08) CANADA, OLYMPIC HOCKEY, AND WOMEN

(The following article is from the March 1-15, 2010 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

"Speaking Frankly," by Jane Bouey, Vancouver

My family recently went into one of the many large shops selling Olympic merchandise. There was shelf after shelf of Canadian hockey team t-shirts and jerseys - Crosby, Luongo, Brodeur, etc. We asked the clerks if they had any with names of the Canadian women's team. An embarrassed, "No", was the answer. Not a single item with Wickenheiser, Botterill, St. Pierre, Hefford, Oulette or any other woman.

     Women's hockey has only been an Olympic sport since 1998. Canada won silver that year, and gold in 2002 and 2006. Canada has won 9 of the 12 women's world championships since 1990.

     Hayley Wickenheiser has scored more points and played more games in international hockey than any male member of Canada's team. Yet it is difficult to find her name on Olympic merchandise.

     Now it appears success may be jeopardizing women's hockey. Pundits are pointing to lop-sided wins by Canada and the USA, saying women's hockey does not deserve to be in the Olympics.

     Let's look at this historically. Men's ice hockey first appeared in the 1920 Olympics. Canadian men dominated, winning six of the first seven gold medals awarded. In 1924, they outscored opponents 110 goals to three. In 1948 it was 69 to 5. And this was with amateur club teams. Later the Soviet Union dominated for decades. But there were no media campaigns to eliminate ice hockey from the Olympics.

     There are now around 80,000 females in organized hockey in Canada, and 60,000 in the US, but less than 300 in Slovakia. China has less than 70. How is this the fault of the women? Women's hockey needs international nurturing, and people to champion it.

     The President of the International Ice Hockey Federation has suggested that NHL President Gary Bettman go to China (like his NBA counterpart did) and promote hockey, particularly women's hockey.

     Zuzan Tomcikova, the 21 year old Slovak goalie who let in 18 goals against Canada this Olympics, but stopped 49, says, "I really hope this helps us, because I don't think there was a lot of women's hockey games on television until now. I hope a lot of people at home see that. I hope they see women's hockey is a good sport. I hope they like it and they let their daughter or their sisters or whoever they have at home play it. And it's going to become more popular, and it's going to get started."

     When I was young in the '60s and '70s in Calgary, girls were strongly discouraged (or forbidden) from playing organized hockey. Instead we were invited to play Ringette. This was despite the fact that back in 1956, Abby Hoffman and her parents had gone to the Supreme Court and won her right to participate in boys' hockey.      Women's hockey has been played in Canada since the 1890s. There were organized leagues, particularly in universities and colleges, until the 1940s when participation fell. It remained largely dormant until the '60s, thanks to Abby Hoffman and other pioneers. Participation was still small, but grew steadily until the '80s when organized hockey began to flourish again. However, it still faces double standards.

     Women's hockey was finally "given" the 1990 World Championship. But to the shock of the players and the anger of women across the country, the uniform given to Canada's team was pink. Not for a breast cancer awareness campaign, but because officials wanted to feminize women's hockey. Women were told at that training camp to dress "nicely" at public events. Those who did not were cut from the team. That lesson lingers. There have been subsequent warnings, from high profile women's Team Canada alumni and officials, that players better not express sexual orientation other than "straight" and gender identity other than "feminine".

     Women's hockey challenges deeply held patriarchal norms against participation in traditionally "male" sports. The cost of taking part in "elite" sports disproportionately affects women who, on average, have a lower standard of living than men. The time involved in training is another barrier for women who are traditionally responsible for housekeeping and caregiver duties. Women who are Aboriginal, immigrant and/or women of colour face the additional barrier of systemic racism.

     Women continue to struggle for equal access to sports. Look at the women ski jumpers. Despite participation rates similar to a number of sports prior to introduction to the Olympics, they keep being shut out. A woman held the normal hill record at Whistler of 105.5 meters until the current games, when a handful of elite men slightly surpassed it. (The Gold Medalist jumped 108 meters.) Now it appears they may be punished for taking the matter to court. IOC member Canadian Dick Pound said, "It was a lot of bad publicity for the IOC. I know they don't appreciate it. I don't appreciate it."

     However, thanks to women organizing to demand equity, and sometimes even going to court, the situation seems to be improving. The percentage of women athletes in the 2010 Winter Games is around 40%, up from 25% in the early '90s. Women's boxing will make its debut at the next summer Olympics.

     For this improvement to take root, changes have to occur at the community and school level, demanding equitable ice and gym time and funding, as well as at the elite level. It will take women and men demanding that media celebrate women's bodies, not simply sexualizing and objectifying them. It will mean working to end violence against women. It will mean wider and broader participation of women throughout society. It will mean economic, social, and political equality.

     One sign of our success will be more easily finding women's hockey team jerseys. That will mark a shift in the status of women in our capitalist society.