TAMPA - Hockey or basketball?
It's the long-debated spring question among sports fans. Which playoffs are more compelling? The quest for the NHL's Stanley Cup or the battle for the NBA championship?
Of course, it's ultimately a matter of personal preference. Both leagues spend the better part of two months deciding a champion after an 82-game regular season. As a fan, if you don't know which one does a better job of holding your interest by the time April turns to May, you're not paying close enough attention.
According to two online polls, hockey seems to have an edge among fans. A recently posted TBO.com poll saw roughly two-thirds of respondents favor the NHL playoffs to those of the NBA.
The poll was intentionally left off TBO.com's Lightning page to discourage a hockey bias. Still, the Bolts' first trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals and the lack of an NBA team in the Bay area tend to push the local interest toward the ice.
A more accurate national gauge comes from an ESPN.com poll which, through this past weekend, saw 70 percent of the 50,000-plus respondents say the NHL playoffs are better than those of the NBA.
So can we say with certainty that postseason hockey is grabbing the attention of today's American sports fans better than playoff basketball? That, too, is a matter of debate.
Although a Lightning-Capitals NHL playoff game was the top-rated sports television event in the Bay area for the week of April 17-23, a Magic-Pistons NBA game was right behind. Both were Sunday contests.
Nationally, a Lakers-Timberwolves basketball game pulled the highest Nielsen rating, by a wide margin, among sports programs April 14-20. The only NHL game in the top 10 drew a smaller share than, of all things, a bull riding telecast.
So what gives?
Perhaps basketball translates better than hockey to the TV screen. Two-thirds of the ESPN.com voters said the NBA has more ``star power'' than the NHL, which would seem to lend credence to that theory. Stars shine on television, and Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson were at their marquee best as the 2003 NBA playoffs opened.
Still, 75 percent of poll voters said the NHL offers more drama in terms of which team will win it all, and 81 percent said hockey's sudden-death overtime beats a couple of NBA overtime periods.
So it's slapshots over jump shots this playoff season.
Unless you're up for a debate.
Which playoffs do you prefer watching - NBA or NHL? Go to TBO.com, keyword sports, to cast your vote.
http://sports.tbo.com/sports/MGAXMG744FD.html
It's the long-debated spring question among sports fans. Which playoffs are more compelling? The quest for the NHL's Stanley Cup or the battle for the NBA championship?
Of course, it's ultimately a matter of personal preference. Both leagues spend the better part of two months deciding a champion after an 82-game regular season. As a fan, if you don't know which one does a better job of holding your interest by the time April turns to May, you're not paying close enough attention.
According to two online polls, hockey seems to have an edge among fans. A recently posted TBO.com poll saw roughly two-thirds of respondents favor the NHL playoffs to those of the NBA.
The poll was intentionally left off TBO.com's Lightning page to discourage a hockey bias. Still, the Bolts' first trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals and the lack of an NBA team in the Bay area tend to push the local interest toward the ice.
A more accurate national gauge comes from an ESPN.com poll which, through this past weekend, saw 70 percent of the 50,000-plus respondents say the NHL playoffs are better than those of the NBA.
So can we say with certainty that postseason hockey is grabbing the attention of today's American sports fans better than playoff basketball? That, too, is a matter of debate.
Although a Lightning-Capitals NHL playoff game was the top-rated sports television event in the Bay area for the week of April 17-23, a Magic-Pistons NBA game was right behind. Both were Sunday contests.
Nationally, a Lakers-Timberwolves basketball game pulled the highest Nielsen rating, by a wide margin, among sports programs April 14-20. The only NHL game in the top 10 drew a smaller share than, of all things, a bull riding telecast.
So what gives?
Perhaps basketball translates better than hockey to the TV screen. Two-thirds of the ESPN.com voters said the NBA has more ``star power'' than the NHL, which would seem to lend credence to that theory. Stars shine on television, and Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson were at their marquee best as the 2003 NBA playoffs opened.
Still, 75 percent of poll voters said the NHL offers more drama in terms of which team will win it all, and 81 percent said hockey's sudden-death overtime beats a couple of NBA overtime periods.
So it's slapshots over jump shots this playoff season.
Unless you're up for a debate.
Which playoffs do you prefer watching - NBA or NHL? Go to TBO.com, keyword sports, to cast your vote.
http://sports.tbo.com/sports/MGAXMG744FD.html
