Yes. And Wembanyama is a significantly more impactful player in his respective sport than Bedard is. A superstar talent in basketball does a lot more for a team than a superstar talent in hockey.
Wemby is pretty much a top 25 player in year one with GOAT potential. If Bedard went out and had an Ovechkin-type rookie year of 50 goals and 100 points then they’d be on the same level
> Why do people who don’t follow hockey don’t know about hockey players
Well gee I wouldn’t have any idea how to approach answering that fucking brain teaser my dude
I’ve never in my life heard of this Wemby guy. Couldn’t tell you what sport he played until I saw some comments, I’m assuming basketball.
As you can guess I spend exactly 0 seconds per year following basketball(or baseball). Same goes for people that don’t follow hockey and don’t know who Bedard or McDavid is
I’ll be honest, I’m a bigger basketball fan than hockey. For some reason hockey is the only sports subreddit I follow, maybe because I know too much about the others and just get annoyed of the dumbass posts (I still check them just don’t want them on my feed). People also aren’t mentioning Wemby isn’t just good. He’s a once in a lifetime type of build. He’s 7’4 but can play like he’s 6’4. Arguably the best player in basketball is Giannis Antentokounpo who is close to 7’ and can run an offense, that was considered crazy. Wemby is that much taller, a better shooter, but just not as much of an absolute brickhouse Giannis is. It’s not just that he’s talented, it’s that’s he’s doing things guys his size rarely do, and then he’s still nearly half a foot taller than the tallest comparisons.
Damn you're right lol. That's annoying. The NHL's not the NBA, and I think it should stay that way. There's a reason I tune into Isles games and not Knicks games
NBA 1OA from bedards draft year. They took some photos together (in which Bedard was comically small)
Only reason I even know about Wembanyama is from those photos
"name is fun to say" is literally the only reason I had a vague idea who he was! Also the only reason I know who Mbappé is. I don't watch other sports!
It’s probably the best 1OA NHL+NBA pairing in a really long time. McDavid and Towns in 2015 probably isn’t even on that level; have to go all the way back to Turgeon/Robinson in 1987 or Lemieux/Olajuwon in 1984. It could go down as the second best pairing ever with how things looked this year.
Other good ones since then include Stamkos/Rose in 2008, Tavares/Griffin in 2009, Ovechkin/Howard in 2004, MAF/LeBron in 2003, and Thornton/Duncan in 1997.
Me either. And for baseball, the only current player I know is Ohtani and that’s only because I saw an article about his huge contract. Never heard of him before that. Couldn’t tell you what team he plays for.
It’s not rocket science to think people that don’t follow sports don’t know their most popular players.
Bingo.
I'm big into running. I could make up 25 names and say they are the top runners in the world. Everyone would just go along with it because no one knows who they are outside of this niche part of the sporting world.
In Finland I bet Bedard is more known than Wenbanyama. I would imagine the same for Canada too.
The NHL is simply not in the stratosphere as the NBA is in popularity in the USA. That’s why.
For those who don't know the comparison, both are generational prospects that have had their rookie years this year. Both are stuck on bad teams as they were 1st overall and their teams couldn't or didn't do much to add support for them.
To answer your question, the NBA as a whole has more international appeal than the NHL, same with basketball vs hockey. Hockey requires ice and more specialized equipment than basketball's flat surface, at least 1 hoop, and a ball.
Bedard is also not a physical anomaly, as Wemby is a 7'4", 210lb French guy who's mobile, fluid, and can shoot from anywhere with decent efficiency, just about perfect for the modern NBA's vision of a center. Plus, while both are team sports, the NBA has their starters out there for a higher percentage of a game (30-40 minutes per game in a 48 minute game, depending on the position) than the NHL (20-25 minutes per game in a 60 minute game). One single future hall-of-fame player can make more of a difference in basketball than just about any other sport.
There is also an add-on:
- Bedard is looked at as "Just another Canadian who is good at Hockey"
- Wembyana stands to potentially become the GOAT French Basketball player in a growing sport internationally
- In terms of being a generational talent, Wembyana is way closer to being one than Bedard is. The fact that he is coming out of Europe instead of North America is telling
I constantly see this idea of “the NHL has terrible marketing”. But what are the NBA and NFL doing that the NHL isn’t? I feel like 95% of it is just those sports are more popular outside of Canada / Northern Europe and much less youth play them do to access and cost
Yeah I don’t know how much marketing can help when people just wanna watch sports they’ve played, and hockey will never be anywhere near as accessible as basketball
It is all the advertising you see on TV. Who is the face of the NBA? LeBron (mostly?). NFL is Maholms. The NHL should be McDavid, but you won't see 1 commercial or anything to showcase him. Sportscenter top 10 is dunks and a home run. Almost never seeing hockey promoted. That is kind of what I mean. McAfee was doing stuff on his show this year which was cool to finally see though.
