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The Kraken thread

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Here's a thread on Seattle's new sports team and how radio/TV cover them. To start things off, this morning KIRO's morning show had a brief Kraken segment. What struck me, and the same with KJR's coverage, is the hosts are all enthusiastic but are openly admitting they and their audience is still learning the game. You think the Thunderbirds and decades of "Hockey Night in Canada" on cable would have educated people, but they were urging people to learn such basic hockey terms like "icing" and "offsides".
 
Been a long time since Seattle had any sort of professional hockey, as the old WHL Totems folded in 1974. Then you had the cancelled 1976 NHL expansion to the city. Hardcore hockey fans had to be content with following either the Vancouver Canucks, or the local Junior teams in Everett and Kent. May take a while to rebuild a broader hockey following.

I would also guess that there are some in Seattle who see the Kraken as a consolation prize while awaiting a possible return of the Sonics as part of a NBA expansion or relocation.
 
As a lifelong hockey fan, some of the commentary on "learning the game" feels a bit silly. I would argue that the Karken already have a significant following in Washington State among lifelong hockey fans who have been wanting the NHL to enter the market for years. With that being said, the NHL wants to "grow the game," and this means that some importance needs to be placed on educating potential fans about the rules of the game. Many will check out a game on TV or go to the Climate Pledge Arena in person, but that doesn't mean they really understand the game. Ironically, on 710, most of the hosts have demonstrated a strong understanding of the game.

As for the NHL as a consolation prize, that could be true. However, there are also people like myself out there who really don't care about NBA Basketball and could probably use a few lessons in how the game works. Just for the record, I'd love to see basketball come back as well.
 
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The only hockey fan I know is a guy who works at a grocery box store and he doesn't seem to care all that much about the Kraken. I thought he'd be all gangbusters about them. Nope. Sports fans can be an odd bunch. I'm not all that into sports in general, but the teams (of any sport) I like aren't in Seattle.
 
Objectively, I think support for the Kraken will be a fairly niche audience. Obviously, I hope that they do well, but I imagine that the fandom will be a bit like the Sounders. Soccer of course is an exponentially growing sport, but I'd still say that the Sounder cater to a fairly niche market. The Seahawks will always be #1.
 
"Climate Pledge Arena" HAH! We all know it is going to be called The Krak House soon enough.

And judging by the sheer numbers of Kraken jerseys/shirts/sweaters I saw at the Mariner's game today, this area is hungry for a winter indoor sport. With no NBA in immediate sight, they have a golden opportunity here to establish a decent fan base.
 
boombox4 said:
The only hockey fan I know is a guy who works at a grocery box store and he doesn't seem to care all that much about the Kraken. I thought he'd be all gangbusters about them. Nope. Sports fans can be an odd bunch. I'm not all that into sports in general, but the teams (of any sport) I like aren't in Seattle.
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Many Seattle fans are a fickle lot. If you aren't in a championship hunt each year, they go back to playing Candy Crush on their phone.
 
The New Chico said:
"Climate Pledge Arena" HAH! We all know it is going to be called The Krak House soon enough.

And judging by the sheer numbers of Kraken jerseys/shirts/sweaters I saw at the Mariner's game today, this area is hungry for a winter indoor sport. With no NBA in immediate sight, they have a golden opportunity here to establish a decent fan base.
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Saw Saturday’s game on KING and the Everett arena was sold out. For a preseason game. I think they’ll do pretty well at least for their first season.
 
The Thunderbirds (1090) and Silvertips (1380 or 1520) are still playing, and on Seattle radio alongside the Kraken.

When there's a conflict with KJR programming bumped to 1090 (Westwood One NFL, Sounders), the T-Birds get bumped off radio onto the iHeart app.
 
The first year will be a honeymoon. Probably great ratings and great attendance. The 2nd year will be “are they getting better?” but still good attendance. After that attendance and ratings will fall off if they are not competitive. This is how new pro sports generally work in most cities.
 
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