Former NFL Superstar Exposes Hockey's Biggest Issue
If you attend any youth hockey game, there is a good chance you will hear parents criticizing the outrageous fees and costs that must be paid to play the sport. The price to play hockey is one of the biggest issues with the growth of the sport, and has no doubt costed the NHL a few potential stars.
J.J Watt almost played hockey?
On Saturday, former NFL superstar J.J Watt recalled that him and his brother almost played hockey as children, unfortunately for hockey fans, J.J Watt went with football. According to J.J the high cost was what cut him and his brother out of hockey.
Here is his response to why football was chosen instead of hockey:
"Safer? No.
Cheaper? Yes.
Biggest barrier to entry for hockey is the expense associated with it.
Soccer is the world's most popular sport in large part because all you need is a ball.
Hockey equipment is expensive, kids constantly grow out of sizes, ice time is scarce, etc."
Cheaper? Yes.
Biggest barrier to entry for hockey is the expense associated with it.
Soccer is the world's most popular sport in large part because all you need is a ball.
Hockey equipment is expensive, kids constantly grow out of sizes, ice time is scarce, etc."
It is unclear which brother is being referred to, due to the fact that both J.J and his brother T.J Watt, both had careers in the NFL. Either way, this decision was a tragedy for the sport, to have such powerful athletes turned away from a sport due to the cost.
This has effects in many aspects of the sport, including the diversity in the league.
As seen on Hockeyfeed - NFL superstar J.J. Watt exposes a major problem in hockey.
| POLL | ||
If J.J Watt played hockey, would he have had a successful career in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 53 | 39.6 % |
| No | 81 | 60.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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