Sports Influence On Canadian Identity

For many decades, writers and authors have accused the American influence on Canada as one of the reasons why Canada is losing its heritage, with one major aspect being the game of hockey. The institutionalization of American Culture began to take root in Canada during the late 1920’s and 1930s as technological advances, specifically the invention of the radio, allowed Canadians to enjoy American entertainment. American stations were much more reliable than Canadian ones, causing American sporting stations such as NBC and CBS to become extremely popular in Canada (Gruneau et al, 1993). As Canada was becoming intertwined with the United States (U.S.), it was becoming less of a satellite of Britain, which made it tremendously difficult for Canada’s elite to protect British ideals such as self-improvement and participating in sport for the game’s sake. (Gruneau et al, 1993). In the early 1940’s, after the great depression forced many franchises to dismantle, the National Hockey League (NHL) was left with six teams, which made up the famous “original six.” At this time, America had a strong influence on the game, as four of the original six teams were based in the United States, and all of the players in league were paid in American dollars (Gruneau et al, 1993). By the early 1960’s, televised sports were emerging in North America, and NHL players were becoming mainstream stars. Inspired by this, along with the threat of the NHL losing its television contract to the Western

Lacrosse was one of many indigenous stick-ball games that was being played by American Indians when the Europeans arrived in the Americas. The name of the sport was given its name by early French settlers, using the generic term for a game played with a ball and a curved stick called a “Crosse”. “Native terminology, however, tends to describe more the technique (cf. Onondaga DEHUNTSHIGWA'ES, "men hit a rounded object") or, especially in the southeast, to underscore the game's aspects of war surrogacy ("little brother of war").” (Vennum) It is most notable from other sports by using a netted racquet, which is used to pick up, pass, throw and ultimately score by throwing the ball past a goal. The

For Canadians, it's difficult to fathom a culture in which hockey is not a defining characteristic, considering it is so inextricably tied to our own culture. This ethnocentric view leads to the assumption that because Canadian television sets and newspapers are dominated by hockey reporting so too should be the case in the United States. Yet while Canadians treat hockey with an almost religious reverence, Americans have never had the same affinity and as such hockey is of little import as a cultural symbol. Furthermore, had a cultural relativistic approach been applied, objectively evaluating what to Canadians is a glaring oversight, the sports network's complete lack of coverage would have resulted in the conclusion it is neither remarkable

part of American culture and habits, as a result the longer the sport lasts the more engrained it

During this period of growth and modernization, Native tribes continued to play lacrosse as they always had. The Natives' game was modernized in that it was not played so savagely (Source A). However, it had not modernized as much as the game played by whites. In the early 20th Century, the Great Lakes and

Maurice “Rocket” Richard, a legendary hockey player of the mid-twentieth century for the Montreal Canadiens, is recognized for his profound dedication and impact for the game of hockey. His influence, nevertheless, extends beyond hockey, especially for French Canadians in Quebec. As French-English relations in the province and in the National Hockey League were strained during the 1950s and 1960s, French Canadians looked to Richard as a culturally significant figure. While Maurice Richard himself would say that he was simply a hockey player, his effect on French Canadians impacted politics and culture in Quebec. This essay will argue that Maurice Richard’s identity as a French Canadian was in constant struggle within the English

Sports of old were merely competitive activities rooted in heroism and romanticism. Sports activities today, however, have no such innocence or simplicity. Currently in America, the activities that make up our sports culture is not only the competitive events themselves but the processes and issues that underlie and surround them. Entwined in our sports culture is the giant business of mass broadcasting. Indeed, sports and the media go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly, like Mickey and Minnie, Darth Vader and Luke. They are intertwined and depend on each other to continue to grow. Sports media includes television, radio, magazines, newspapers, books, films, and, now, most importantly, social media devices provided by the

Since 1931, Hockey has meant so much to Canadians that it became a part of our identity. The Summit Series has created a new way of hockey is played , as well it gave Canada it's national title of a hockey culture , known by every hockey fan . This essay will prove how the 1972 Summit Series was a significant part in Canada's Hockey Culture Identity.

