The hockey world is, and, remains an integral field of sports journalism. This essay will focus on the complexity of the National Hockey League, or the NHL, for short, is both a league and a corporate enterprise. This piece will examine the enduring practice of traditional journalistic representations of hockey and demonstrate the obstacles many journalists face when writing a comprehensive article. The task becomes difficult especially when candidates wholly adhere to a type of hockey lingo-rhetoric to circumvent speaking to the underlying issues in the NHL. This paper will express personal opinions and, correspondingly will explore a few of the social and political controversies. Also, a personal interview and commentary will ground the …show more content…
A league he commends for his “great lifestyle” and the ongoing support of the NHL, such as trademark advertisements for his personal car wash and KIA dealership in Bolton, Ontario (Coffey, 2017). Furthermore, I was afforded the opportunity to conduct a formal interview with Coffey, debatably one the most unique offensive defenseman of all times; in hopes for an informative discussion regarding NHL’s taboos. Coffey unenthusiastically speaks to any of NHL’s scandalous moments in the history of hockey. Aside from personal based questions he remains begrudging of questions, regarding issues of fairness and pay. For example, he states, That’s not for me to say. I got to a hockey player as a fan. Listen when I go to a hockey game I go to be entertained…I mean I am not a manager. I have my thoughts, but it’s not for this conversation (Coffey, 2017). Hockey is a “beautiful game,” Coffey says, in response to the question about the obstacles he faced. He later goes on to say, “You learn a lot about playing the game, and I am not speaking to the technical skill. I am talking about character” (Coffey, 2017). This quotation accurately depicts the multiple ways organized sports contribute to the growth and development of one’s character, which I can speak to my experiences playing provincial level soccer. However, the irony is when a journalist provides a disclaimer of the topics up for debate, and Coffey’s responds sternly, “You can ask me anything
The next example of racism in minor hockey involves parent’s involvement in the problem. “Parents yelled racial slurs and insults, including "Go home, Mohammed," at a referee on the ice” (CBC, 2015). This is a particularly disturbing incident which speaks volumes to the root of the problem. It is explained that parents have a very passionate belief and concern attached to preserving the segregation of the sport. Even the diversity of referees is a sensitive area to the existing culture. Furthermore, this incident speaks volumes to the acceptance and magnitude of racist behaviour demonstrated even by parents. In other words, parents are so outraged by the inclusion of visible minorities in the game that they cannot contain their racist thoughts to
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
Faulkner, in his sports essay, describes the actions of hockey in order to convey the excitement derived from playing the sport. He successfully achieves this portrayal of action and excitement by his deliberate use of syntax and imagery.
“The bad behaviour is so common in hockey that it even has its own name – rink rage.” Rink Rage has come to an all time high in the past couple years from both fans and coaches. Their bad behaviour in games has became so drastic that laws have been put in place to stop this behaviour. James Deacon, in his essay “Rink Rage”, discusses this issue in the minor hockey league. Deacon speaks about incidents that bad behaviour has resulted in, numerous amounts of injuries and casualties have been reported. Not only should this not be happening; but especially not in a minor hockey league, kids are their to have fun and get exercise. With more and more pressure on kids, the game itself is becoming destroyed. This essay brings awareness to the issue of rink rage and shine light on the severity of the point. Rink Rage, by James Deacon is an essay, however the author uses a variety of techniques expository and persuasive writing anecdotes, statistics, and cause & effect. These techniques provides the underground structure, that brings the essay to life and provides the main topic; that Rink Rage is a serious situation and should not be happening.
What would you say if I told you that hockey was no longer Canada's national sport? Although it seems that it is on a professional level, where the game and Canada has progressed to become bigger, faster and stronger than ever, this could not be less true compared to the game we all grew up loving. Yes, the game that many grew up on, playing minor hockey and developing lifelong friendships through countless hours on the ice has become less popular in recent years due to many reasons, one major one being cost. Through the alarming costs of equipment and minor hockey that are needed to play organized hockey, it is looking like Hockey is not so much Canada's national sport, but rather one played mostly by the rich.
