Off Season Thoughts: Gender Insults in Hockey
I’ve been thinking on this for a while and the off season seems a good a time as any to raise it. It infuriates me that hockey players are so frequently tagged with the “women” insult. Hank and Danny get called the Sedin sisters by rival fans. Sidney Crosby gets called Cindy Crosby or terms for female anatomy when he dives or complains to the refs. WHY? Why is that an insult? Why is it still OK to stereotype a woman as weak or whiny or emotional? I feel the same way about how gay insults are thrown around but that could be saved for a whole new post. I know the hockey world can be an old boy’s club in many ways but it’s juvenile and unoriginal and frankly I think hockey fans can be better than this. Hockey as a whole can be better than this.
Agreed. I wish I had more hope that we'd see/hear less of it over the next couple of years, but it seems pretty deep-seated. Sigh.
Sadly, I'm guilty of this myself. I call Chris Pronger “Lauren” all the time. 🙁
You’re right Alix. And I will admit, that I’ve used them when descriving the Sedin’s in the past – I feel shame.
There was a game last year, when Cheech drew a comparison between the Canucks play, and women’s hockey. I sent an e-mail to the network, never got so much as a reply. Shameful. Sadly, it is often the MEDIA that have done this. (Neil McRae, I’m looking at you) And they should be the ones taking it OUT of the discussion. Great article.