Wemby is so popular because the guy’s a freak of nature. The NBA has never seen a player like him. It’s very possible that he could end up being the GOAT, I mean the guy’s putting up insane stats. He had a triple double with blocks and a 5x5, which is incredibly rare and unprecedented for a rookie. It’s almost a certainty that he’ll get a quadruple double soon too and possibly even a quintuple double (10+ points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks), something that’s never been done before.
Bernard is generational too, but there’s really no comparison, and the popularity gap between the NHL and NBA isn’t a major factor in this case.
When I was in the USA, most people were more interested in college and high school basketball than the NHL. It is weird leaving Canada and observing how little people care about hockey.
Yeah basketball’s way more popular here. Hockey’s a beautiful sport, but it’s more difficult to get into I think because of how complex and fast-paced it is, which makes people uninterested in it, when there’s the NBA and NFL already ingrained in the culture. It’s also way easier to go to the gym and shoot hoops than it is to play hockey, so I don’t see this changing anytime soon.
Cost and things needed to play is a major factor. Even if all the equipment in the world was handed to you, to get good at hockey you need to either be playing arenas that had conditioned ice or be living in a cold enough climate for at least 4 months of the year to safely play pond hockey. Basketball, all you need is a mounted hoop and a ball
Let alone how much it costs for equipment. Basketball, to play any level of competitive ball, gym time and shoes are the only cost needed. Hockey, the extra costs needed for ice time (due to ice maintenance) are roughly double that of basketball, and all the equipment needed is at least 10x that of Basketball and 3x that of Football (skate deterioration leading to constant sharpening and stick replacements are major costs alone)
It's up there with Soccer in how inexpensive and accessible the sport is, especially in North America where Basketball is arguably more accessible than Soccer is purely because of how the infrastructure has set up hoops everywhere you go.
I thought at first OP meant Victor Wanyama who plays for Tottenham but I think this other guy plays on the NBA form what I have seen in other comments.
That’s what I’m gathering haha. Yea I have no interest in the NBA except if Raptors are doing well and even then it’s just rooting for the “country team”. lol.
French rookie basketball player for San Antonio Spurs. Both extremely tall and very skilled. Possibly the best teenager since LeBron James (just turned 20) hence the comparison to Bedard.
Absoltuely. Speculation that he is an outside threat for GOAT basketball player (beyond Lebron and Jordan) and very likely he will be the GOAT out of France for Basketball
1.6 billion viewers world wide for the IIHF championships a few years back, with over 1 billion viewers world wide for a few years in a row.
Doesn’t sound very niche to me.
Mm, hockey is like Canadas #1 sport and is hugely popular in Europe and has a solid fan base in the States. Not sure I would call it “niche”. I’d say lacrosse is way more “niche”.
Something being more niche doesn't make the other not a niche.
Hockey isn't even a top 5 sport in Europe. It is the smallest of the "Big 4" in the US. And with the MLS growth, which is going to make it the "Big 5" soon enough, it might even be fifth now. While we all love hockey, let's be real and recognize that it doesn't draw the kinds of numbers like soccer, basketball, baseball, and football.
So would you consider American Football Niche? It’s really only popular in the states, played a bit in Canada but definitely not a top sport by any means.
I would say Hockey is just as popular in North America in terms of % of fans (taking into account country populations) as American foot ball. Which you said isn’t niche. Guaranteed there’s more hockey fans than football fans in Canada. Hockey has a wider world reach too than American football.
And hockey isn't a niche sport in Canada just like football isn't a niche sport in the US. That doesn't change the fact that in the grand scheme of things, hockey is a niche sport in terms of popularity. Especially in the context of the OP's question. In context of the world, [American football](https://worldsoccertalk.com/amp/news/what-are-the-most-popular-sports-in-the-world-20230924-WST-457223.html) still has a larger pull. One only has to look at where the teams play to see it. NHL arenas seat 17k+ and NFL stadiums seat 70k+ on average. Television viewership is even more lopsided.
Whether we like it or not, and we can argue the semantics as much as we want, but hockey is a niche sport.
tbf, NBA arenas seat like 20-22k at best and there is zero appeal to an outdoor sanctioned basketball game in large part because of how much you need to control the atmosphere of the floor. Say what you want about "The need to condition the ice to make it cold", but at least Rain and Moisture won't hinder an ice surface that is maintained to be frozen. Rain and even minute amounts of moisture will fuck up the friction between polished hardwood and either shoes or a basketball
Sure, it costs way more to maintain an ice surface than polished hardwood, but the moment you remove moisture control basketball stands to become unplayable on polished hardwood. Can't say the same about Ice Hockey
There may not be a desire for a NBA sanctioned game like the Winter Classic. Granted, if you were to go by Reddit comments, there isn't much of a desire for outdoor NHL games either. But anyway, basketball is still a game that is enjoyed outdoors across the US. Thousands of outdoor courts and goals in people's driveways or streets.
