ESPN, Olympics Could Help NHL Gain Popularity
Compared to the NBA, NFL and MLB, the NHL is looked down upon by sports fans. So, how can ESPN, the Olympics and better marketing of stars help the NHL?
The ESPN Deal
On March 10, 2021 the NHL signed a deal with ESPN. Why is this deal going to help the NHL?
Most sports fans follow ESPN social media accounts. The ESPN Instagram account has 19 million followers. The NHL Instagram has over four million.
By signing with ESPN, the NHL will finally get the exposure it deserves.
ESPN gets more viewers and a lot of those viewers are fans of other major U.S sports. Now, during an NBA primetime game watched by millions of NBA fans, ESPN could put out a promotion about their hockey broadcast and maybe draw some new fans.
This specially helps the Islanders. The team does not have a big fan base compared to the other teams, but they are extremely passionate.
With the ESPN deal, the Islanders can finally get more primetime games which could be seen by millions on ESPN. The ESPN social media platforms could post more about the Islanders and promote highlights from their game.
If you ask a non-hockey fan outside of the New York area, they probably don’t know who Mat Barzal is. But if the Islanders get a primetime game with a full loud crowd in the brand new UBS Arena on ESPN, Mat Barzal could shine that night and get his name on ESPN. Marketing stars is key for ESPN, the NHL and the Islanders.
The NHL and The Olympics
For the first time since 2014, the NHL has agreed to send players back to compete in the Olympics for 2022 and 2026. How could this help grow the game?
Well, in 2018 the Global TV audience of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang was 1.92 billion. The NHL did not participate that year, so they lost out on a share of 1.92 billion people watching star players in their sport compete for a gold medal.
The NHL now needs to market the upcoming Winter Olympics and use their star players in them. If they do market this will then the entire NHL fanbase could grow.
This, too, helps the Islanders. Islanders rookie Ilya Sorokin could play for Russia while Mat Barzal could play for Canada. More players like Brock Nelson and Anders Lee could represent USA. This only benefits New York.
Marketing Stars
The NHL does a bad job marketing their stars. With the new ESPN deal, the NHL needs to request that they market their stars on their social media platforms.
People know decent NBA players more than they know NHL superstars because nobody markets them.
Barzal is a perfect example. One Barzal highlight could draw more fans to the Islanders and give them more attention.
And all these things listed above could help the NHL grow.
