Does Race, Religion, And Sexual Orientation Impact The Knowledge Of Women's Hockey?

Part 1: Description of the social work created by female rep hockey players within Cobourg, Ontario.

The discussion of fairness between men and women is a constant topic. It is a controversial subject that has been debated by people far and wide. But to be more specific, what is the fairness between men and women in professional sports? In the essay “Who You Callin’ a Lady?” by Kathleen Deveny, Deveny explores the level of attention and consequences that men versus women receive in professional sports. Deveney claims that women in professional sports are given more attention and shame for the bad things that they do on the field during their sports games and are given worse punishments than the men.

Throughout the history of sports, women have struggled to participate in various forms of competition. Discrimination for women in sports can be traced back to as far as Ancient Egypt and Greece. In fact, during the first Olympic Games only men were allowed to take part in the Olympic Games and women were not even allowed to watch the games under threat of death. In Europe, the practice of sports for women was practically non-existent until the 19th century and even then only wealthy women played games such as croquet, golf and tennis (Rostkowska, 2007). For centuries, this type of discrimination for women in sports has continued.

Pedersen 1996:183 back in the 1970s, scholarly works about women’s participation is limited and under developed. The situation slightly improved in the in the 1980s by CAAWS which produced a lot of information through articles on the history and sociology of sport. This trend continued through the 1990s where there was an improved amount of information on the history of Canadian women in sport mostly published in international anthropologie and also in the sports history journal. Pedersen 1996:183.

Throughout the observation of my night at the hockey game, it is clear that it is its own culture. Throughout the semester we have learned that everywhere has their own cultural norms and values. In the hockey culture they have their own set of cultural norms. These are a unique wardrobe for both the hockey players and hockey fans, the teams fighting for a full 60 minutes, the behaviors set around this sport, and the male dominance of hockey. These are not unusual cultural norms because in America as a whole, we can understand these cultural norms of hockey and learn how to apply ourselves the correct way to hockey.

Many people are taken by surprise when I tell them that I have played roller hockey for 13 years and currently am the head coach if a children’s instructional league. As a small child, my mother always wanted my sister and me to partake in stereotypical gender appropriate activities such as cheerleading, baton, and some people would say dance. However, I’ve always been a little rougher around the edges to fit the stereotype of “prim and proper” and the cheerleading days came to a quick end when I brought home a flyer for roller hockey during second grade. Eventually, my mother came around to the idea and registered be for the upcoming season. Many people like to believe that hockey is a “boys sport” and are not too fond of having a girl on

Ultimately, my involvement in hockey has given me a unique perspective on the intricacies of the sociology of athletic bodies. It has emphasized how critical it is to deal with structural injustices and to fight for increased opportunities and representation for underrepresented groups in sports. We can endeavor to establish a more welcoming and fair athletic community for everybody through firsthand knowledge and sociological research, and big outcomes like the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) will come out of it. In conclusion, in negotiating the annals of history and delving into my own experiences within sports, it becomes evident that the sociology of sporting bodies has a huge societal significance. From classical Greek to the modern arenas of international sports, demonstrating the relationship between athletic ability and social dynamics.

Gender challenges in sports have been around for centuries. Male and female genders are treated differently in more than one way. The research I have gathered show the differences in all aspects of sports related business areas such as, ticket sales, facilities, price of tickets, media coverage, Sports Illustrated covers, and sports reporters. The purpose of this research is to bring attention the disparities that women follow in the business of sports. Women are stereotyped, discriminated against, and harassed in all aspects I have discussed. So my final thoughts on my research are that women will always be acknowledged for their beauty, body, and sex appeal. A woman’s knowledge of sports, athleticism, and love for the

Women have been oppressed throughout the history of sports. There are many ways in which female athletes have been oppressed. Some examples are in the Olympics, in schools, in other countries, in the U.S, the comparison of male athletes to female and many more. Based on records, documentaries, articles, etc. of women’s sports, it is evident that female athletes are not treated equally to men by both sports organizations and the general public.

Even though women have been fighting for equal rights in the sports industry; It is true that male and females have different

The days where people feared the gender that wasn’t male or female are long gone. Thanks to the momentum of the Gay Rights Movement and the LGBT community through protest and activism over the past few decades, a positive attitude was pushed forward for American equality. It became the standard and expectation of American citizens to support, encourage and tolerate all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, creed and most importantly, gender and sexuality. However, unbeknownst to many, there is one particular form of entertainment that appear to be ‘out of the loop': professional sports, particularly male athletes. This notion is especially prominent in the 4 major professional leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL).

The gender difference between male and female in sports is not natural, but it is socially constructed through media, institutions, and the public

Women are behind in the sports industry because they lack opportunity. Sports are created by men and for men, the leading gender in the sports industry is male. Take a look at any professional team whether it is baseball, hockey, basketball, football, even darts; all these events are male dominated and there are no associations remotely equivalent for women’s sports. Women have never been able to compete or try out for such leagues; NHL, CFL, MLB, NBA etc. I once heard of a woman who played a game in the NHL, so I decided to research her, Manon Rhéaume is her name, the first ever woman to appear in an NHL game. On Sept. 23, 1992 Rhéaume goal tended in a pre-season game for the Tampa Bay Lightning against the St. Louis Blues (Campbell, 2015).

These unwanted problems could be fixed, if women and men played in the same league. Yes men may have an advantage in any given sport-but that’s no reason to prevent women even trying to fight for a place. Women playing on men's professional teams would erase all sexism in sports for good. People would realize that women and men are equal and should be treated equally, after seeing them play together.

In the last one hundred years women have made tremendous inroads in many facets of life. Of that there can be little doubt. Women may now hold jobs, own property and participate in professional sports. Today women can compete in sports, once a vestige of male domination; there is now room for women in that arena. But even today women in sports are not portrayed in the same light as their male counterparts. To a large degree this is because of today's cultural ideal of women.