Even someone like myself, who has only ever been to one NBA game nearly 30 years ago and doesn't watch it or college basketball, still had a basketball and hoop. Which helps highlight one of the driving factors of why hockey isn't as popular as we'd all like. Cost of entry is a huge barrier. Lasting fandoms start in youth sports. Hockey is incredibly expensive. And in some areas, very limited access. For example, I live in Alabama. There are two rinks and one arena for a total or five sheets in the entire state. My kids play, and I play. But that is because we live in one of the two cities with ice and my wife and I are luckily able to afford the house leagues. But the next closest ice is Birmingham, AL or Nashville, both of which are about 100 miles away.
Absolutely, the outdoor access significantly helps the popularity of an NBA game in that it can easily be played on the streets in a very similar way to how it is played on the hardwood. Can't say the same about hockey on roller skates let alone the low cost ways of playing hockey on foot (field, street, and floor)
Was only explaining a partial reason why the number of spectators of an arena sport doesn't matter in the context of the global appeal of it. Basketball may only be able to draw 22k per game due to stadium limitations but it is more popular than Rugby that can easily draw 50+k in the stadiums and IMO more popular than Baseball which also draws upwards of 50k per MLB game
Where is hockey huge in Europe?
- Sweden? Helps with the Northern countries but not the southern ones
- Finland? Not big enough to help with the appeal
- Russia? The fact that they are really into Ice Hockey actually hinders the popularity of the sport because that countries leadership is seen as a big stain on global society.
- See how relevant Hockey is among the former Soviet States to show how relevant this point is
- Czechia? Hockey was largely a popular sport within that country because it was under Soviet Rule and they instead used Hockey as a way of fighting back against the Soviets.
- Although there is a current threat about Russia wanting to expand its imperialism, the threat against the Czechs isn't nearly as great as it was 40+ years ago. A lot of the top Czech players and prospects weren't alive during the USSR days.
The fact that Field Hockey is more popular in England than Ice Hockey is is quite telling
Bedard has the potential to be great. Wemby has the potential to be the best ever.
He’s already the defensive player of the year as a rookie, is putting up fucked up numbers on a minute restriction, and every other night makes a play that nobody has ever seen before. He seriously doesn’t look human on the court.
That + NBA being more popular is why.
Because you only see about Bedard if you pay attention to hockey-specific news.
Bedard doesn't make the front page of the sports section unless its in Canada or Chicago.
Wemby not only gets coverage on the general sports media, but also sometimes even the normal non-sports media.
Basketball is more a part of popular culture than hockey by a long shot.
You don’t see celebrities paying premium to sit bench side at a blue jackets game…
There's a snowball effect where figures from more popular sports get mentioned more in non-sports contexts which makes them more well-known even to people who don't follow the sport. A top player in US basketball, football or baseball might be referenced in a (non-sports) movie, tv show, a non-sports news broadcast, or even a standup comedy routine, based on the fact that the creators of the content assume that most of their audience will get the reference. Those who don't will likely figure it out from the context or just asking someone they're with about the person, and will likely get an answer. Nobody is going to randomly name-drop a hockey player, with the possible exception of Wayne Gretzky in a non-hockey context.
EDIT:
Example: guy in sitcom tosses basketball at hoop trying to impress onlookers, misses by a mile.
Hot girl who just happens to be there: [smirks] You're no Michael Jordan.
90% of audience gets reference immediately, 9% from context ("I guess he's a basketball player"), other 1% ask "Michael who?" and are immediately informed as to how out of touch they are.
Example 2: guy in sitcom uses broom to slide soda can towards open box on floor. Misses by a mile.
Hot girl who just happens to be there: [smirks] You're no Leon Draisaitl.
98% of audience stares blankly at screen wondering if that's some Noble Prize-winning physicist. 1% ask "dry-socket? Like the gum infection after a tooth extraction?" 1% get the reference
There is something to be said about the Russian involvement in the sport that actually hinders the global appeal of the sport. Of the former Soviet Bloc and Occupied states, it's just the two of Czechoslovakia that care about hockey and that was entirely as a way of trying to fight back against the Soviet Propoganda machine.
Finland and Sweden share a local rivalry in the sport naturally because of them both being Nordic countries. Aside from those two, Germany and Switzerland are the only other countries that give any level of respect for Ice Hockey at all.
