Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey
<B><A HREF="http://slightlychilled.areavoices.com/?p=267">SlightlyChilled.com</A></B>
Time to answer the question: What’s better Minnesota hockey, Texas football or Indiana basketball?
In Indiana, I was news reporter that got to cover games over two years but it was not to extent that I’ve covered football and hockey. Still, Indiana has a great tradition but it has soured because basketball like all sports went to a class system. There are still people there who feel that a class system ruined the game and that’s why some schools have seen an attendance hit. The class system has been in place for years but if anyone reading this works in Indiana or knows someone who does, tell them this. If they ever want to win an easy first-place award for sports writing, have them do something on the class system and its unpopularity. The story is overdone but people still want to know if it will ever go back.
Nine of the nation’s ten largest high-school gyms are in Indiana and I lived in a town that had one of them. Basketball is a big deal there, but if this was 15 years ago, Indiana would be relevant in this conversation. Guys I know, Indiana natives, can tell stories about state title games until the last 10 years because it lost its luster.
That leaves us with Texas football or Minnesota hockey.
It is hard because the state hockey tournament this week has been amazing and I’ve seen stuff here I never saw in Texas. Here, there are people scalping for tickets for a tournament. Never saw that in Texas. Just got back from the Let’s Play Hockey expo where its like a rave/concert that features hockey equipment. Don’t have that in Texas.
But here’s what Texas football does have. It has passion. People there are so into football, it is talked about year round. Where I lived in Texas, there are fans that got so upset that there wasn’t enough, they started a web-based fan forum that debates everything from best program, which kid will play at QB for the upcoming season and if a coach should be fired.
And depending on the community, the stadiums are work of art. There’s a school, Port Neches-Groves, that has a stadium that holds 17,000 people. It has a double-decker press box with a jumbotron and field turf. This is the kind of fanbase that camps out for season tickets days before they go on sell.
Then the recruiting. If anyone has ever seen the ESPN 30-for-30 series on SMU titled, “Pony Exce$$” there’s truths in that. For example, people today still talk about the Trans A&M, the gold Trans AM Eric Dickerson allegedly got from Texas A&M. People tell stories of the green handshake where a booster comes by, shakes their hand and then there’s a $50 in their palm. Yeah, it was like that.
Then there’s Minnesota hockey. People here are freaking nuts when it comes to hockey. It might not have the pageantry of Texas high school football, but it **** sure has the fans. There is a reason that this most watched high school championships in America. If this is even a stat of note, know this. I went up 55 Twitter followers in two days because of this tournament. Not all of them are from Minnesota either. Hockey fans, including the guys at places like The Hockey News, want to know what’s going on.
Some of those football coaches in Texas were even like, “Wow” when I told them I was moving up here to cover hockey.
Having covered championships in both states, I can say this. A Texas HS football championship is impressive. Two years in a row, I covered this small town that had its fans show up to every game. They lost the state title games both years yet it was still a good time. Keep this mind, not all title games in Texas, at least when I was there, were televised.
Here, however, they are and in Texas, I never heard about families scheduling vacations around the state title game(s) like they do here in Minnesota.
Finally, there’s the talent. Football is a rough game. Hockey is rougher. The talent in Texas I got a chance to see was impressive. The talent I’ve seen with hockey has been more impressive. You don’t see the kind of scouts at a Texas championship like you would at a Minnesota state hockey tournament.
That being said, I give the nod to Minnesota High School hockey.
Indiana, yes, has the tradition. Texas, yes, has the grandiose presentation and tradition. But know this, Minnesota is the only place where it has the tradition, presentation and a feel that makes it intimate that everyone truly feels they have a stake in how things go.
I’ll be back later to post some more stuff throughout the day. Take care and enjoy semifinal Friday everybody.
