By Karen Aney (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 30, 2011
So apparently, there was some announcement the Sunday before last. It was about some hockey player who’s apparently kind of good. Apparently, he played a game the day after that announcement. Apparently, he scored three thousand goals against the best goalie ever to play the game, ever. Or, you know, he scored two goals and assisted two others against a rookie goalie playing his first ever NHL game. Something like that.
The fact that you, reader, know exactly who I’m referring to proves a pretty big point. Unless you’ve been living under a large, dank rock, you’ve been unable to turn on a television for the last three months without hearing about Sidney Crosby. Yes, he’s good looking. Yes, his name rhymes with kid, making an aurally appealing moniker. But he’s not a good enough reason to wet yourself like an overexcited puppy every time he steps on the ice.
Maybe Jeremy Roenick said it best, on NHL Overtime. “I love watching Sidney Crosby, but aren’t you guys sick of all this by now? Well, yes. I’m sick and tired of listening to Sidney Crosby saying, “there’s nothing new yet… nothing’s new yet.” Just don’t interview him anymore. I know he’s the best player in the league, the best player in the world… but enough. The fact that he’s back on the ice is exciting – particularly exciting here, only a year and a half after he scored a goal that led to a gold medal AKA the best party Vancouver’s ever seen AKA the cause of the so-called “Olympic hangover” that still rages in us all. But the media attention is a little ridiculous.
280 extra media bodies cluttered the building on that fateful Monday night that Crosby made his return, according to the commentary during the game. How, exactly, is that necessary? He’s awesome. He’s back. He scored some goals. We get it – no need for the overexposure. It’s not doing anybody any favours.
Just look at the ratings: according to the Nielsen ratings, the game drew only 198,000 viewers. Poker After Dark? 750,000. Yes, hockey has a relatively small fan base (though it doesn’t seem so ‘round these here parts), but Sid’s life and career have basically been the longest Disney movie ever in existence. He’s a storybook, kids, so why didn’t more people tune in? The lack of viewers could be attributed, at least partially, to the short span between the comeback announcement and the game. However, it needs to be noted that fans have become used to being able to see and hear about him whenever they want. Most news stations could probably replace “and here’s Johnny, with the weather report” with “and here’s Johnny, with Crosby’s bowel movement report”. Take note, TSN et al. – if you over-saturate your market, you’re going to lose viewers.
Moving past the media issue, his triumphant return leaves Canuck-minded folk with a few questions to ponder. In Ryan Kesler’s first game back, the Canucks gave up four goals on nineteen shots. Sure, the game was against the better of New York’s two teams, but is that really a statistic that seems consistent with last year’s Selke winner? Kesler may have posed as a Greek god for ESPN, but he’s still a few steps behind Crosby. Considering Crosby’s successful return, is it possible that Kesler came back too soon?
Thinking about media again, another thing to look at is Luongo’s stint as captain. Watching him suffer through interview after interview was painful to say the least – the guy just wasn’t cut out for the pressure of being in the media’s eye. He’s done much better since Hank took over – in front of the camera, and between the posts. Just look at the statistics: according to hockeydb.com, he had 167 goals against in 2009-2010, and only 126 in 2010-2011. Those 41 goals (and some pretty wicked offence) were the difference between being picked over by some Hawks and making it to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Overexposure in the media didn’t do Luongo any favours.
Sports media is great. It helps fuel the machine that keeps professional sports moving. As with any successful money-maker, it caters to its audience. Sid the kid seems like everything the audience wants—looks, skill, personality—but even he can suffer from overexposure. Media pressure doesn’t help anyone: not the players, the fans or the people who make their money in this industry. Heed the lesson, media mongers. Lay off.
