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WHat is it about football that makes so many people enjoy watching it. I often wonder how a sport like football does so well and a sport like hockey does so poorly.

people understand "pass interference"

people don't understand "icing"

Most of it is familiarity, I think. Anyone, any time, can grab a couple other people and go out and throw a football around. Not too many chances to spontaneously run outside and play hockey in, say, California. So, vastly more people have played the game and can follow it, know the rules, and can put themselves into the place of one of the players because they've tried to do what that player is doing with football than they can with hockey.

Also, it is MUCH easier to follow something the size of the football on TV than something the size of a hockey puck. Maybe the TV crews at places like Fox Sports Net aren't anywhere near as good as the ones on CBC, cause even though I watch a fair amount of hockey, following where the puck is on TV can be pretty hard, and that's the way most people in the States end up seeing hockey.

Finally, part of it is that many hockey fans, especially Canadians, have tended to be snobs about the sport. Rather than trying to educate new people about the sport and explain the more esoteric rules, they offer disdain. They treated it as some kind of club, where outsiders weren't welcome.

-Arlos

Sometimes explaing parts of hockey is hard to people that dont know it. Only time i ever had a hard time with the puck is when they put that glowing light thing in it. Never really thought obut the goin outside playin football vs hockey tho perhaps thats it. I just wish more people cared bout hockey I think it deserves the same coverage as the other sports. Was hockey the only sport you could have a tie in ?

Arlos wrote:Most of it is familiarity, I think. Anyone, any time, can grab a couple other people and go out and throw a football around. Not too many chances to spontaneously run outside and play hockey in, say, California. So, vastly more people have played the game and can follow it, know the rules, and can put themselves into the place of one of the players because they've tried to do what that player is doing with football than they can with hockey.

Also, it is MUCH easier to follow something the size of the football on TV than something the size of a hockey puck. Maybe the TV crews at places like Fox Sports Net aren't anywhere near as good as the ones on CBC, cause even though I watch a fair amount of hockey, following where the puck is on TV can be pretty hard, and that's the way most people in the States end up seeing hockey.

Finally, part of it is that many hockey fans, especially Canadians, have tended to be snobs about the sport. Rather than trying to educate new people about the sport and explain the more esoteric rules, they offer disdain. They treated it as some kind of club, where outsiders weren't welcome.

-Arlos

You're not welcome. Fuck off.

some of my favorite childhood memories was playing street hockey with my older brother and his friends. its pretty common to see anywhere from 2 to 15 kids runnin around in the streets with hockey sticks and makeshift nets around here.

Yea but i think thats cuz were from this northernland dude. I got the same memories street hockey was way intense, like go home bleeding intense.

I will never forget the time i got hit in the nuts and couldnt walk for like a week. Missed skool and shit it was terrible.

Arlos wrote:Most of it is familiarity, I think. Anyone, any time, can grab a couple other people and go out and throw a football around. Not too many chances to spontaneously run outside and play hockey in, say, California. So, vastly more people have played the game and can follow it, know the rules, and can put themselves into the place of one of the players because they've tried to do what that player is doing with football than they can with hockey.

It's just a cultural thing. americans love baseball and football, and to a lesser degree basketball

Canadians love Hockey and to lesser degrees football and curling

Indians love Cricket
the Brits love soccer and rugby
etc, etc

It's just whatever you grow up with

Also, it is MUCH easier to follow something the size of the football on TV than something the size of a hockey puck.

black puck, on white ice
it's not hard. The difference is when you really know hockey well, you understand where the puck should be, and if you lose sight of it for a sec, you can find it again relatively quickly

Finally, part of it is that many hockey fans, especially Canadians, have tended to be snobs about the sport. Rather than trying to educate new people about the sport and explain the more esoteric rules, they offer disdain. They treated it as some kind of club, where outsiders weren't welcome.

I don't see this much, but I think I know what you're getting at

The reason is a lot of times, people who aren't familiar with hockey don't try to understand, or don't treat the game with the respect we feel it deserves


that being said, (and completely non-sarcastic) if you want to know something about hockey, just ask.

I didn't read thread, but i'm sure it's been said.

As a kid you can go play football anytime, you can't do the same with hockey. Putting on rollerblades, and finding something to make two goals out of, and finding kids who have actualy hockey sticks is hard to do. Kid's grow up liking Football, and don't change their mind.

Susvain wrote:I didn't read thread, but i'm sure it's been said.

As a kid you can go play football anytime, you can't do the same with hockey. Putting on rollerblades, and finding something to make two goals out of, and finding kids who have actualy hockey sticks is hard to do. Kid's grow up liking Football, and don't change their mind.

where you live maybe, not around here

Everyone in Canada owns a hockey stick, so you just need to find a ball and something to make a net out of.

Another thing is that football season is only 16 games, so each and every one is important. Stuff like hockey / baseball that has 80-160 games per the season gets boring and the only games that perceivably matter are the playoffs, which are pretty fun to watch.

Zanchief wrote:Everyone in Canada owns a hockey stick, so you just need to find a ball and something to make a net out of.

After seeing "Clerks" I am inclined to believe the north states of the US are the same.