Entertainment desk
< June 21	<< May \| June \| Jul >>	June 23 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Entertainment Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

June 22

Bandy in stead of ice hockey in America

Will ice hockey be replaced by bandy in North America? Some people ^{[according to whom?]} say it is likely. With larger arenas, you can take in more people – more paying audience – and get more money. Arenas of the appropriate size are already in place in America, for football and soccer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.185.89.246 (talk) 22:50, 22 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

The Reference Desk is not for speculation. --76.71.5.114 (talk) 00:17, 23 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

North American hockey fans already aren't selling out smaller arenas, probably half the NHL operates at 70% attendance or less. See List of National Hockey League attendance figures, there's no needed to build larger ones. Building bigger stadiums of a waste of resources if no one buys tickets.--Jayron 32 01:30, 23 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Especially considering that the average American has probably never heard of this sport called Bandy. One thing about hockey is how fast the action is. I doubt that a slower version of hockey would be a big seller. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:18, 23 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Bandy is even faster than ice hockey. So the argument about speed is not valid. That said, I also don't think Americans will just easily change to bandy. Aaa men ändå (talk) 07:20, 23 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

With an extra hundred feet to cover, how is it faster? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:47, 23 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

The blade of a bandy skate is longer than the blade of an ice hockey skate, more like that of a speed skate. A bandy player can therefor go the distance of the bandy rink in about the same time as an ice hockey player covers the distance of an ice hockey rink. The ball is also faster than the puck, I think. Aaa men ändå (talk) 15:43, 23 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Here in Canada, hockey is the official national sport (or more exactly, the national winter sport) and a veritable religion. It ain't going anywhere. --Xuxl (talk) 15:28, 23 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

It's been a year or more since the raft of questions about this sport used to show up on this desk, Lets examine one item that tends to drive sport in the US. That is gambling. While I am finding some online betting sites that have a listing for bandy in the UK I'm not locating any for Vegas - that doesn't mean there are any just that I can't find one. Whoever the "people" are who think bandy will replace hockey have not taken the lack of arenas and the lack of interest into account. MarnetteD|Talk 00:19, 24 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Lovers of soccer were saying the same thing about their sport in America some 50 years ago. In fact, soccer has been played by American kids for a long time. Yogi Berra talked about playing soccer when he was a kid in St. Louis in the 1930s. And I've seen pictures of soccer matches being played in the Polo Grounds, and even the old South End Grounds in Boston. Even with all that exposure, it has taken a long time for soccer to get decent attention in America. So just imagine the daunting task facing lovers of bandy, which is next to unheard of in America. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:04, 24 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]