ESPN, we need you

RICHMOND, Va. — Sorry Doc… sorry Eddie… sorry Keith.   I must say that I, as an NHL fan, have enjoyed the work of each of you, as well as that of a whole bunch of other fine people at Versus. Apologies in advance to all of you for the things I’m about to say. You guys tried hard, really hard, to pick up the pieces of our pitiful orphaned viewership. Truth be told, you’ve done a damn good job bringing us Americans our little “niche sport.” But there’s just one issue – that’s how hockey is still perceived by too many folks in the lower 48 — as a niche sport. And it’s not getting any better. It’s not entirely your fault, Versus. You are what you are – a network attempting to gain a foothold in the U.S. of A. Problem is, the NHL is struggling to do the same thing, and it needs a big shiny vehicle with all the bells and whistles in which to ride triumphantly back into the American mainstream. Are you listening, ESPN? That noise you hear is us, the NHL, crawling back and begging for mercy. We know our commish screwed this deal up, but please!! No more cold shoulder… no more scorn… quit slapping us around like this. We’re better than spelling bees and hot-dog stuffing contests. Can’t we be buddies again? Again, my apologies. I’ll try to compose myself now. Make no mistake about it, Versus puts out a quality product, but it still falls far short of ESPN in terms of market reach and promotional hype. The NHL is missing out on a golden opportunity to grow at a time when youth hockey in the U.S. is riding a crest of popularity, and more quality home-grown players are making it to the NHL. But they’ve taken a great sport and put in on, well, a marginal network. It goes like this: You feel like watching a little hockey on TV. Whether you’re over at a Joe Six-pack’s house, bellied up to the local bar, or staying at the Holiday Inn with your kid’s travel team, the Q&A all goes the same: “What channel is Versus on here?” “Huh?” Can the league realistically expect to reach beyond its die-hard ranks and recruit new viewers when it goes like this? The following conversation further illustrates the depths to which we Americans have sunk as everyday fans. “Any sports on the tube tonight, Joe?” “Yeah Buddy!! Kobayashi’s stuffing his piehole on the Mother Ship, and the debut of rock-paper-scissors comes on The Deuce,” he replies. “Which one ya wanna watch?” “Umm… neither one, Joe. I gotta go soak my head.” It’s not that far-fetched, hockey fans. Although the four-letter has broadcast some pretty ridiculous things in the name of sports, it has the hypnotic effect of legitimizing them to the poor average couch potato. But how? From rather humble beginnings in 1979, ESPN tiptoed from the ilk of Australian Rules Football into the mainstream of American professional sports with the NBA, NHL and NASCAR in the early eighties. It gained considerable steam with the addition of the NFL in 1987 and Major League Baseball in 1990. The subsequent births of ESPN2 and ESPNEWS, coupled with the launch of ESPN International, are just a few steps that forged the network into the 800 pound gorilla it has become today. Don’t take my word for it, just watch a few moments of any of them and you’ll be reminded ad nauseum just how great, grand, and wonderful they are. But like it or not, they are what they proclaim to be: the Worldwide Leader in Sports. And their attack is relentless, from TV screens, to theme parks, to restaurants, music, movies, video games, and monogrammed jock straps. For the love of God, somebody even named their kid ESPN! They’re everywhere — Uncle! UNCLLLLE!!! They are so firmly ingrained into the subconscious mind of the average American sports fan, it’s permanently changed the way most of them get their daily fix. And no, Canada, I’m not talking about you, although TSN’s logo does bear a striking resemblance to you-know-who’s. Along with ESPN’s constant drumbeat comes a svengali-like power over the masses to legitimize almost anything they choose to broadcast or associate with themselves. The flip side of that coin is the network’s ability to marginalize, or almost blacklist, those entities with which it no longer does business. (See the NHL for details) Fair or unfair, that’s where hockey lives in the mind of Joe Six-pack today: the back burner… the discard pile… niche sport land. But the NHL brass have only themselves to blame for this. ESPN treated us pretty doggone well back in the day – a few games per week, Gary Thorne and Bill Clement, NHL 2night, actual highlights on SportsCenter, and who could wait for the next hilarious commercial? Things were good. Following the lock-out, ESPN balked at their $60 million renewal option, wanting to extend their contract only on a revenue-sharing basis. The league, in dire need of a cash infusion, snatched up Versus’ $65 million offer and bid ESPN adieu. Big mistake. Hockey coverage on SportsCenter plummeted, NHL 2nite vanished, and nearly all mention of our great sport disappeared like a genie into a bottle. Why? Because ESPN pimps only what ESPN broadcasts. Worse yet, what little coverage the league does get nowadays seems disproportionately negative. Gary Bettman and his minions underestimated the ill effects of the deal with Versus. Not only has the league failed to reach new fans on the upstart network, but frustrated many of the existing ones who either don’t have it or can’t get it. You want new viewers, Mr. Bettman? Let me spell it out for you. ESPN reaches about 20 million more homes than Versus. Joe Six-pack knows what channel its on… and we know where he goes for his sports. Contact the author at tom.brandt@prohockeynews.com