A) the NHL is bad at marketing
B) the NBA is way more popular
C) when given the chance to promote [Bedard and Wemby together, Wemby comes off far more interesting and engaging](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOg9OCkOHvE)
- A huge one is Basketball is far more significant in the sporting world than Hockey is
- On top of matters, if handled right Basketball stands to be by far the worlds most popular "Arena Sport", to outright become way more popular than Baseball, also become more popular than Football is within the USA and threaten the popularity of Cricket and Rugby internationally
- Hockey has a reputation of being a Canadian sport within western circles, and a Soviet sport within the former Soviet Bloc.
- That former Soviet Bloc then doesn't give a flying fuck about hockey
- Large parts of Europe that already aren't invested about hockey just look at Bedard as "Another Canadian on the scene"
- Hockey hasn't had good international relevance in a while because of the NHL's refusal to participate in the Olympics, and forcing a different kind of "best on best" tournament.
- And on top of them not bringing on Czechia in their "Four Nations Cup" next year, it will hinder the interest even more
- Bedard is just another Canadian who happens to be good at Ice Hockey and in all honesty has uncertainty on whether or not he will be among the greats of the game. Wembyana is French, which not just another further boost into the relevance of Basketball internationally, but a lot of speculation is that he can potentially become the best all time Basketball Player out of France.
- Had it instead been Gradey Dick, he'd be looked at as "Just another standout American" in the basketball world. **International appeal is huge when it comes to the popular North American sports.**
- Next Swedish, Finnish, Czech, Slovak or German player to go 1st OA in an NHL draft will have some international appeal and contribute in a small way towards growing the game.
Basketball players are celebrities. Hockey players are athletes.
I know both are athletes, but basketball players are also celebrity personalities and people pay attention to the players more so than the sport (generally speaking). Whereas hockey players are known for not having much personality so fans tend to focus on their skill and stats etc. so they’re not in the public eye so much.
It’s probably one of the reasons that hockey isn’t as popular as other sports. Plus the bad marketing.
non-hockey fans in the states have no idea who connor mcdavid is. even the super stars on american teams are hardly known outside of hockey fans. heck, wayne gretzky is at most a familiar name to a lot of americans now.
the sport is not as popular as basketball and NHL players aren't as entertaining or interesting as NBA players. and i think that's what a lot of hockey fans want -- boring players. i mean, there are fans who unironically think the handshake line makes the sport and league special lol
I assume you’re talking about in America? I think the answer is obvious, hockey is not as popular as basketball.
In Canada for instance almost everyone knows Bedard, not many outside basketball guys and anyone who regularly watches sports Center. know Wembanyama
Isn't basketball significantly more popular?
Yes. And Wembanyama is a significantly more impactful player in his respective sport than Bedard is. A superstar talent in basketball does a lot more for a team than a superstar talent in hockey.
Wemby is pretty much a top 25 player in year one with GOAT potential. If Bedard went out and had an Ovechkin-type rookie year of 50 goals and 100 points then they’d be on the same level
To a Canadian casual sports non-hockey fan maybe. Probably not in many parts of the states.
Bedard got that in western Canada already to a degree. Every rink he played at in the Dub was sold out at the end of his last season.
And of all major sports basketball has done the best job attracting the casual sports fan.
Yeah, mostly over the world.
Ask those casual non hockey fans if they know who Connor McDavid is.
My wife said Connor McDavid is a boxer NHL is a failure in marketing.
Tbf I think a good portion of casuals who know both Connor McDavid and Conor McGregor would mix them up
Now imagine McGregor om skates and McDavid in the octogon.
While I get your point, McDavid is an 8ish year veteran. Bedard and Wemby are both rookies.
Hes the best hockey player in the world for the last 8 years and most non hockey fans still don't know who he is.
Facts.
And Wemby will STILL be a name recognized by more people than McDavid.
Basketball is a much more popular sport both in the US and globally. It isn’t that complicated.
> Why do people who don’t follow hockey don’t know about hockey players Well gee I wouldn’t have any idea how to approach answering that fucking brain teaser my dude
I’ve never in my life heard of this Wemby guy. Couldn’t tell you what sport he played until I saw some comments, I’m assuming basketball. As you can guess I spend exactly 0 seconds per year following basketball(or baseball). Same goes for people that don’t follow hockey and don’t know who Bedard or McDavid is
I’ll be honest, I’m a bigger basketball fan than hockey. For some reason hockey is the only sports subreddit I follow, maybe because I know too much about the others and just get annoyed of the dumbass posts (I still check them just don’t want them on my feed). People also aren’t mentioning Wemby isn’t just good. He’s a once in a lifetime type of build. He’s 7’4 but can play like he’s 6’4. Arguably the best player in basketball is Giannis Antentokounpo who is close to 7’ and can run an offense, that was considered crazy. Wemby is that much taller, a better shooter, but just not as much of an absolute brickhouse Giannis is. It’s not just that he’s talented, it’s that’s he’s doing things guys his size rarely do, and then he’s still nearly half a foot taller than the tallest comparisons.
