Why Is Hockey Too Expensive

The fact that the 1990s were the greatest period of growth for American hockey suggests that the 1980 Olympics did not inspire thousands of kids to strap on the blades right away. But the event certainly took its place in American sports mythology, giving young hockey players a heritage to celebrate and icons to look up to. That kind of legacy is the lifeblood of any sport.

Number ONE on this list was affordability. Not willingness to play, not safety concerns, but affordability is the biggest barrier to entry. This is an extremely alarming stat because hockey has never been about who can pay the costs, but rather if you want to play the sport, then you are able to play. The direction it's trending towards is more about who can pay, and not so much about everyone being able to play. Just as the GTHL president John Gardner said “The game has changed in this respect: It used to be that you had a right to play, now it's can you afford to pay” (Mirtle, 2014). The alarming stats don't stop there. The average household pays $1500 per season, just for equipment. The average cost for a player(non goalie) is $750 per season, once again just for equipment. Not only are these costs extremely high but they increase when a player plays goalie, with just the goalie pads ranging anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $1300 for top of the line pads. Comparing these costs to other sports, it's easy to see why some parents are opting for their kids to play other sports rather than hockey. For basketball, the cost for equipment is a measly $325 per

By being so accessible to the people soccer becomes a cheap sport. Club teams, which give a good opportunity to get scouted, don’t cost too much money. Some of the best club teams will cost one thousand dollars total, with trips to tournaments included. However, those clubs aren’t the only ones a player can choose. There are many leagues that will only cost someone seventy to eighty dollars to play per season. Although what really makes soccer one of the cheapest sports is the lack of equipment needed to play. All that is needed to play is a field, cleats, a jersey and shin guards. The jersey and field is given to the player by the team, and the cleats and shin guards can be

Hockey is a sport thats origins may be from Persia, Egypt or China, while archaeological evidence shows an early ball-and-stick game played in Greece in the 400s BCE. As civilization spread, so did the games. In 1872, a young man from Halifax, Nova Scotia named James Creighton moved to Montreal, bringing the sport of ice hockey with him bringing with him hockey sticks and skates. Which in turn a man named Lord Stanley created the first national hockey organization. In 1912 the very first professional hockey game. I’ll present my information in chronological order with also talking about how and when hockey affected the country presented.

It is also perhaps the most important part of the sport. NFL, MLB and NBA are always going to be #1, #2, and #3 in America. One of the few ways hockey players can differentiate themselves from other professional athletes is by the physicality in their game says thesportster.com. (Andrew Maggio) The physical aspect of hockey still needs to be policed. To put it another way, enforcers are a backup regulation system to the referees. It is important to realize the enforcer’s role is to prevent injuries, not cause them. Thesportster.com also states the alternative to allowing fighting in professional hockey is even more vicious than the fighting itself. (Andrew Maggio). The most vulnerable players on the ice are often the goal scorers. As a result, skilled players feel protected and can do their job of scoring goals more effectively when fighting is allowed within reason. Under these circumstances, skilled players have room to move and perform to the best of their ability because their opponents are afraid of the consequence of taking a cheap shot. “The simple reason fighting takes place in the NHL is to create space for the offence” says Darren Pang, a former NHL goaltender, when interviewed for the book: The Code. (Pang) While some may consider fighting in the NHL barbaric, one could argue it has a place on the simple statistical fact that players had less concussions and major

Why is it that when I picture Canada I am able to see snow falling, the night setting, with teenagers, children, and adults walking towards a rink with their the laces of their skates tied together and thrown over their shoulders, all getting ready to play the great Canadian game. What is it that makes hockey so profoundly important to Canadian identity, and a representative of our country? To start off, all across the country, on frozen backyard ponds, community rinks and state-of-the-art arenas Canadians are playing hockey which is Canada’s national sport. I believe that hockey is a representation of Canada because, the maple leaf, a familiar Canadian emblem, is found on Canadian hockey jerseys, and major chains selling our favourite food, donuts, were started by hockey greats Tim Horton and Eddie Shack.

