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From: jeff@dciem.UUCP (Jeff Richardson)
Newsgroups: net.sport.hockey
Subject: Re: Canada Cup
Message-ID: <1118@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 19-Sep-84 08:57:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: dciem.1118
Posted: Wed Sep 19 08:57:50 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Sep-84 10:02:06 EDT
References: <1121@ucla-cs.ARPA>, <1132@ucla-cs.ARPA>, <157@oscvax.UUCP>
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 35

Here's a few of my guesses as to why the Canada Cup is not being televised
in the USA:

1. When the tournament starts on September 1, it's still warm outside in
most parts of the country.  I know it's warm at playoff time too, but by
then people have probably already gotten into hockey during the winter
months and that carries them through to the playoffs despite the weather.
When there's been no hockey for four months and the temperature still
hits 70, the only ice you think about is the cubes in your drink.

2. The NFL and NCAA football seasons are starting.

3. The baseball pennant races are nearing their climaxes and fans are
gearing up for the playoffs.

4. Until this year, the USA has been an also-ran in the Canada Cup.
Americans are used to doing well in international sports so they're not
going to watch a team that loses.  This year's second place finish was good
but not good enough.  If they had beaten Sweden in the playoff they
probably would have put in a respectable performance in the final series
and that might have been good enough to get one of the cable stations
to televise the next tournament. (It would have made the final series more
interesting for us Canadian fans too.)  Remember the 1980 Olympics.  The
USA was not expected to do well so they didn't get televised until it
looked like they had a good chance, then after they won, the next Olympic
hockey tournament got extensive coverage.

On last night's telecast, there was a list of about 11 countries in which
the game was being televised, including South Africa.  You'd think that,
despite the above factors, if there's that much interest in it around the
world there should be some market for it in the USA.
-- 
Jeff Richardson, DCIEM, Toronto  (416) 635-2073
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