Popularité du Hockey au Canada

[rookie coach 13]

Canada's love of hockey waning: survey finds

We are defending against this attack now

 

Misty Harris, Canwest News Service

Published: Friday, August 07, 2009

 

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Reginald Bibby

 

University of Lethbridge

 

National Hockey League

 

Hockey

 

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Andy Clark, Reuters

While hockey may still be the country's favourite, compared with other sports, Reginald Bibby, a sociologist at the University of Lethbridge, notes that the sheer number of choices reduces the actual ...

 

It seems a heretical claim to make at a time when there is a high-stakes fight over bringing a U. S. hockey franchise to Canada, but a new sociological survey suggests that interest in the National Hockey League has been declining over the past two decades.

 

"It's one of the few Canadian myths we have, this alleged [nationwide] love of hockey," says Reginald Bibby, a sociologist at the University of Lethbridge, who says his findings debunk the myth.

 

The largest proportion of fan losses is occurring among teenagers, in a trend which he says calls into question the game's endurance as our national winter sport. "We can no longer take it for granted that growing up in Canada means you're going to be in love with hockey, or with the NHL specifically," said Prof. Bibby, whose findings draw on a nationally representative sample of more than 5,500 teens.

 

Between 1990 and 2005, the percentage of adults who "very" or "fairly" closely follow the NHL dropped to 30% from 36%. Among teens, fandom during the 1992 to 2008 period--fell fully 10 points, to 35% from 45%.

 

Prof. Bibby says the findings, published in his new book The Emerging Millennials, suggest that immigration patterns, as well as the explosion of entertainment options, are reprogramming the national DNA.

 

His sociological explanation for the phenomenon is that the "death of the monoculture" has led to a splintering of individual interests, with more consumer choices leading to fewer pastimes that are truly embraced on a national level.

 

While hockey may still be the country's favourite, compared with other sports, he notes that the sheer number of choices reduces the actual numbers of avid followers.

 

According to the research, it is not just hockey that suffering; the findings demonstrate that professional sports of every stripe are losing their appeal among young supporters.

 

In the early 1990s, 33% of teens followed Major League Baseball compared with just 10% today; youth interest in the National Basketball Association is lower now (21%) than before the league expanded into Canada (27%); and football has seen teen fan decreases in both the American and Canadian leagues -- a drop to 19% from 26% for the NFL, and to 14% from 22% for the CFL.

 

Although an impressive one million Canadians tuned in to some part of the recent NHLdraft, Prof. Bibby said this only represents about three per cent of Canada's "hockey-mad" population.

 

In Toronto, youth support for professional hockey was conspicuously lower than in any of Canada's six NHL cities: 20% of teens, compared with 34% in Edmonton, 41% in Ottawa-Gatineau, 44 % in Vancouver, 45% in Montreal and 48% in Calgary.

 

Prof. Bibby suggests these regional differences stem from a combination of the Toronto Maple Leafs' poor performance, game inaccessibility, and higher immigration rates.

 

According to his research, four in 10 Canadian teens with Canadian-born parents followed pro hockey either "very" or fairly" closely. Among those born here but whose parents were born elsewhere, the proportion dropped to one-third.

 

For teens born outside Canada, interest bottomed out at one in five

[rookie coach 13]

Voici une étude concernant la popularité du hockey et reprise dans le National post. Selon cette étude, de 1992-2008 l'intérèt des ados pour le hockey est passé de 45% à 35%. Ceci du au multiculturalisme et autres raisons. Par contre cette baisse d'intérêt se retrouve aussi face aux autres sports professionels.

 

Toujours pour le hockey, dans les 6 villes détenant une franchise dans la LNH Toronto est la ville ou l'intérèt des ados est le plus bas soit 20% tant qu'à Montréal il se situe à 45%.

 

Il y a un grave problème avec le hockey et pas seulement au Québec et si on ne fait rien, à moyen et long terme le hockey deviendra un sport d'ordre secondaire et ce même en Ontario ce qui ne fera pas plaisir à Carey Price.

[carey price 642]

PAS grave on ira jouer en Alberta!! :lol: