The hardest core of fans

Few sports translate worse to television than hockey (which is why it is easily the least popular of the four major) – the speed of the game just doesn’t come across the screen. Hockey is much faster in person – faster than any other sport. That and cheaper tickets (again: least popular) can make it a fun evening. Plus the atmosphere for a solid team is great – hockey doesn’t attract casual fans (well not usually – I am recalling Michael Jordan throwing on a Blackhawks sweater when they made a run in 2010).

To wit: I went to the 23rd game in the Blackhawks 24 game win streak. This was a day where a huge snow storm hit and shut down schools and businesses across the city. The United Center was still packed and proud. Fans were even in standing room sections and stool the whole game.

Added bonus: because hockey is low end, it often adopts promotional ideas from minor-league baseball. I can’t count the number of inter-period pee-wee hockey games I have seen (helps to build the next generation of players too, when most kids are thinking football, basketball, or baseball).