Hockey Prompt - Written

Hockey has issues all over the place. All rooted in the same fundamental problem, which is the financial barrier of entry. Of course the social media is lacking, of course the stars and even the game itself struggle in marketability. I think the NHL product would at the very least improve slightly with the players using their star power, gaining traction for their own issues with the game or league on social media, but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter because the NHL is unable to grow at the rate of other sports that are extremely easy to get into. With basketball, you just pick up a ball and play. With soccer, you just pick up a ball and play. Even football, you just need a ball and a group of people (I know it's more complex than the other options, but it's still simple compared to hockey). The NHL stars attempting to use their social media to engage and bring attention to themselves or the sport can only go so far in a league for a game that is borderline unplayable for the majority of the population. That said, it's worth a shot, even with the limitations, they might as well try to improve in this area, but I believe at the end of the day the impact would not be as large as some may believe. At the end of the day the impact players can have with social media is directly linked with popularity, and the NHL is just incapable of having that level of interest.