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
Professional hockey players eat, sleep, and breathe the game. This passion breeds a rare type of diehard fan to follow the sport. The game of hockey is over 100 years old and fighting is one element that has kept players engaged and fans hooked throughout the years. The first indoor hockey game was played in 1875 and the NHL was formed 42 years later in 1917. In 1922, fighting was added to the rule book as a regulated aspect of the game. Looking at the history of hockey shines a light on the players and fans’ passion for the game. Hockey fights should stay in the game for the protection and safety of skilled players, rivalries between teams, and finally because it's a unique part of the sport.
set and experience hockey as a community. Hockey Night in Canada reflects an idea that hockey brings together Canadians in a common experience of the game. In this case the sport does not play the role of glorifying masculinity and violence, but it unites Canadians in the understanding of our own culture, preferences and values. For example, the values respected in hockey could be an aspect contributing to principles Canadians try to uphold on the world stage, and as
Though their writings show similarity in the negativity that surround these sports, their essays differ for the feelings the writers feel now. Bowling refuses to watch hockey, whereas, Zimmerman still has a passion for the sport. For Bowling the sport has been ruined by the violence, the marketing, and the ways it has changed from a sport to business. He says, “ When I was a boy, the boards, ice, and score clock were free of advertising; goals and assists meant more than salaries; and players and teams had distinct character” (Bowling,215). For Bowling, he was still looking for the same sport that he watched growing up, what he sees today, he does not recognize. According to him young boys are being sexually abused by coaches, players are badly hurting others and people like Don Cherry are exploiting others for a good laugh. He sees violence everywhere in the sport now, not the good, old, pure sportsmanship he saw growing up. He also says, “Why should I follow a sport whose foundation in this country is made of blood and beer and an empty rhetoric around outdated and destructive notions of patriotism and manhood” (Bowling, 215). He loves the sport but cannot support what has become of it. Zimmerman shares the love for soccer as other Africans, he says, “my heart will break too, if Ghana fails to win the Africa Cup” (Zimmerman, 346). He wishes for the best, for both the country and the sport. He doesn’t want them to build an identity around
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
This research paper is going to discuss facts about hockey and rules of hockey and the history of hockey.
Exhibit 10 illustrates that hockey only ranked fourth out of eight possible responses when people in the U.S. were asked about their favorite sport; hockey was lagging significantly behind the football, baseball and basketball in Americans’ preferences for sports. In the U.S., football, basketball and baseball enjoy a larger fan base than hockey, which is reflected in the higher percentages of “Big Fans” in all of these three sports while over 61 percent of the U.S. respondents reported that they were not interested in hockey (Exhibit 13 and 14). In Canada, however, hockey is much more popular, ranking second after football and before basketball and baseball when comparing the percentages in “Big Fan” category (Exhibit 13 and 14). All three major competitors of the NHL generate larger total per team average revenues than the NHL with the MLB (63.4 mil.)
For my career research paper I have chosen to delve into the world of the sportswriter, and take a closer look at what that occupation may hold for myself. I have chosen to research this form of journalism because I consider myself to be a sports fanatic, and would very much enjoy spending the rest of my working days writing about the conditions in the world of sports. During the last year or so I have taken a period of time everyday to relax and read over sports articles from baseball and football at some of my favorite websites, such as espn.com or nesn.com, or to sit down and watch Sports Center on ESPN. I also seem to have an ability to remember statistics and rosters of players and
"If industry is to be successful in dealing with public opinion . . . it must learn the language of the people, it must consider the study of public opinion as important as any phase of its operations. It must recognize that public opinion can be measured, and utilize the increasingly scientific methods developing today for gauging it"(Ross)
When being at the arena there is a whole new set of traditions and rituals surface from where you sit, with who you sit with, and to the music played for the warm up. It is all part and parcel of being part of the hockey community. According to Inglis, “The upshot of all this for the understanding of everyday life is that it is not just the social position of a person that structures their everyday activities but the cultural conditions they operate too” (5). This is an important part of everyday culture that can be overlooked as it becomes part of your weekend routine. MCGarry, stated “Because sport evokes a variety of discursive and non-discursive experiences for those involved, these experiences need to be understood as experiences that ‘‘matter’’ anthropologically. Indeed, seemingly everyday, mundane, yet embodied experiences are often overlooked by anthropolo-gists and they have historically eluded the capabilities of traditional anthro-pological representation” (161). We as a fan population spend countless hours together, when there is a new member of the team it allows for the addition of new traditions pending on the participation of the new member. As individuals or as a collective group we can follow old traditions and rituals as well as putting a new spin on it making it our own.