On Mon, 31 Mar 1997, Larry Winer wrote:
 
> Let's be real. Foreign basketball players are 1 or 2 % as opposed to UND with
> 13 of 20. When Americans play (ie Oylmpics) the American public gets excited.
> Hockey's greatest moment in the US was the 1980 Olympics.
 
While this is true, it is not solely because it was only Americans
playing. If that were the case, then the 1996 World Cup win would equal
it. The reason the 1980 win was so big is because it was against the
USSR (no one remembers that they actually won gold by beating Finland)
and that the Russians went into the game favoured by a huge margin.
 
> As more Americans enter the pro game the sport has become more popular south
> of the 49th parallel while the NHL is not drawing the way it used to in
> Canada.
 
This has little to do with the nationality of the players. There has not
been a sudden bump in the number of Americans in the NHL. It has been
steadily on the rise, but it hasn't suddenly shot up, as you seem to
suggest.
 
Canadian complaints about Americanization are mre aimed towards the
marketing aspect of things. We see Gary Bettman as bending over backwards
to help American teams, while barely paying lip service to the Canadian
teams. (It probably is in reality a large market-small market thing,
given Hartford's imminent departure, but that's a topic for another list).
We're more upset by the glowing puck than Mike Richter.
 
> I mean for years the Expos wanted Canadian baseball players- nothing
> wrong with that it is only natural.
 
This is a misstatement of the Expos' situation. The Expos *had* a
Canadian star, Larry Walker. Few tears were shed when he left. They would
like a French-Canadian star, but even the novelty of that wears off. It
is not as if Olympic Stadium suddenly sells out whenever Rheal Cormier
pitches. That said, using the Montreal sports market as a basis for any
argument is a bad idea. Montrealers care only about the Canadiens. They will
support other sports only if they win.
 
When it comes down to it, I think fans really only care about whether a
team wins or not.
 
> Hockey would succeed at Rutgers (there are over 25 D1 players from NJ right
> now) and at Penn State. It all comes down to promotion and selling the game.
 
Perhaps, but it wil be a struggle in the early going. At both those
places, hockey will be the second or third winter sport. Should either
(or both) of those places decide to go varsity, I would hope that the
respective Athletic Department would take the time to promote the team,
and ensure that it gets ink and support from the student body. If they
are not prepared to do so, I would rather that they not bother.
 
See you later,
John
 
--
John Edwards, BA                  Minister of Chasing Wild Geese (DNRC)  O-
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               "He is SUCH a freak!" - Edie Edwards (Age 16)
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