Letters to the Editor
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hockey's popularity
I realize this is a bit of a non-sequitur, maybe more relevant to yesterday's column, but I just read the NBC renewed their contract with the NHL. Turns out that viewership went up 11% last year (which is not an insignificant number...just ask any Clinton supporter ;). When you consider that hockey draws roughly the same attendance league wide as the NBA(it was about 1 million less last year)...I think the argument that NHL hockey isn't popular begins to look a little less solid.
What I've always wondered is what regional coverage of the NHL gets. It's true that hockey doesn't capture the national american imagination, but it sure seems to do well regionally. Besides, I wonder just how big the national ratings are for your average August saturday afternoon baseball game? I wouldn't be surprised if it was kind of underwhelming. The playoffs though? No doubt, those are ratings dynamos...hell Fox shifts their entire schedule back just to accomodate them!
cheers