar/pub/restaurant in the nation.
Currently, the NHL has what seems to be a good deal with NBC Universal, who has worked to bring the old Versus, now NBC Sports Network, into more homes than ever before, 75 million according to their numbers.
Still, NBC Sports Network doesn’t yet have a good enough reputation for the average sports fan to make that channel the first they turn on when they get home from work. And until that happens, the NHL will have trouble making new fans from around the country.
The chance to get into more homes could be the best marketing strategy for the post-lockout NHL.
4) Create More Stars and Story Lines:
The NFL has succeeded recently because there are so many story lines, that there is always something new to talk about. Whether it’s an injury, the play of a rookie, or the firing of a head coach, it’s amazing how few people talk about the replacement referee’s debacle that ensnared the American sporting public last September.
More importantly, the NFL each season has new stars for fans and the media to gawk over. This year it’s been Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russel Wilson as the rookie QB has found success. Last year, it was Tebow mania as well as Drew Brees breaking the record for most passing yards in a season.
Ignore for the moment that these guys are all quarterbacks. Outside of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, can the average sports fan name any other top players in the NHL? My guess is no, though there is plenty of talent all around, from Claude Giroud in Philadelphia to Patrick Kane in Chicago, to Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles.
The NHL needs to market these stars better so that the average fan knows their name, and this will make their product all that more appealing to watch on a day-to-day basis.
5) Move Teams Back North:
This one is the most likely of all five points I am outlining in this blog post. Though I agreed that it was likely a good idea at first, the time has come to swallow their pride, and for the NHL owners to understand that they can never have a profitable hockey franchise in places like Phoenix, Nashville, Dallas, and Tampa (Carolina is the exception, as the Hurricanes are the only pro team in Raleigh, so there is an open market for fans to embrace).
The likes of Hamilton, Ontario and Quebec City should have the opportunity to have their own NHL franchises, despite what the owners of the Maple Leafs and Canadians say.
Cities like Seattle and Portland, who have embraced their soccer teams as if they had existed for 300 years, could be able to bring the same kind of passion and excitement for a hockey team.
Currently both locations have WHL franchises that have been successful on the ice, and in the stands.
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It remains to be seen how many fans the NHL has lost over the latest lockout debacle. Many of the diehards came back after 2004-2005, and will come back this time as well, but plenty of the other fans have decided to take a stand against the owners and players, and not follow the sport any longer.
The NHL will need to do a lot to win those fans back. For one, they can start by using my suggestions, and maybe give me a six-figure salary. That would be nice.
What do you think of these points? Are there any you agree or disagree with? Would you make any changes to anything I have suggested, or add more? Has soccer replaced hockey as the fourth sport in Americas big four (including basketball football and baseball).
Please leave your comments below.
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