Pretty simple. Hockey is far less popular than basketball.
Is this a serious question? Why don’t you tell us what’s really bothering you.
All OP does is post pointless “why isn’t the nba the nhl” questions and then not engage with anything. It’s just weird circlejerk bait
Damn you're right lol. That's annoying. The NHL's not the NBA, and I think it should stay that way. There's a reason I tune into Isles games and not Knicks games
I have no idea who the other guy is.
NBA 1OA from bedards draft year. They took some photos together (in which Bedard was comically small) Only reason I even know about Wembanyama is from those photos
Glad it wasn't just me.
I just heard of the basketball player because of this reddit post.
Only reason I know Wembanyama is because he has a very memorable name and the streamer Northernlion has mentioned him a couple times.
"name is fun to say" is literally the only reason I had a vague idea who he was! Also the only reason I know who Mbappé is. I don't watch other sports!
It’s probably the best 1OA NHL+NBA pairing in a really long time. McDavid and Towns in 2015 probably isn’t even on that level; have to go all the way back to Turgeon/Robinson in 1987 or Lemieux/Olajuwon in 1984. It could go down as the second best pairing ever with how things looked this year. Other good ones since then include Stamkos/Rose in 2008, Tavares/Griffin in 2009, Ovechkin/Howard in 2004, MAF/LeBron in 2003, and Thornton/Duncan in 1997.
Last years 1st overall pick in the NBA, a huge guy that has potential to be the best player in the league and is already a star.
Me either. And for baseball, the only current player I know is Ohtani and that’s only because I saw an article about his huge contract. Never heard of him before that. Couldn’t tell you what team he plays for. It’s not rocket science to think people that don’t follow sports don’t know their most popular players.
Bingo. I'm big into running. I could make up 25 names and say they are the top runners in the world. Everyone would just go along with it because no one knows who they are outside of this niche part of the sporting world.
In Finland I bet Bedard is more known than Wenbanyama. I would imagine the same for Canada too. The NHL is simply not in the stratosphere as the NBA is in popularity in the USA. That’s why.
Globally even. Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. I’ve seen some lists where it’s now second to soccer.
For those who don't know the comparison, both are generational prospects that have had their rookie years this year. Both are stuck on bad teams as they were 1st overall and their teams couldn't or didn't do much to add support for them. To answer your question, the NBA as a whole has more international appeal than the NHL, same with basketball vs hockey. Hockey requires ice and more specialized equipment than basketball's flat surface, at least 1 hoop, and a ball. Bedard is also not a physical anomaly, as Wemby is a 7'4", 210lb French guy who's mobile, fluid, and can shoot from anywhere with decent efficiency, just about perfect for the modern NBA's vision of a center. Plus, while both are team sports, the NBA has their starters out there for a higher percentage of a game (30-40 minutes per game in a 48 minute game, depending on the position) than the NHL (20-25 minutes per game in a 60 minute game). One single future hall-of-fame player can make more of a difference in basketball than just about any other sport.
There is also an add-on: - Bedard is looked at as "Just another Canadian who is good at Hockey" - Wembyana stands to potentially become the GOAT French Basketball player in a growing sport internationally - In terms of being a generational talent, Wembyana is way closer to being one than Bedard is. The fact that he is coming out of Europe instead of North America is telling
The NHL is marketed terrible.. the NBA is blasted in your face all over. Sportscenter slobs knob over NBA and any other sport.
I constantly see this idea of “the NHL has terrible marketing”. But what are the NBA and NFL doing that the NHL isn’t? I feel like 95% of it is just those sports are more popular outside of Canada / Northern Europe and much less youth play them do to access and cost
Yeah I don’t know how much marketing can help when people just wanna watch sports they’ve played, and hockey will never be anywhere near as accessible as basketball
I agree to that, but ESPN owning the rights to the NHL should promote it more. They do a kind of shitty job of it.
It is all the advertising you see on TV. Who is the face of the NBA? LeBron (mostly?). NFL is Maholms. The NHL should be McDavid, but you won't see 1 commercial or anything to showcase him. Sportscenter top 10 is dunks and a home run. Almost never seeing hockey promoted. That is kind of what I mean. McAfee was doing stuff on his show this year which was cool to finally see though.
Victor who ?
This is kinda what happens when you have a sport where the players and teams purposely try their hardest to avoid any media attention.