Lacrosse is a sport that was created by the Native Americans around the 1600s (5). The sport once known as stick ball to the Indians has evolved to a major sport across the world. Lacrosse was a sport that was a real major part of European culture before it made its way to America. It has just recently been picked up in the major ranks of colleges and even a professional level. So with the rise of this sport comes the rise of the preparatory phases to get ready for competition.

How did Jackie Robinson impact Canadian identity when he is considered to be a pivotal component to the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in America? The popular Canadian Heritage Minutes feature defining moments in Canadian history that provide viewers educational backgrounds on such moments to enhance their knowledge. One such video features Jackie Robinson as a member of the Montreal Royals, the minor league affiliate to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The following will discuss the intended purpose of the video and its importance in relation to Canadian identity as well as presenting a description of the accuracy and inaccuracies associated with the video. In a time fueled with racial segregation and discrimination, Robinson’s heritage minute depicts the importance, the city of Montreal played, in launching his professional baseball career and establishing a lasting legacy of a Canadian Identity. Through his perseverance and noble actions, he flourished despite racial implications.

Hockey fans are the root of the racism in hockey. For many decades Canadians have known hockey as being their national sport. There are black Canadians, Asian Canadians, and Aboriginal Canadians. What are the differences between those Canadians citizens but the pigment of their skin? There is racism in hockey it is just not as clear as other forms of racism. Canada is so welcoming and is a very diverse counrty. Hockey fans are so cruel and reluctant for change in their world. The focus of this paper is on the lack of diversity in hockey. What will be examined is the "differences" between black and white people, society 's perception on hockey, Canada 's history with the sport and diversity. The overall question is: is it the sport or is it the people?

The Iroquois nations, one of the oldest and most prestigious tribes in the history of all Native Americans. In this paper I will be showing why the Iroquois ended up siding with the English through the French and Indian, and Revolutionary wars through factors of colonization. I will also be showing some features of their culture, considering the iroquois are not well known in the western United States, and discussing the fall of the once great tribes. The main reason I 've chosen the Iroquois is because of my own prior knowledge of the Iroquois, and their relationship to lacrosse. I started playing lacrosse my freshman year of highschool. The very first thing I learned, before any stick skills or any basics of the game, was the history of it. Our coach insisted that we knew the history and the culture of the game, and that we respected it. I was intrigued by how interesting the game was. The game was made as a form of war. Lacrosse was sometimes even referred to as “Little brother of war”. It would be called this because injury, even death were common during a lacrosse game. When two tribes had a disagreement, but didn 't feel the need to have a legitimate war, the opposing tribes would send their best warriors to the battlefield and play a lacrosse game. Games would be played to a score of 5-7, but considering how long the fields could be, these games could take hours, days even, however long it took for one of the tribes to win,

Sometimes it is easy to forget the game played on frozen ponds and backyard rinks, and get lost in the overwhelming professional sport known as hockey. However, we strive to remember that hockey became Canada's game because it made our never-ending winter months more bearable . The game gradually became a sport, then an entertainment industry. It seems like the lockout was one of the biggest news stories of the year. Part of the amazing nature of the game is that it's origins are fairly vague. However, we always remember that hockey is our game. It may not be our official sport, like lacrosse is, but hockey is what Canada seems to be most well-known for, and it continues to have immense influence on our free society, with its unique style

The sport that Native Americans are most famous for is Lacrosse. It was widely, and still is, commonly known throughout the Americas. While mostly found played near the Atlantic Seaboard and around the Great Lakes area, it was also played in the South, on the grasslands and plains in California, and in the Pacific Northwest. There were three different forms of Lacrosse based on the equipment that was used, the type of goal used, and stick handling techniques. These different forms could be found throughout many different tribes and tribal groups. The materials used in this sport were curved rackets, one ball, goal posts, and the players. The ball was generally made of either wood or buckskin. The rackets had a net on the end to hold the ball in place when running to score at the end of the field. Hundreds of players participated in this sport and often prizes were given out to the winners. “J.G Kohl declared Lacrosse to be the finest and grandest sport of all” (Native American Sports 1800-1860).

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