Will Canada success in soccer and basketball have even more detrimental effect on hockey ? (2024)

GOilers88 said:

Hockey is in public schools.

The issue is the only kids that make the teams all play rep hockey as it is. But the same can be said for basketball, at least in my experience.

Kids looking to try out and see if they like it have zero chance at making the teams.

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That's the shift I've noticed.

Back in the day.. the good athlete would go to highschool and make all the teams. Vball, Basketball and Track!

Now the club players make vball, club players make the basketball team and club players dominate track. Then you see a rich highschool play a less affluent highschool (with no club players) and the gap is gigantic!

The Canadian economy will have a much bigger impact on the relative level of participation in hockey vs basketball or soccer.

All competitive youth sports get expensive, but hockey is especially expensive. That's before you even consider that smelly hockey gear for a couple kids would be a nightmare to deal with is an apartment or condo.

Soccer and basketball are just easier to manage for families with tight budgets and smaller homes.

Czechboy said:

Don't forget how good Canada has become at tennis... consistent threats in team comps for both men and women, Olympics and at Majors.

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Huh?

Orfieus said:

It's a sign MLS will be more popular than hockey, regulated to 6th place (technically more)

NFL, MLB, NBA, College (at least football), MLS then hockey

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More like NFL, SEC football, college football, MLB, SEC Baseball, NCAA basketball tournament, then NHL Hockey..

Will the Cheetahs loss in the Olympic QF affect soccer?

Three On Zero said:

Success? No.

The fact soccer and basketball are far more accessible to the average household probably will though. Hockey is not an affordable sport for the average family.

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So I agree, but this is still missing a part of the answer.

Soccer and Basketball have always been more accessible to the average person, yet this appears to be an ongoing and growing trend.

So has there been a change in how affordable hockey is to the average family (relative to these other sports)?

If so, what factors lead to hockey becoming less affordable (wages/inflation relative) compared to say 30 years ago?

Nineteen67 said:

More like NFL, SEC football, college football, MLB, SEC Baseball, NCAA basketball tournament, then NHL Hockey..

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Sure in the US

Golden_Jet said:

Sure in the US

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Especially the Southern US, although I would say SEC Football is bigger than the NFL.

Marc the Habs Fan said:

As if we didn't just have back-to-back 1st overall picks (and 4 of the last 5), 8 of the first 11 picks in the 2024 draft and 18 of the 32 1st rounders in that draft.

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Oh but that doesn't matter, not for Canada. We seem to be the only hockey nation on earth with specific rules that apply only to us that can deem us a relevant hockey country. We're the only country where our hockey prominence is determined if a club team wins a Stanley Cup. If Team Canada wins a tournament, it has to be in regulation and by multiple goals or else its considered a tainted win. I've head it all before.

John Mandalorian said:

Not sure if I’ve ever seen the words “anti-Canada xenophobes” used in that combination before. People in the US often see Canadians as being nicer and more wholesome. The US is so dog eat dog that often times people in the US look at each other (but not always) as being up to no good. So take that as a compliment.

Furthermore, this is a hockey focused website. If you take every persons favorite NHL team, it’s a safe bet that at least one of the best players all time on that franchise are/were Canadian.

So why would people have such an issue with Canadians? This victim complex is a little confusing.

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I'm talking about these boards specifically, not how Canada is viewed generally.

Coaching and funding is the biggest change. Players in the past fell through because there wasn't the coordination all the way up that there is in hockey.

You have it now. You have it with basketball in the GTA especially. You have it in soccer now, Academies all over. Baseball is training year round.

You have it even in hockey like never before. Money gets any kid who seriously wants to play and can afford it to a certain level of sport.

McShogun99 said:

Canada needs to start some programs to fund new Canadian kids and current Canadian kids that are from lower income families to play the game. You have such a bigger talent pool to choose from when people from all walks of life can play.

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We are taxed enough. Sports is not a priority, but rather entertainment. There are cheaper sports if you can't afford to sign up your kid for hockey. The less Government intervention the better.

NoShowWilly said:

Coaching and funding is the biggest change. Players in the past fell through because there wasn't the coordination all the way up that there is in hockey.

You have it now. You have it with basketball in the GTA especially. You have it in soccer now, Academies all over. Baseball is training year round.

You have it even in hockey like never before. Money gets any kid who seriously wants to play and can afford it to a certain level of sport.

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Canadian soccer association still has a long way to go. It is an amateur operation and any success thay they have had in the past few years is despite of themselves.

Canadienna said:

So I agree, but this is still missing a part of the answer.

Soccer and Basketball have always been more accessible to the average person, yet this appears to be an ongoing and growing trend.

So has there been a change in how affordable hockey is to the average family (relative to these other sports)?

If so, what factors lead to hockey becoming less affordable (wages/inflation relative) compared to say 30 years ago?

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All you need for soccer is cleats, a ball, and a drone to cheat.

Nineteen67 said:

All you need for soccer is cleats, a ball, and a drone to cheat.

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How does that address the question in my post?

My point is that Hockey has always been a less accessible sport than soccer and others. And thus simply saying hockey is currently less accessible doesn't explain why it is becoming less popular relative to the other sports over time.

To do that, we need to establish if Hockey has had a higher rate of loss of "accessibility" relative to other sports, and if so, determine why.

Canadienna said:

How does that address the question in my post?

My point is that Hockey has always been a less accessible sport than soccer and others. And thus simply saying hockey is currently less accessible doesn't explain why it is becoming less popular relative to the other sports over time.

To do that, we need to establish if Hockey has had a higher rate of loss of "accessibility" relative to other sports, and if so, determine why.

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Soccer used to be much cheaper until they introduce the drones into the equation, maybe they’ll go back to hockey.

Sideline said:

The Canadian economy will have a much bigger impact on the relative level of participation in hockey vs basketball or soccer.

All competitive youth sports get expensive, but hockey is especially expensive. That's before you even consider that smelly hockey gear for a couple kids would be a nightmare to deal with is an apartment or condo.

Soccer and basketball are just easier to manage for families with tight budgets and smaller homes.

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Not to mention the high cost of living in major cities like Toronto and Vancouver. Especially for families that move there from small towns so their kid can get noticed/have better competition.