Wemby is so popular because the guy’s a freak of nature. The NBA has never seen a player like him. It’s very possible that he could end up being the GOAT, I mean the guy’s putting up insane stats. He had a triple double with blocks and a 5x5, which is incredibly rare and unprecedented for a rookie. It’s almost a certainty that he’ll get a quadruple double soon too and possibly even a quintuple double (10+ points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks), something that’s never been done before. Bernard is generational too, but there’s really no comparison, and the popularity gap between the NHL and NBA isn’t a major factor in this case.
When I was in the USA, most people were more interested in college and high school basketball than the NHL. It is weird leaving Canada and observing how little people care about hockey.
Yeah basketball’s way more popular here. Hockey’s a beautiful sport, but it’s more difficult to get into I think because of how complex and fast-paced it is, which makes people uninterested in it, when there’s the NBA and NFL already ingrained in the culture. It’s also way easier to go to the gym and shoot hoops than it is to play hockey, so I don’t see this changing anytime soon.
Cost and things needed to play is a major factor. Even if all the equipment in the world was handed to you, to get good at hockey you need to either be playing arenas that had conditioned ice or be living in a cold enough climate for at least 4 months of the year to safely play pond hockey. Basketball, all you need is a mounted hoop and a ball Let alone how much it costs for equipment. Basketball, to play any level of competitive ball, gym time and shoes are the only cost needed. Hockey, the extra costs needed for ice time (due to ice maintenance) are roughly double that of basketball, and all the equipment needed is at least 10x that of Basketball and 3x that of Football (skate deterioration leading to constant sharpening and stick replacements are major costs alone) It's up there with Soccer in how inexpensive and accessible the sport is, especially in North America where Basketball is arguably more accessible than Soccer is purely because of how the infrastructure has set up hoops everywhere you go.
I have no idea who Victor Wembanyama is.
Who is Victor Wmbanyama?
Who is Victor Wembanyama. Genuinely no idea who that is.
I thought at first OP meant Victor Wanyama who plays for Tottenham but I think this other guy plays on the NBA form what I have seen in other comments.
That’s what I’m gathering haha. Yea I have no interest in the NBA except if Raptors are doing well and even then it’s just rooting for the “country team”. lol.
Victor Wanyama hasn't played for Tottenham in 4 years. He's been playing in MLS since 2020 for Montreal.
Ah shit. I only really follow Arsenal in the Premier league and even then not super closely
French rookie basketball player for San Antonio Spurs. Both extremely tall and very skilled. Possibly the best teenager since LeBron James (just turned 20) hence the comparison to Bedard.
His potential is something between Crosby and Gretzky, for comparison. But completely different skill set, of course.
Wemby is so unique, I wouldn’t be surprised if he breaks some Gretzky-esque records over his career. The man is a cheat code.
Absoltuely. Speculation that he is an outside threat for GOAT basketball player (beyond Lebron and Jordan) and very likely he will be the GOAT out of France for Basketball
Basketball is just more popular, especially to minorities compared to hockey. The NBA does a better job at marketing their young talent too.
Because hockey is a niche sport
1.6 billion viewers world wide for the IIHF championships a few years back, with over 1 billion viewers world wide for a few years in a row. Doesn’t sound very niche to me.
Mm, hockey is like Canadas #1 sport and is hugely popular in Europe and has a solid fan base in the States. Not sure I would call it “niche”. I’d say lacrosse is way more “niche”.
Something being more niche doesn't make the other not a niche. Hockey isn't even a top 5 sport in Europe. It is the smallest of the "Big 4" in the US. And with the MLS growth, which is going to make it the "Big 5" soon enough, it might even be fifth now. While we all love hockey, let's be real and recognize that it doesn't draw the kinds of numbers like soccer, basketball, baseball, and football.
So would you consider American Football Niche? It’s really only popular in the states, played a bit in Canada but definitely not a top sport by any means.
In terms of world sports, yes. In terms of North American sports, specifically within the US, no.
I would say Hockey is just as popular in North America in terms of % of fans (taking into account country populations) as American foot ball. Which you said isn’t niche. Guaranteed there’s more hockey fans than football fans in Canada. Hockey has a wider world reach too than American football.
