Which major sports do you consider relevant in the US?

[Tenshot13]

I agree with Dave about comparing MMA to NHL = Apples to Oranges.  Attendance figures aren't comparable when comparing the two.  When it comes to viewership, I believe the two are similar, but NHL still has the advantage due to number of games.  Even when boxing was at it's most popular, you couldn't compare it to NHL as a whole.  MMA has surpassed boxing.

If I were to compare sports viewership to sex:

NHL, MLB, NBA...they're all the steady 30 min - 1hr session

MMA / Boxing...the intense animalistic 5-10 minute session

MMA may have a larger draw for major events, but the NHL has longer staying power....some people would say that evens out.

Also, I have to say that MMA is shortening the distance between events.  They'll have a PPV, take a week off, have a free event on Spike or VS..take a week off...another PPV...then there is The Ultimate Fighter reality show....I'm sure before long they will have weekly events all year round.

[Spider-Dan]

I agree with Dave about comparing MMA to NHL = Apples to Oranges.  Attendance figures aren't comparable when comparing the two.

Why is it unfair to compare average NHL attendance to average UFC attendance?  If anything, that's an unfair advantage for the UFC; the NHL had to fill seats for over nine hundred events in the same time frame that the UFC had to fill seats for six events.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

And EVERYONE knows of Brock Lesnar.

Never heard of him. 

[MikeO]

Why is it unfair to compare average NHL attendance to average UFC attendance?  If anything, that's an unfair advantage for the UFC; the NHL had to fill seats for over nine hundred events in the same time frame that the UFC had to fill seats for six events.

six events? Oh boy.

Ya know Im gonna bow out of this right now cause if you think the UFC had 6 events in that time frame you clearly don't understand how the UFC operats, how many events they run, how their minor league operation which also ran on Versus drew higher ratings than the NHL on Versus, or anything of the sort. And you can't have a clear understanding of the debate. And I'm not going to go in circles with ya.

So as always, believe what ya want, live in your world/bubble! Good-Day!

[Spider-Dan]

I was only counting numbered UFC events because I was trying to be nice.  Did you really want me to include The Ultimate Fighter finales, with their massive attendance of nearly two thousand people?  Or maybe you are displeased that I excluded UFC Live, which almost reached 5-digit attendance?

I really don't think you want to bring up minor leagues as an argument in hockey vs. MMA.  Having not looked at minor league hockey statistics at all, I'd be willing to guess that ONE top-tier minor league hockey team outdraws (again, on average) the entirety of WEC or Strikeforce quite easily.

[David Fulcher]

Couldn't be more wrong. A fraction of America can name 5 current NHL Hockey Players off the top of their head. The vast majority of America can name 5 current MMA stars. And EVERYONE knows of Brock Lesnar. Brock is a bigger world-wide star than any hockey player and it isn't even close!

While it's unfortunate that, as usual, this thread has de-volved into just a hockey vs. MMA/UFC debate, after reading this last night but not getting a chance to post about it at the time, I had to at least throw in my two cents' regarding this one.  While others have commented regarding the fact that they can name at least 5 NHL players (like them--while not a big hockey fan--I can do likewise easily without Google/wiki/etc.), I just had to say something regarding MikeO's statement that the majority of America can name at least 5 current MMA stars...sorry, I think that is just WRONG.  While I don't know that we could find this out for sure (maybe we could submit this one to SportsNation for Cow"turd" and crew to discuss), I'm of the belief this is not accurate.  I have several friends (all under the age of 30) that enjoy UFC a lot so while I will give you that it's a popular sport and becoming more popular it seems by the months, it doesn't outhit hockey yet in my opinion...and I live in AL!  So, I'd say that hockey (NHL specifically) still has MMA beat, or at least is right there with it. 

But I really can't agree with you on the "naming 5 MMA stars" easily and the "majority of America" thing...when someone like me who pays a fair amount of attention to most sports thinks they would have a difficult time doing so without having to see the names listed first (I recognized more than 5 that you posted but believe I would have been hard-pressed to say that many had they not been listed...probably just Lesnar, GSP, and Liddell for me...maybe Ortiz), I think that says a lot.

I also agree that if not for WWF/WWE, Lesnar would not have been nearly as recognizable.  While he was a multiple time champion at the collegiate level of wrestling, that's truly a niche following so I don't think that would have carried that much weight for him (at least publicly) heading into UFC if he hadn't first been in the WWE.  Same thing with Kurt Angle...never heard of him before he went to the WWF, just found out he won gold medals in wrestling after the fact when they first introduced him.  Fake "wrestling" made him famous, not the real thing, and while I know that might not be exactly comparable with Lesnar, I think he wouldn't have been as big a deal had he not came from there first...take that for what it's worth.

[Pappy13]

Couldn't be more wrong. A fraction of America can name 5 current NHL Hockey Players off the top of their head. The vast majority of America can name 5 current MMA stars. And EVERYONE knows of Brock Lesnar. Brock is a bigger world-wide star than any hockey player and it isn't even close!

Betcha a dollar I know at least 10 people that couldn't name a single MMA person and never heard of Brock. Now probably most of them couldn't name many hockey players either, but I bet you if I asked them who Mike Modano is, every last one of them would know.

[Pappy13]

Doesn't matter how your well knowBrock is the biggest star in MMA and a bigger star than any NHL player. That's a fact. Can't deny it

Randy Couture, Rampage Jackson, Chuck Lidell, Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, GSP...your average joe walking the street has at least heard of those people and know they are UFC/MMA guys.

Nope, never heard of a single one.

[Sunstroke]

Brock Lesnar is NOT a bigger star than Sid the Kid Crosby, and probably not even as big as Alex Ovechkin.

Of all the UFC/MMA guys listed, the only one I'd heard of was Couture. I'd heard of Lesnar, but not because of his UFC or MMA career. I watched him wrestle in the Big 10, and then again when he made his cursory tryout for the Vikings.

[Brian Fein]

^^ This is 1000% correct.

[Dave Gray]

Furthermore, I think we can both safely agree that the NHL OBLITERATES the UFC in ... video game sales.

Just so we're all working with the same facts, this isn't true.  As part of marketing in general, sure, but individually, the UFC trounces the NHL in terms of video game sales.  It's like 6:1.

[Brian Fein]

There are UFC video games?

[Dave Gray]

Yeah, they sell really well.

On top of that, they are also really good games.  The NHL games for the last 2 years have been very good, as well.

[Brian Fein]

I used to love NHL games.  I haven't had one since maybe 2002 because they got, in my opinion, too difficult to play.  At the same time, my roommates and I became obsessed with EA Sports NHL98 when I was in college and we had full seasons and tournaments, and I was unbeatable with John Vanbiesbrouck and the Florida Panthers.

If there's a good NHL game out, I wouldn't mind checking it out.

[/hijack]

[Spider-Dan]

Just so we're all working with the same facts, this isn't true.  As part of marketing in general, sure, but individually, the UFC trounces the NHL in terms of video game sales.  It's like 6:1.

You are correct that the UFC sells more games, but incorrect as to the scale.

UFC Undisputed 2010 sold 2.1m copies.
NHL 10 sold 1.12m copies.
NHL 2K10 sold 740k copies.