I can not really explain why or when I lost my taste for professional sports. I had season seats for baseball, football and hockey long after I had stopped watching basketball. It all just became business and players were moving around and not staying with the teams who invested in them and fans who tried to support them...example: Shack and Penny leaving Orlando.
I still love hockey, but not on TV. Their cameras only follow the puck and you miss the plays and positioning that make it exciting! I saw a little of the Olympic hockey and it looked like they used a better camera system...
The ESPNification of sports has contributed. The fascination with certain athletes and teams make so-called professionals in the media come across as cheerleaders. I remember an ESPN radio person apologize for showing two small market Midwest teams (Milwaukee and Minnesota I think) on a Sunday night game (relatively early in the season, too, IIRC) and he admitted that his cohorts only care about certain teams. My guess is that his cohorts wouldn’t sound knowledgeable or would actually have to learn about the non-glitter teams and players when anyone can spew opinions about the publicized products.
Too many TV ads, delays over instant replays extends the games and another pet peeve is the constant statistical data shown during the broadcasts. Baseball games especially are too long. I also don’t need “fantasy football” stats shown constantly on the scroll in a manner which distracts from the primary purpose: enjoying that televised game. Show out of town scores but running back X has 4 carries for 22 yards in another game doesn’t appeal to me. I prefer the “less is more” motto. There are other reasons: high ticket prices, seasons are too long, competition for entertainment among others. Plus, I’d rather go to a horse track. :-)
Yes, a contributing and continuing problem to hockey’s image is that the game doesn’t translate as well on TV as it does in person. Certainly, the unfamiliarity of players since most don’t come from the U.S. college hockey scene as is the case in the NFL and NBA.
Ramble ended.