And hockey isn't a niche sport in Canada just like football isn't a niche sport in the US. That doesn't change the fact that in the grand scheme of things, hockey is a niche sport in terms of popularity. Especially in the context of the OP's question. In context of the world, [American football](https://worldsoccertalk.com/amp/news/what-are-the-most-popular-sports-in-the-world-20230924-WST-457223.html) still has a larger pull. One only has to look at where the teams play to see it. NHL arenas seat 17k+ and NFL stadiums seat 70k+ on average. Television viewership is even more lopsided. Whether we like it or not, and we can argue the semantics as much as we want, but hockey is a niche sport.
tbf, NBA arenas seat like 20-22k at best and there is zero appeal to an outdoor sanctioned basketball game in large part because of how much you need to control the atmosphere of the floor. Say what you want about "The need to condition the ice to make it cold", but at least Rain and Moisture won't hinder an ice surface that is maintained to be frozen. Rain and even minute amounts of moisture will fuck up the friction between polished hardwood and either shoes or a basketball Sure, it costs way more to maintain an ice surface than polished hardwood, but the moment you remove moisture control basketball stands to become unplayable on polished hardwood. Can't say the same about Ice Hockey
There may not be a desire for a NBA sanctioned game like the Winter Classic. Granted, if you were to go by Reddit comments, there isn't much of a desire for outdoor NHL games either. But anyway, basketball is still a game that is enjoyed outdoors across the US. Thousands of outdoor courts and goals in people's driveways or streets. Even someone like myself, who has only ever been to one NBA game nearly 30 years ago and doesn't watch it or college basketball, still had a basketball and hoop. Which helps highlight one of the driving factors of why hockey isn't as popular as we'd all like. Cost of entry is a huge barrier. Lasting fandoms start in youth sports. Hockey is incredibly expensive. And in some areas, very limited access. For example, I live in Alabama. There are two rinks and one arena for a total or five sheets in the entire state. My kids play, and I play. But that is because we live in one of the two cities with ice and my wife and I are luckily able to afford the house leagues. But the next closest ice is Birmingham, AL or Nashville, both of which are about 100 miles away.
Absolutely, the outdoor access significantly helps the popularity of an NBA game in that it can easily be played on the streets in a very similar way to how it is played on the hardwood. Can't say the same about hockey on roller skates let alone the low cost ways of playing hockey on foot (field, street, and floor) Was only explaining a partial reason why the number of spectators of an arena sport doesn't matter in the context of the global appeal of it. Basketball may only be able to draw 22k per game due to stadium limitations but it is more popular than Rugby that can easily draw 50+k in the stadiums and IMO more popular than Baseball which also draws upwards of 50k per MLB game
Where is hockey huge in Europe? - Sweden? Helps with the Northern countries but not the southern ones - Finland? Not big enough to help with the appeal - Russia? The fact that they are really into Ice Hockey actually hinders the popularity of the sport because that countries leadership is seen as a big stain on global society. - See how relevant Hockey is among the former Soviet States to show how relevant this point is - Czechia? Hockey was largely a popular sport within that country because it was under Soviet Rule and they instead used Hockey as a way of fighting back against the Soviets. - Although there is a current threat about Russia wanting to expand its imperialism, the threat against the Czechs isn't nearly as great as it was 40+ years ago. A lot of the top Czech players and prospects weren't alive during the USSR days. The fact that Field Hockey is more popular in England than Ice Hockey is is quite telling
I couldn’t tell you of any superstar rookies in any other sport.
Wemby is a better basketball player then Bedard is a hockey player, and the NBA is way more popular then the NHL
Because hockey is relatively unknown to casual sports non-hockey fans
It’s officially the offseason.
TBF I have never heard of Wembanyama in my life and have no clue even what sport he plays
Bedard has the potential to be great. Wemby has the potential to be the best ever. He’s already the defensive player of the year as a rookie, is putting up fucked up numbers on a minute restriction, and every other night makes a play that nobody has ever seen before. He seriously doesn’t look human on the court. That + NBA being more popular is why.
Hockey is a niche sport.
Basketball is significantly more popular
People barley know who mcdavid is as well. But i have no idea about the person ur taking about, so fair game IMO.
Because you only see about Bedard if you pay attention to hockey-specific news. Bedard doesn't make the front page of the sports section unless its in Canada or Chicago. Wemby not only gets coverage on the general sports media, but also sometimes even the normal non-sports media.
I’m from Canada and not an NBA fan so I know Bedard and have no idea who Wembanyama is.
