Quote:
Originally Posted by GullFoss
I dont have kids. But I 100% think this is part of the problem of attendance declines. Families can't justify the costs, so they dont go. Kids don't get exposed and don't build emotional bonds with their teams. Then when these kids grow up and can afford tickets, they have no want for them because they have no emotional bond with the team.
If you go back, ticket inflation went crazy from the mid-1990s onward. If you're 8 years old in 1997, you're 28 today. In other words, they're at an age where they could be spending on tickets. But a lot of them aren't. I honestly think this is a problem, and its going to get worse the longer it goes because the league becomes more and more dependant on older fans and isn't making connections with newer ones.
It also explains the ####ty atmosphere. Lets face it - the fans in their 20s and 30s who get rowdy drive a huge part of the fan experience. If they don't want to attend or can't afford to attend, the experience suffers.
|
Those are all great points. Appealing to kids and younger adults is crucial for the future of a sport's league, and the sport itself. The NHL is failing in that regard, and I think they've done a lousy job in general of putting long term strategic growth ahead of short term profit maximization.