Women Hockey Has to Prove Their Worth

I wrote this, and then saw that there was another blog on hockey when I went to post, but they are a little different, so here it is.

I have been very interested in following the Olympic men’s hockey in Vancouver, but while I would consider myself a hockey fan, I realized during an update on women’s hockey, that I knew little about the women’s side of things. This has become the problem for women hockey players, and is the reason they fear that women’s hockey could be taken out of the winter Olympics just as women’s softball was.

Women’s hockey has a few differences from men’s. Women are not allowed to body check. It is considered a minor or major penalty for women, while it is hard to imagine men’s hockey without it. Women are also required to wear full face masks while men are not. The issue being debated is if women’s hockey is internationally well known enough for the Olympics. Only two teams have dominated since it was introduced in 1998, the USA and Canada, this year being no exception. Some say this is evident in the US 9-1 victory over Sweden on Monday the 22nd. But if this kind of score is seen in men’s hockey, people do not start questioning its validity as an Olympic sport.

Interest in women’s hockey is what needs to be sparked, but how can this happen if women’s hockey is not advertised or aired on TV. I often watch hockey, but have not seen a women’s game aired other that in the Olympics. But the publicity of the American and Canadian teams success will hopefully stark international interest in young girls all over the world, because this women’s sports seems to need to prove their public worth.

Resources:
Dupont, K.P. (2010). These women are playinf for keeps. The Boston Globe. Retrieved from
http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/olympics/articles/2010/02/23/playing_for_keeps_in_womens_hockey/
Kragthrope, K. (2010). Women’s hockey moves beyond mercy stage. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.sltrib.com/athome/ci_14451544
http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-hockey-schedule-results/

Sarah Orchard
Kin 338i T/Th 2pm