ESPN and World Domination

Quick, at the count of three say out loud who won the Stanley Cup last season.

One.

Two.

Three...

You don't know, do you? Well, the answer is the Anaheim Ducks. Now, name five players on the Ducks besides Goldberg and Gordon Bombay. Probably can't do that either. That's because ESPN has given the NHL as much airtime as women's billiards (which is fine).

What brought up this quiz was an article I read in this months ESPN Magazine (which is a great magazine by the way, I recommend it over Sports Illustrated and Sporting News, but right below Penthouse). Mike Greenburg and Mike Golic wrote that the reason Hockey isn't as popular as the other major sports is because they don't have any recognizable superstars. They said most Americans could be standing right next to Sidney Crosby in a bar and not even know it's him (which is good because he isn't 21 yet).

The lack of the recognizable athlete is what keeps the casual fan disinterested. Every sport has loyal fans, but its the casual fans that boost the popularity. They are the fans who tune in just to see the superstars like LT, Kobe or Albert Pujols.

And ESPN is solely responsible for this. I think it has become obvious that ESPN controls what is newsworthy in the sports world. If they want to promote a game on prime time, they advertise the hell out of it, making it seem like the game of the century, and people buy into it. But they haven't had any NHL games since the strike. Which means hockey is low priority. If it isn't on their airwaves, then there is no need to promote it.

Think hard to last time SportsCenter devoted more than 10 minutes to the ice. Barry Melrose must work about five minutes a night on the air. Which sucks for him because it probably takes him at least thirty minutes to fix up his mullet.

So until ESPN gets the rights back to air the games, don't expect the NHL's popularity to rise to any new levels. You may hate it, but it's smart business. ESPN has us in the palm of their hands.