A Look at Hockey, its Merchandises, and its Fans from a Different Perspective

Nick Dimengo of Bleacher Report wrote an article a couple of years back about the best selling jerseys in all of major US sports.

Interestingly enough, three NHL (National Hockey League) players made the list that includes sports icons such as Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning, and Clint Dempsey. Based on the aforementioned piece, the likes of Jonathan Toews, Sidney Crosby, Jaromir Jagr, and Pavel Datsyuk are just some of the players to have their sweaters passionately commemorated by NHL fans across America. These same diehards are the ones watching and cheering at home or inside the arena day in and day out. Conversely, they are also the ones who live and breathe hockey away from the ice.

Photo: courtesy of pixabay.com

The advent of modern-day technology brought to life people’s creativity and resourcefulness. We now live in a world where we can alleviate boredom, accomplish tasks, and show support with just a touch of a button. There are websites like Owayo that have a free 3D designer feature for hockey jerseys, as well as hockey trivia apps and games on both the Android and iOS. Online platform Spin Genie even has a slot game dedicated to the sport called Break Away. With these improvements, fans have more ways to be involved in hockey aside from catching the games and screaming their hearts out for their teams live. On the other hand, there’s also an aspect – whether for marketing purposes or otherwise – that shows a different type of support.

In Australia, for instance, the men and women’s hockey teams highlighted a charitable side of the sport by giving back to those in need. As a way of showing everyone how hockey isn’t just about physically imposing athletes who fight over a puck, these players donated their gears and sweaters to Salaam Bombay Foundation. The Indian charity runs a hockey academy especially focused on underprivileged kids in the country for them to truly embrace sports and develop their love for the game eventually. This donation also gave them a glimpse what it’s like to be actual hockey players, which should further motivate them to pursue this dream.

At the end of the day, sports fandom neither stops inside the arena nor at home. Supporting hockey players – athletes in general – is more than just buying jerseys and specially made merchandises, as sometimes, it goes way beyond the arena and the realms of technology. The example above shows how something as simple as hockey sweaters can change the lives of people thousands of miles away.