A Comparative Analysis Of Team Canada And Women's Sports

Hope Solo, a goalie for the United States Women’s National Team, as well as the Seattle Reign FC in the National Women’s Soccer League, is widely regarded as the best goalkeeper the women’s game has ever seen. With over 100 career shutouts on the international level, and numerous individual and team awards including two FIFA Golden Glove awards and a World Cup, it’s hard to deny her prowess. Solo has been on the national stage for over a decade now, and while heralded as a world class player, her career has been fraught with controversy. Solo: A Memoir of Hope was published in August 2012 and provides a unique look into the major events in Hope Solo’s life through her own eyes.

Upon starting college, I was done with sports as far as participating on a team. I knew I wanted to be involved wherever I could be. I enrolled in a class titled, “Girls & Women in Sport.” The class was built upon a sociological approach. In this class, I learned the importance of sex versus gender, the role of Title IX in sports, gender roles, as well as the psychological impacts of athletic participation on women.

This section will outline how, throughout history, the role of Women in Society that has been reflected in the role of Women in Sport.

The Olympics have not only been a prized achievement for many athletes throughout the years, but have been a huge influence of societies all over the world through producing viewpoints, social roles, and societal hierarchies. Observing the continuities and discontinuities within the Olympic games one can gain clarity on how past events still shape the present. Recently new rules set by the International Associations of Athletics Federations (IAAF) have declared that female athletes with abnormally high rates of testosterone must lower their hormone levels or be forced to compete with men. This rule amendment in women’s sports highlights only a small factor of how women have been segregated and discriminated against by a higher power. Through

One was heralded as the personification of what it means to be Canadian and the other as a villain who embarrassed Canada (Jackson & Ponic, 2001). Both athletes were once dominant in their sport and their actions have affected the way Canadians view themselves. Wayne Gretzky is known as the greatest hockey player of all time, born and raised in Canada. It was thought that through finding greatness in him we can find greatness in ourselves (Jackson & Ponic, 2001, p. 47), this shows how important he was to Canadians and how much the average Canadian looked up to him. However, when he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings and married an American actress, Canadians were outraged. They viewed it as ‘another thing the Americans stole from us’ (Jackson & Ponic, 2001, p. 49). The other side of the coin is the story of Ben Johnson, Ben Johnson wasn’t a household name in Canada until he won the gold medal at the Olympic games in Seoul, South Korea. When he won, Canadians were heralding him as their own, as representing the multiculturalism that was present in Canada since he was not Canadian born but rather, Jamaican born (Jackson & Ponic, 2001, p. 50). The fanfare that followed his gold medal was to be expected, he was the first Canadian in 56 years to win a medal at the coveted, premier event that is the 100-m sprint. However, it wasn’t long before Ben

* The first Olympic Festival for women’s soccer was held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1985 by the Olympic Committee and the U.S. Soccer Federation and led to the creation of the first national team (252).

This was an exciting time for Canadians, because Bobby was a female sports icon at the time, and she showed Canadians that women can be amazing athletes. In the 1920's hockey was a Canadian sport, that was considered Canada's national sport (Canada). Hockey was very exciting for Canadians, because they were able to support their favourite team, and it was a great source of entertainment. As the years went on, Canadians in sports continued to gain popularity.

During the 2012 summer Olympics in London, the Canadian women’s soccer team was able to accomplish something that Canada had not since 1936, earn a medal in a traditional team sport (Ewing). This team was led by their captain and arguably the greatest Canadian soccer player of all time, Christine Sinclair. Sinclair was Canada’s top player all tournament including an incredible performance in a heartbreaking loss in the semi-finals to the United States where she netted a hat trick (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca). Ever since this time, women’s soccer has grown tremendously in Canada and much of this is due to Sinclair’s performance (http://www.statcan.gc.ca). Her dedication, leadership, and tremendous talent has inspired a nation and forever changed the game of soccer in Canada.

When he was only 6 he was already playing as an all-star in novice hockey with 10 and 11 year old boys and by 1977 he was playing at the Junior World Cup Competition where he was made the most goals at the youngest age competing. The first NHL team he joined was the Edmonton Oilers and he led four victories with the Stanley Cup and was later traded to the Los Angeles Kings and by the early 1990’s broke Gordie Howe’s record of points and career goals. To go on, the Canadian Olympics started in 1904 and the canadian athletes have always participated in every Olympic game since its founding in 1904. The 1976 summer games and 1988 winter games were hosted in Montreal, and then in Vancouver for the 2010 winter olympics. Some of the main events in the Canadian Olympics are figure skating, track and field, and swimming, but Canada has dominated ice-hockey more than anything(“Canada”).

The members of the U.S. Women’s Hockey Under-22 Select Team were chosen after participating in the USA Hockey Women's National Festival from Aug. 11-16 in Lake Placid, New York. The team will compete in a three-game series against Canada from Aug. 19-22 at the Lake Placid Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York.

In the poem “Canadian angels” by Lorna Crosier we can see that in the poem the players of the Canadian woman’s hockey team of the 2002 Olympic games team was a team to start young girls on a dream. The Canadian women’s hockey team was the team of Canada showing that the woman could show they themselves had just as much skill as the men’s team. The woman’s team was the team to show younger girls of the world that they two can be the best at what they do with showing their home country that they can win it all. Looking at the poem we can see the “Canadian Angels” were more then a team to win gold but a team to win the hearts of the people back in Canada. It’s clear that the Woman’s team of 2002 could make an impact on the country and the game they loved.

In 1994, the Canadian Federal government compromised and voted to make hockey Canada’s National Winter Sport and lacrosse Canada’s National Summer Sport. Which Sport should be named Canada’s true national sport? Hockey is in the blood of all Canadians. Millions can vividly remember the first time they put on a pair of skates and stepped onto the ice. Providing nation-wide entertainment, Canadians are overcome by emotional realization that “Canada is hockey.”- Mike Weir. Generations of Canadians were brought up listening to Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday evening on the radio. It is more than just a sport in Canada, it defines the culture. Look no further than the five-dollar bill. One will observe a group of children playing a game

Since the beginning of this century women like Babe Didrickson and Billy Jean King have brought female athletes into mainstream acceptance. In earlier times women had not only not been encouraged to be physical it was thought to be harmful for

Women. Men. They are both a unique and special being that is on earth. In a perfect society, men and women would have the same physical strength and they would be completely equal. The idea of women and men being able to play against each other is wonderful but realistically it might not work out as great. Of course, women can do anything men can do, but in a competitive situation like this, the results of this change could bring forth more negative impacts than positive ones. In professional sports, women and men should be kept separate due to being biologically different and because of the possibility of the quality of the performances in the sports decreasing.

Women have always been the minority in the world even today: that is in the work force or even in sports. Title IX, an act that was made by the United States Congress in 1972, said that no one should be denied to play, receive financial aid, or discriminate to any education program or activity that pertains to only one sex (Senne 1). This act was a step towards improving female participation and lessening discrimination, but the stereotypes that most of society believes in still exist. This is one of the main reasons why women are discriminated when it comes to sports; by limited payroll, limited media coverage, and stereotypes.