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I just listened to a sports station and heard some interesting stats. It is not about BB directly but may relate.

The suburb of Toront Ont called Scarboro has 11,500 s****r teams registered compared to 2,500 hockey teams. Also 30 hockey teams folded last year while s****r grew exponentially. The highest level hockey teams cost between $8000 and $16000 a year to play.
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Several years ago I say a very cute "cartoon" titled; Evolution: Man in Sport. It was a twist on the ape to man evolution that most of us are familiar with.

It started with apes, proceeded to cave men beating each other with clubs, then on to boxers hunched over fighting, then s0ccer using only their feet and then on to the most advanced in evolution; the baseball player standing upright, using his hands, mind and a modern bat.

Don't worry about the kids playing a kids sport, they too will evolve!
Last edited by ILVBB
The cost to play HS hockey in Madison WI is $900 for a season where practice begins in November and ends early March. Practices may be at 5am or 10pm. $125 is charged for all other hs sports. The thing about hockey in our area is the best players do not play on the HS team and only a couple every few years will go on to play D1 hockey. A very expensive rec sport.

For folks in non-hockey areas- The best HS hockey players leave home in their soph/jr year and live with foster families in Midwest towns that have Junior A teams, and usually play at that level for a year after HS before beginning college or pro careers, others play select hockey full time on local/State teams. Imagine your HS baseball team losing the best players every year, in HS hockey it's expected.

We think baseball is a family sport that requires dedication and is political at times. Hands down hockey families rule in both respects. In a cage match never bet against a hockey mom, and never try to match a hockey player on a stupid dare, you will lose.

If you have never seen a pro, minor, or D1 college hockey game make it a point to do so. It's the only game that has grace, speed, hand/eye, teamwork, toughness from beginning to end. Actually on new years day the Chicago Blackhawks will play the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field . Check your tv listings as it will be an unusual sight for the baseball purest. The New Year’s Day forecast: scattered snow flurries, with a high of 30 degrees. Perfect.
Last edited by rz1
Here hockey was king. They play all summer and really never stop. There was a huge tournament last weekend. BB is also big but not on the scale of hockey. HS sports are not bad but the top players don't waste their time. As the annoucer said it can cost as much as $16,000 a year. There are other areas in and around Toronto that have larger registrations than that suburb.
quote:
Originally posted by OnePlayer'sPop:
Saturday, 17 January 2009 is "Hockey Day in Minnesota", a state-wide celebration of everything frozen that is not ice fishing! Check it out on FSN-North.

This is about the third year that they have had this puck-chasing event...MnMom probably knows all about it.


I think the same day as the "1 club" "1 tennis ball" golf outing in Madison. Lake Waubesa's 9 hole layout is challenging with xmas trees lined fairways, greens protected with natural and man made drifts, with slick greens, and right now the "snow rough" is almost 24 inches. Snowshoe grog, jello shots, and "whiskey slush" stands line the coarse. 3 hours of tee times were filled last Feb.
quote:
Originally posted by rz1:

For folks in non-hockey areas- The best HS hockey players leave home in their soph/jr year and live with foster families in Midwest towns that have Junior A teams, and usually play at that level for a year after HS before beginning college or pro careers, others play select hockey full time on local/State teams. Imagine your HS baseball team losing the best players every year, in HS hockey it's expected.


I have a friend who believes youth baseball will come to this someday.

In fact, I have in the past explored sending my son down south or out west for the summer.
We're in Boston this week. Last night we were eating at a sports bar. One of the games was the Bruins. I asked a person nearby when he thought s****r would take over from hockey as the fourth major league sport. The guy nearly choked on his drink. This statement in Boston can provoke a skipping of the trial and heading straight for the burning at the stake.

Hockey is a very regional sport mostly running from the northeast through the midwest. Kids are playing s****r everywhere. I had no idea what the numbers are but I'll bet the difference in numbers of kids playing s****r versus hockey is huge. This will have a carryover effect with the fan base when these kids become adults.

On another note, with lacrosse catching on in many more parts of the country, and sports not traditionally played in the spring and summer now being played then, what happens to the baseball fan base when all these kids didn't grow up addicted to baseball? What about when they have kids? Will they sign them up for baseball? Or will their kids play lacrosse or spring s****r?
Last edited by RJM
quote:
The best HS hockey players leave home in their soph/jr year and live with foster families in Midwest towns that have Junior A teams, and usually play at that level for a year after HS before beginning college or pro careers
The typical college freshman hockey player in a major D1 program is twenty years old. He did as suggested in the previous statement or did so after high school. It doesn't impede professional progress. They're drafted at age eighteen regardless of where they're playing. The NHL team holds their rights for several years. The last time I was paying attention it was four years. That was when friends I knew where getting drafted (back when dinosaurs ruled the earth).
Last edited by RJM

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