What is the first image that comes to mind when you think of hockey? The Stanley cup? The average amount of goals scored in a game? No, Most people think of fighting. Two people going at it, trying to kill each other while on ice. There is a lot of controversy if this should stay in the game. I think fighting should be allowed in the National Hockey League (NHL). Some of the reason why fighting should be allowed in the National Hockey League are fighting could prevent other injuries.Fighting is also used to protect amazing players that give a team an advantage. It gives other people who are tough a job and a chance in the NHL.

As population continually increases in the Southern states, the NHL is moving teams into large Southern cities. In an effort to increase profits and popularity, the NHL has increased the number of teams in the league and moved into Southern cities that have never had hockey teams before. The problem is that hockey is not as popular in the South as it is in the North. This expansion in the South has lead to huge monetary losses to Southern teams and very low attendance numbers. The NHL should not have expanded the league into Southern cities and should keep NHL teams farther North.

Sometimes it is easy to forget the game played on frozen ponds and backyard rinks, and get lost in the overwhelming professional sport known as hockey. However, we strive to remember that hockey became Canada's game because it made our never-ending winter months more bearable . The game gradually became a sport, then an entertainment industry. It seems like the lockout was one of the biggest news stories of the year. Part of the amazing nature of the game is that it's origins are fairly vague. However, we always remember that hockey is our game. It may not be our official sport, like lacrosse is, but hockey is what Canada seems to be most well-known for, and it continues to have immense influence on our free society, with its unique style

high ticket prices to go to hockey games are the ones in the middle to upper class who

As the hockey skate market matures and becomes more concentrated with a few large competitors (Exhibit 6),

All of the rosters of the twelve teams have at least one NHL player on its roster. However, the NHL is thinking about not letting its players play in the Olympics because it cuts into the season, and there is a risk of getting there star players injured.

As a result of the effect that it has on the Canadian economy, hockey should be named Canada’s true national sport. Accounting for roughly one-third of the National Hockey Leagues ticket sale revenue, the seven Canadian hockey teams have a much larger market than the 23 American teams. Not including the newly added Winnipeg Jets, the six Canadian teams account for 31% of the $1.2 billion (U.S) sales ticket revenue of the NHL. This means that $341,000,000.00 (U.S) is contributing to the Canadian economy annually. The Toronto Maple Leafs has the largest franchise revenue at an estimated $119,000,000.00. The ticket revenue of the Toronto Maple Leafs is the highest in the NHL at $1.5 million per game. This is an astonishing amount in comparison to the Dallas Stars at $660,000. The construction of sport facilities could cost upwards to over $1 billion (U.S). With this in mind, Canadian hockey facilities (e.g.: the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario) revenue millions of dollars annually and creates thousands of jobs. Costing $265 million to build, the Air Canada Centre generates revenue of nearly $23 million annually. Additionally, large Canadian sponsors such as Air Canada, Molson Canadian, and Tim Hortons

Why are tickets to sporting events so expensive? Ticket resale has been a concern to people who determine ticket price as well as the fans. If tickets are too expensive to begin with, then there will be a lot of unsold tickets. If tickets are very cheap, they will be purchased from the primary market quickly, and then sold on the secondary market at an increased price. Owners of sports teams and the league should allow the market to control ticket prices. Ticket prices are based off the demand of the game, team, and league which has resulted in tickets being sold at market value rather than face value. Ticket prices vary across the leagues as well as pricing strategies. Teams should continue to profit-maximize by charging various amounts for tickets in order to charge the closest amount to first-degree price discrimination.

Ice hockey has in the last hundred years evolved to become international. Canada is in jeopardy of losing its six teams. Tradition run deep in all of the cities and also professional hockey teams create thousands of jobs and help out in the communities. Teams in the Canadian market are having trouble keeping their programs in the black because of higher taxes and a weaker Canadian dollar. In order for professional hockey teams in Canada not to relocate to United States, it is necessary for Ottawa to provide tax cuts for them.