Hockey tape and underwater breaths get Tifo Sports explanations
Two new uploads examine small sporting habits, with the hockey explainer reaching about 150,000 views.
Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.
Why do ice hockey players tape their sticks?
Grip gets the explanation. In "Why do ice hockey players tape their sticks?", Tifo Sports by The Athletic focuses on the tape wrapped around the blade, explaining its role in giving players more grip on the puck.
It was the most watched of the channel's two new uploads, reaching about 150,000 views. The comments add a player's-eye conversation: some viewers describe waxing their blade tape, while others explain what the knob at the top of a stick does. Several also challenge the video's account of stick materials, pointing to carbon fiber rather than fiberglass. That distinction matters in a lesson built around the equipment itself.
The other new upload, "Why swimmers breathe out underwater", takes an equally familiar-looking habit and asks why swimmers shouldn't simply hold their breath. Although it has a smaller total audience, it's currently drawing more daily views than the hockey lesson. An older explainer, "What is the difference between indoor and outdoor athletics?", is also active, exploring how space constraints change the events.
Tifo's subscriber audience grew modestly over the week, while its daily views are running noticeably above their usual level. Among nearby education and explainer channels, Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers had a larger week of views and subscriber growth. Tifo's own contribution is distinctly practical: questions about what athletes do with a stick, a breath or the space available to compete.
Published on Trari
Where next?
What viewers say
Some of us also wax the tape on The blade
@Hi.com11See it on YouTubeThe knob is there to make the stick easier to pick up if you happen to drop it by creating a greater angle on the ice with the stick. For goalies a big knob allows them to poke check the puck effectively while keeping the risk of losing their stick low while doing so.
@JazzCabbagE7See it on YouTubeMany players also add sticky wax to the tape on the blade for even more grip on the puck.
@tryhard633See it on YouTube
2 more comments
modern sticks are not made from fiber glass, but instead made from carbon fiber
@aidencable521See it on YouTubeWooden sticks are also taped
@DannyMorrsSee it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
The videos drawing views on Tifo Sports by The Athletic right now
- Channel
- Tifo Sports by The Athletic
- Subscribers
- 119,000 ▲ 1,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 876,229
- Videos published this week
- 2
- Video published
- October 8, 2026
- Video views so far
- 149,256
- Views on its first day
- 45,506
The numbers
Here is Tifo Sports' week in views and subscribers.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which sporting habit is the subject of Tifo Sports' swimming upload?
The new upload is titled "Why swimmers breathe out underwater".




