Is Nashville really a hockey town? Really?
In my post last week on Joey Votto, I took a dig at the hockey playoffs and how I am totally tuned out.
In response, a Hockey Dad/Capitals Fanatic, sent me a quick note:
"I propose a post on the Predators (16th seed) making a run, the atmosphere, and the impact of sports success fandom can have on a community. That juice is something DC has not enjoyed in a long while. Some regular season successes, but not king of the mountain success that makes non-fans fans (albeit temporarily) and makes everyone walk with a spring in their step."
The arc of the article came to me immediately: (1) the effect of sports on community cohesion, (2) the inability of the NHL to ever get past niche fandom and surpass one of the three major U.S. sports and (3) the inevitability that this Nashville hockey trend will eventually fade. My thesis: hockey is a niche sport that often fails to penetrate community cultures unaccustomed to the sport and this surge in Nashville hockey fervor is temporary.
Let's see if my original thesis stood up to research.
In a January 2015 article in the Huffington Post, Anna Almendrala explored How Being a Sports Fan Makes You Happier and Healthier. She interviewed sports psychology professor Daniel Wann of Murray State University whose research shows "evidence that there are very real mental health advantages to claiming sports team as your own." In the most simplistic terms, we are all looking for connection to other humans and sports teams provide us a ready-made community of like-minded individuals to connect with through the ups and downs of annual seasons.
Sports fans in Nashville are a deliriously happy community of like-minded fans this year as the Predators compete in the Stanley Cup finals. Their games are punctuated by superstar country singers, Tennessee Titans players slamming beers and catfish getting thrown on the ice like octopi in Detroit. My initial hunch, however, was that this is fleeting and once the team regresses to some form of mediocrity, the Grand Ole Opry, football and country fried steak will again reign supreme in central Tennessee.
In a July 2016 article on MarketWatch.com, Steven Lutz compared the top professional sports leagues by revenue. Clearly, the NFL is king at $13 billion per year, followed by MLB at $9.5 billion and the English Premier League at $5.3 billion. The NHL ranks fifth at $3.7 billion per year, right behind the NBA at $4.8 billion.
With the cable boom of the last 30 years, all of these sports took the opportunity to expand and reach into formerly untouched markets. Still, the NHL remains behind the U.S. top three and can't beat a foreign soccer league. Plus, Nashville has a strong culture and identity that existed long before hockey came to town in 1997.
This is Music City deep in the heart of SEC and NASCAR country -- we aren't talking about Jacksonville here, people. You can argue that the MarketWatch.com revenue ranking is just one measurement, but revenue is driven by eyeballs and eyeballs are connected to the bodies of fans. Nationwide, hockey has a poor track record of penetrating community cultures that aren't accustomed to the sport. Long live the Atlanta Thrashers, right?
I did some more reading about the Predator effect on Nashville and my thesis began to crumble.
In a recent piece on TheRinger.com, Jordan Ritter Conn highlighted how Predator management didn't try to "import" hockey in Nashville, but rather "build that culture in the city's image." He also pointed out that, in 1990, a latent fan base began to build when General Motors opened a plant in nearby Spring Hill, Tenn. and brought an infusion of Red Wings fans in need of a hockey community. You can now see where we got country music mega-stars singing the anthem and catfish getting thrown on the ice. This is a community building around a changing culture.
The Sporting News just published an article by Jeff Diamond, the former president of the Tennessee Titans, who knows a little about building a fan base in Nashville. Diamond pointed to the proliferation of youth, high school and adult hockey leagues as evidence of market penetration. He also says the Predators get "football-like, double-digit TV ratings in the Nashville market." This is hockey successfully penetrating a community formerly unaccustomed to the sport.
Conn described watching Filip Forsberg scoring a late, game-tying goal in Game 4 in the Music City Walk of Fame park on a projection screen with hundreds of Nashvilleans on lawn chairs and blankets. His description made me throw my thesis in the trash:
"I'm on my feet and I'm screaming too. In front of me, there's a kid, maybe 17, wearing a buzz cut and a jersey and a face full of freckles. He turns around and tries to high-five me, but we miss each other, and all of a sudden we both go in for a hug. And, yeah, I don't have too many emotions invested, and no, this excitement isn't the highest of sports highs, but I don't know, it's still exciting to know strangers are seeing what you're seeing, to have your experience reflected in theirs. And sometimes, regardless of how much you've given of yourself to something, it's nice to have an excuse to reach out for the closet human and to find them reaching back."
Damn. That makes me want to buy a Predators jersey and Google "homes for sale, Nashville." Looks like central Tennessee has itself a hockey town -- culture, community and all.
