shortcat1 Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 My title is taken from the title of an article on CBC Sports Online. the page is: http://www.cbc.ca/story/sports/national/20...fans050722.html Here's the applicable quote: "Last month, Solutions Research Group talked to 1,776 Canadians 12 years old and older and 55 per cent said hockey was one of their favourite sports. In 2003, in a similar survey, 68 per cent said hockey was among their favourite sports. According to Jeff Vidler, a partner with Solutions Research Group, if you extrapolate that 13 per cent difference across the country it means two million fewer Canadians cite hockey as one of their top sports to watch since the lockout wiped out the 2004-05 NHL season. The results of the survey are accurate with two percentage points for the population as a whole, 19 times out of 20. "By being out of sight, hockey has been out of mind – but, more than that, a lot of fans got very angry with the NHL," Vidler said." In my general circle of acquaintances, those who followed hockey before the lock-out, though frustrated, are still eager to see it back again. Those who were so-so about the game remain so and the same can be said for those who were not that very interested to begin with. I wonder if, as I believe is usually the case, the news report isn't just another piece of brain candy, a 'shocker', a contrived construction of controversy. I do confess to be very skeptical of the newsworthiness of the news media. I don't know where fact reporting fits in their grand scheme. Is just the backgrounding for their constant editorializing and show biz? News has become more entertainment than letting us know what's going on around us. Now I'll get off of my soapbox and, if you're interested, you can get on and add your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zowpeb Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 Depending on how they ask the question they can elicite the response they want...social statistics are often skewed by whichever group puts the data together. It's incredible how much stock people put into poorly done stats... Asking: "what is your favorite sport to watch", is certianly not an indication that the NHL has lost fans...it means that people have not thought of hockey in a year and have become involved in watching other sports. Does that mean they will no longer watch hockey? Certainly not. To be honest, I know plenty of people(mostly Leaf fans as I live in that area) who are moaning that they won't watch hockey anymore, but as soon as their team strings together 2 wins they'll be on the bandwagon. Beware the stats you read and the people who are interpreting them. I even recall a stat that said over 90% of women have been abused in their relationships and it shocked me till I read that it defined abuse as everything from raising your voice in an argument to slamming a door when someone leaves...lol. Mark Twain wrote: "There are only 3 types of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." In my opinion, stats are great BUT you need to look behind the data to the definitions and/or the questions asked to ensure it's validity. [Edited on 2005/7/26 by Zowpeb] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortcat1 Posted July 26, 2005 Author Share Posted July 26, 2005 Hey, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Whenever I see stuff like that, my opinion, as you surely will have read in my initial post, is that it's a whole lot of slanted stuff manufactured to define truth according to someone's perspective or, at the least, just some more brain candy that's made to incite a reaction / get more readers/watchers, make more advertising money, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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