Medias influence on the NHL

Anthony Forman

Blog Post #2

4/11/16

Medias Influence on the NHL

            With the expansion and development of social media and technology itself, it has made it very easy for corporations and individuals to promote and keep audiences engaged. When platforms like twitter first started, you saw a lot of individuals sending out things like how they were feeling, or what they were doing that day, etc. Now, we start to see things like advertisements and marketing plans that are meant to engage us (the audience) and grab our attention. We not only see news and products on these different medias, we see a lot of sports organizations starting to take advantage of all the opportunities that technology has provided for us. The NHL (National Hockey League), is one of the major sports in America that has taken advantage of social media, and in doing so has expanded their sport nationally as well as here in America. You see NHL and affiliates of big league teams having coverage and live updates through so many different platforms that allow fans to constantly be involved in the game.  An article stated that, “Hockey is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world; the number of registered hockey players has grown 22 percent worldwide in the last five years across 68 countries, according to the International Ice Hockey Federation’s most recent survey in 2014.” (Marron). The game is rapidly taking off, and media plays a big role in that.

            “Social media has without doubt created a more active and engaged hockey fan who has never had an easier time following their favorite sport. During live broadcasts or at the arena fans constantly check Twitter, post and chat about the game they are watching, and simultaneously keep up with the latest news and trends.” (Roumeliotis). Mass media has made it so easy for sports fans, especially in the NHL to be kept up to date on not only just your favorite teams, but any and all teams. We have never ending information on things like statistics for teams and individual players, live score updates, updated news and drama, and much more. The NHL has added a social media staff that has been instructed to create campaigns across all platforms in order to draw attention from new crowds and audiences. An article stated that, “Across social media, the NHL branded accounts have 3 million Twitter followers, 3.7 million fans on Facebook and another 753,000 followers on Instagram.” (Jhaveri). These indeed are impressive numbers, and they are also not including the number of fans following each individual organization. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stated that, “The ability for (fans) to connect with us and with each other through social media has, I believe, helped grow the game.” (Jhaveri). What better way to approach this problem then apply mass media and use that as a solution?

            Although it has proven that social media is useful in terms of expansion for the league; there are some cons just as there are in anything else. The idea for the NHL is to show how great a game hockey is and how is moving in a great direction. Although that’s the purpose, there are some things that get in the way of that, and sometimes even contradict it. The main issue tends to be with players using things like twitter and Instagram in a negative way. The best example I can think of is from when Tyler Seguin was traded from Boston to Dallas in 2013. Seguin first arrived in Dallas and tweeted off of his personal account saying, “A bunch of steers and queers out here in Dallas”. With the NHL aware of the problems that can arise similar the example of Tyler Seguin, they have started taking precautions and informing players of the severity of issue and how it can be problematic for not only the player themselves, but also for the league. In order to better education and direct players, “the league works with the NHL Players’ Association every year during the rookie orientation program to make sure players understand that social media can be a minefield.” (Jhaveri). I think the league has done a much better job with monitoring the players and the league overall in this matter.

            Although using social media and media in general has its costs, I think the it was way over weighted by the benefits. The NHL and the sport of hockey is growing rapidly, and although some of it has to do with the evolution of the sport, a lot of credit is owed to digital and social media. It has reached new targets and audiences which never would have been possible prior to social media. The NHL, along with the rest of the world, plans to continue to use social media and take advantage of all benefits it has to offer. As the medias continue to grow and develop, so will the NHL along with continuing to market their “brand” and reach new and different audiences and fans across the globe.

            Works Cited

Jhaveri, Hemal. "Gary Bettman Says Social Media Success Drives NHL Growth." For The Win. N.p., 05 Jan. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

Marron, Brian. "Assessing the Impact of Internet on Hockey Coverage." The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism RSS. N.p., 21 May 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

Roumeliotis, Peter. "Social Media Changing the Game for NHL Fans." Social Media's Changed How NHL Fans Watch the Game. N.p., 31 Oct. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.