Ask most people what curling is, and their answer is probably not going to be one that involves a sport. The first thing that probably comes to mind deals with hair.
The 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics has a chance to change that sentiment.
Curling, a sport originating in 16th-century Scotland, involves two teams of four members each throwing sixteen 42-pound stones down a 126-foot sheet of ice. The goal is to get as many of your team’s stones closest to the center of the circle at the end of the ice. Ten rounds, or ends, are played, and the team with the most points wins. Often called chess on ice, curling is more a sport of strategy than of strenuous athletic ability.
British troops in the 18th century brought with them the sport of curling; since then, it has exploded in Canada. Often surpassing hockey in the number of spectators, the sport is played by 1.2 million Canadians. In Canada, it is often on television, and people pay to watch matches, cheering as they would any other sport.
Yet here in the United States, only 15,000 people curl, many of those concentrated in the 130 clubs located in the Great Lakes region — specifically Wisconsin, Minnesota and New York. Ask most Americans, and they have no idea what the sport is, let alone how it is played.
Curling clubs across the country have been trying to increase the visibility of the sport for decades ? trying to move people away from making fun of it to appreciating it. They hoped curling becoming an Olympic sport in 1998 would help change that. However, in 1998 NBC gave curling very little airtime — mostly the late-late-night spots on MSNBC.
Four years later, things are different. Curling is receiving press time, and newspapers across the country are writing stories about it. NBC is airing 50 hours of curling, showcasing 21 of the 98 men’s and women’s curling matches in Salt Lake ? some of them during prime time. Office Depot is using the sport as part of its Olympic commercials. Serendipity Point Films is even releasing a curling based-comedy movie in March, titled “Men with Brooms” and starring Leslie Nielsen.
Curling clubs across the country are excited for the newfound attention the sport is getting.
“We’ve done everything we can to prepare for this opportunity and take advantage,” Rick Patzke of the U.S. Curling Association told USA Today.
Clubs think if people see it on TV and then try it, they’ll become hooked.
Nothing has changed with the sport, though. It hasn’t become flashier. It’s still played the same as always ? it is just getting more attention, which is the number-one thing it needs to infiltrate American homes.
Curling clubs are hoping coverage will draw attention and make curling a household name. By recognizing curling and airing it during normal viewing hours, NBC is helping bring this otherwise unknown sport into the open.