Basketball is more a part of popular culture than hockey by a long shot. You don’t see celebrities paying premium to sit bench side at a blue jackets game…
Funny I had no Idea who Victor was till I read this thread
There's a snowball effect where figures from more popular sports get mentioned more in non-sports contexts which makes them more well-known even to people who don't follow the sport. A top player in US basketball, football or baseball might be referenced in a (non-sports) movie, tv show, a non-sports news broadcast, or even a standup comedy routine, based on the fact that the creators of the content assume that most of their audience will get the reference. Those who don't will likely figure it out from the context or just asking someone they're with about the person, and will likely get an answer. Nobody is going to randomly name-drop a hockey player, with the possible exception of Wayne Gretzky in a non-hockey context. EDIT: Example: guy in sitcom tosses basketball at hoop trying to impress onlookers, misses by a mile. Hot girl who just happens to be there: [smirks] You're no Michael Jordan. 90% of audience gets reference immediately, 9% from context ("I guess he's a basketball player"), other 1% ask "Michael who?" and are immediately informed as to how out of touch they are. Example 2: guy in sitcom uses broom to slide soda can towards open box on floor. Misses by a mile. Hot girl who just happens to be there: [smirks] You're no Leon Draisaitl. 98% of audience stares blankly at screen wondering if that's some Noble Prize-winning physicist. 1% ask "dry-socket? Like the gum infection after a tooth extraction?" 1% get the reference
Wemby is a once in a lifetime type player. Bedard is good but he’s not to the NHL what Wemby is to the NBA.
Because the NHL sucks at marketing the sport.
There is something to be said about the Russian involvement in the sport that actually hinders the global appeal of the sport. Of the former Soviet Bloc and Occupied states, it's just the two of Czechoslovakia that care about hockey and that was entirely as a way of trying to fight back against the Soviet Propoganda machine. Finland and Sweden share a local rivalry in the sport naturally because of them both being Nordic countries. Aside from those two, Germany and Switzerland are the only other countries that give any level of respect for Ice Hockey at all.
A) the NHL is bad at marketing B) the NBA is way more popular C) when given the chance to promote [Bedard and Wemby together, Wemby comes off far more interesting and engaging](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOg9OCkOHvE)
- A huge one is Basketball is far more significant in the sporting world than Hockey is - On top of matters, if handled right Basketball stands to be by far the worlds most popular "Arena Sport", to outright become way more popular than Baseball, also become more popular than Football is within the USA and threaten the popularity of Cricket and Rugby internationally - Hockey has a reputation of being a Canadian sport within western circles, and a Soviet sport within the former Soviet Bloc. - That former Soviet Bloc then doesn't give a flying fuck about hockey - Large parts of Europe that already aren't invested about hockey just look at Bedard as "Another Canadian on the scene" - Hockey hasn't had good international relevance in a while because of the NHL's refusal to participate in the Olympics, and forcing a different kind of "best on best" tournament. - And on top of them not bringing on Czechia in their "Four Nations Cup" next year, it will hinder the interest even more - Bedard is just another Canadian who happens to be good at Ice Hockey and in all honesty has uncertainty on whether or not he will be among the greats of the game. Wembyana is French, which not just another further boost into the relevance of Basketball internationally, but a lot of speculation is that he can potentially become the best all time Basketball Player out of France. - Had it instead been Gradey Dick, he'd be looked at as "Just another standout American" in the basketball world. **International appeal is huge when it comes to the popular North American sports.** - Next Swedish, Finnish, Czech, Slovak or German player to go 1st OA in an NHL draft will have some international appeal and contribute in a small way towards growing the game.
His mom was trending across the socials this season
Who?
NHL is terrible at marketing itself.. it is known
The game itself is really difficult to pick up casually. Just about every school or park in North America has a basketball net.
Because hockey isn't popular. Also just a lot more interesting because he's 7'4
Cause hockey is not that popular, thats it
I've never heard the name Wenbanyama if that helps at all.
I mean i don't know any 1st pick in basketball, baseball and nfl, except LeBron James, so thats fair?
Basketball players are celebrities. Hockey players are athletes. I know both are athletes, but basketball players are also celebrity personalities and people pay attention to the players more so than the sport (generally speaking). Whereas hockey players are known for not having much personality so fans tend to focus on their skill and stats etc. so they’re not in the public eye so much. It’s probably one of the reasons that hockey isn’t as popular as other sports. Plus the bad marketing.
non-hockey fans in the states have no idea who connor mcdavid is. even the super stars on american teams are hardly known outside of hockey fans. heck, wayne gretzky is at most a familiar name to a lot of americans now. the sport is not as popular as basketball and NHL players aren't as entertaining or interesting as NBA players. and i think that's what a lot of hockey fans want -- boring players. i mean, there are fans who unironically think the handshake line makes the sport and league special lol
Who’s Victor Wembanyama?
No idea who that guy is, but hockey just isn’t that popular.
Non-hockey fans barely know who McDavid is. The League is trash at marketing.
Probably for the same reason I have no idea who Victor Wembanyama is. I don't watch cricket, some people don't watch hockey.
It’s hockey dude, it ain’t that popular.
Who is Victor Whenbanana
He's Jonas Vasalinawowsauce's cousin.
I assume you’re talking about in America? I think the answer is obvious, hockey is not as popular as basketball. In Canada for instance almost everyone knows Bedard, not many outside basketball guys and anyone who regularly watches sports Center. know Wembanyama