In response, a Hockey Dad/Capitals Fanatic, sent me a quick note:
"I propose a post on the Predators (16th seed) making a run, the atmosphere, and the impact of sports success fandom can have on a community. That juice is something DC has not enjoyed in a long while. Some regular season successes, but not king of the mountain success that makes non-fans fans (albeit temporarily) and makes everyone walk with a spring in their step."
The arc of the article came to me immediately: (1) the effect of sports on community cohesion, (2) the inability of the NHL to ever get past niche fandom and surpass one of the three major U.S. sports and (3) the inevitability that this Nashville hockey trend will eventually fade. My thesis: hockey is a niche sport that often fails to penetrate community cultures unaccustomed to the sport and this surge in Nashville hockey fervor is temporary.
Let's see if my original thesis stood up to research.
In a January 2015 article in the Huffington Post, Anna Almendrala explored How Being a Sports Fan Makes You Happier and Healthier. She interviewed sports psychology professor Daniel Wann of Murray State University whose research shows "evidence that there are very real mental health advantages to claiming sports team as your own." In the most simplistic terms, we are all looking for connection to other humans and sports teams provide us a ready-made community of like-minded individuals to connect with through the ups and downs of annual seasons.
Sports fans in Nashville are a deliriously happy community of like-minded fans this year as the Predators compete in the Stanley Cup finals. Their games are punctuated by superstar country singers, Tennessee Titans players slamming beers and catfish getting thrown on the ice like octopi in Detroit. My initial hunch, however, was that this is fleeting and once the team regresses to some form of mediocrity, the Grand Ole Opry, football and country fried steak will again reign supreme in central Tennessee.
In a July 2016 article on MarketWatch.com, Steven Lutz compared the top professional sports leagues by revenue. Clearly, the NFL is king at $13 billion per year, followed by MLB at $9.5 billion and the English Premier League at $5.3 billion. The NHL ranks fifth at $3.7 billion per year, right behind the NBA at $4.8 billion.
With the cable boom of the last 30 years, all of these sports took the opportunity to expand and reach into formerly untouched markets. Still, the NHL remains behind the U.S. top three and can't beat a foreign soccer league. Plus, Nashville has a strong culture and identity that existed long before hockey came to town in 1997.
This is Music City deep in the heart of SEC and NASCAR country -- we aren't talking about Jacksonville here, people. You can argue that the MarketWatch.com revenue ranking is just one measurement, but revenue is driven by eyeballs and eyeballs are connected to the bodies of fans. Nationwide, hockey has a poor track record of penetrating community cultures that aren't accustomed to the sport. Long live the Atlanta Thrashers, right?
I did some more reading about the Predator effect on Nashville and my thesis began to crumble.
In a recent piece on TheRinger.com, Jordan Ritter Conn highlighted how Predator management didn't try to "import" hockey in Nashville, but rather "build that culture in the city's image." He also pointed out that, in 1990, a latent fan base began to build when General Motors opened a plant in nearby Spring Hill, Tenn. and brought an infusion of Red Wings fans in need of a hockey community. You can now see where we got country music mega-stars singing the anthem and catfish getting thrown on the ice. This is a community building around a changing culture.
The Sporting News just published an article by Jeff Diamond, the former president of the Tennessee Titans, who knows a little about building a fan base in Nashville. Diamond pointed to the proliferation of youth, high school and adult hockey leagues as evidence of market penetration. He also says the Predators get "football-like, double-digit TV ratings in the Nashville market." This is hockey successfully penetrating a community formerly unaccustomed to the sport.
Conn described watching Filip Forsberg scoring a late, game-tying goal in Game 4 in the Music City Walk of Fame park on a projection screen with hundreds of Nashvilleans on lawn chairs and blankets. His description made me throw my thesis in the trash:
"I'm on my feet and I'm screaming too. In front of me, there's a kid, maybe 17, wearing a buzz cut and a jersey and a face full of freckles. He turns around and tries to high-five me, but we miss each other, and all of a sudden we both go in for a hug. And, yeah, I don't have too many emotions invested, and no, this excitement isn't the highest of sports highs, but I don't know, it's still exciting to know strangers are seeing what you're seeing, to have your experience reflected in theirs. And sometimes, regardless of how much you've given of yourself to something, it's nice to have an excuse to reach out for the closet human and to find them reaching back."
Damn. That makes me want to buy a Predators jersey and Google "homes for sale, Nashville." Looks like central Tennessee has itself a hockey town -- culture, community and all.
A buddy of mine lives and works in Nashville. This bulletin board is at his place of work. Smashville is real.
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