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Advertising and overwhelm: the chaos of attending professional sports games
Professional hockey games have become monster truck shows, unbearable to attend
So, why was my experience at this Kraken game so overwhelming? It comes back to a few unfortunately predictable things: money, attention and technology.
April 24, 2023
What do monster truck shows, professional wrestling and hockey games have in common? They are all competitive and incredibly physical, but ultimately, they are chaotic. There are advertisements, flashing lights, obnoxiously loud noises and stadium-wide activities.
While I am an athlete, I know nearly nothing about hockey. I was expecting to be completely lost attending a Seattle Kraken hockey game, anticipating a half time instead of three breaks and confused about the absence of hand balls (or pucks, in this case).
Instead, I found myself laughing at the ridiculousness of the event. From the five minute team entrance to the dance highlights and trivia games on the jumbotron every two minutes, it was overwhelmingly confusing and amusing.
I found myself slouching in my seat, embarrassed to be present at this monster truck show. Snacks were outrageously pricey and tickets ranged up to $500. There was an employee walking around with a camera, ready to film another group of millennials dancing and chugging beer for the jumbotron. It was a relief when the game would finally resume – when I wouldn’t have to watch another trivia game, card sort, dance party or stadium-wide activity.
So, why was my experience at this Kraken game so overwhelming? Why have live professional sports (like hockey) become so chaotic to watch? Why is there so much advertising, such high prices and so little attention paid to the game itself?
It comes back to a few unfortunately predictable things: money, attention and technology.
Behind the high prices and constant advertising, as you might expect, is the growth of consumerism. The Seattle Kraken was only recently founded, having the 2021-2022 season as their first in the National Hockey League (NHL). The last time Seattle had a professional hockey team was in 1974, meaning the founding of the Kraken certainly received attention.
This high pricing is also a league-wide issue, with the NHL lacking access to online and TV broadcasting, instead pulling from their revenues. This in turn has caused NHL teams to have to up their prices to unreasonable levels, unlike professional football, baseball and basketball leagues.
It’s not desirable to have to pay upwards of $100 for a ticket to a sports game, nor is it desirable to pay that much for anything. As demand for tickets (in this case) increases, prices increase. As prices increase, things get cheap.
Another thing to consider is that not that long ago, hockey teams didn’t have access to the technology to have this level of advertising and promotion. From 1973 to 2023, a mere 50 years, it’s unbelievable how much technology has changed. We have gone from fax machines and blackberry phones to computers, iPhones, social media and ChatGPT. Was there a jumbotron 50 years ago constantly displaying advertisements for hockey merchandise, or a team app to play iPhone games on during the game?
Maybe that’s why there was so little attention paid to the game of hockey itself; we are constantly having our attention pulled in every direction by ads for Kraken giveaways and for the new “Authentic Reverse Retro Jersey” for just $125!
Beyond the money and the technology, though, why is this constant advertising successful? What keeps people going back to Kraken games or buying a season pass? Have you ever noticed that when filling up your car at a gas station – a minute and a half-long period – a jingle and ad are played? It’s an unfortunately brilliant thing marketers have done: they have taken advantage of the human need for distraction – to constantly have noise in our minds and our thoughts preoccupied.
I wish I could’ve come away from that Kraken game with that smile I saw all of my peers with. When I was able to, it was an engaging sport to watch; it was fast-paced, athletic and visually interesting. But with the constant advertising and overwhelm, it was impossible to pay any attention to the game. Given that sports are – at the heart of it – for entertainment, I have to give it to the Kraken: what an entertaining experience, for better or worse. Perhaps my confusion and overwhelm at this game was simply my experience, but it certainly was a notable one.