Women’s World Hockey – USA Wins
Before I begin my rant on the lack of coverage for the Women’s World Hockey Championships, here is a little background.
I am a hockey fan! I have been watching hockey since I was probably eleven years old. (That by the way, is a long time ago) A die hard Vancouver Canuck fan, closet Calgary Flames supporter and yes, I love spending my Saturday evening watching Hockey Night in Canada. I can’t wait to here what Don Cherry has to say and especially delight in seeing what suit he will be wearing. For those that don’t know at all what I’m talking about regarding Don Cherry, that is OK. Just go on line and you will see plenty of examples of talk and personal style. Very entertaining.
We are heading into the play-offs for men’s hockey and the news coverage is brisk, every day we get a run down. We see clips of men’s junior hockey, golf, baseball and soccer; in fact we can cover Canada, US and England all in one sports news bite. What wasn’t available on my local Global News station was up to date coverage of the Women’s World Hockey Championships.
The US won the gold medal over Canada in the finals this past Sunday in Finland, but it was obvious that those games were less news worthy. This became a topic of discussion at our Easter dinner, two generations of hockey fans questioning why there was next to no coverage of this event? Why do we not hear about the womens games all season?
That lead me to thinking and then questioning aloud: Are any women golfing right now, I keep hearing about the Master’s championships, do women not compete in a championship match? Is there soccer teams for women? Where are the women in sports?
Thank goodness for the Internet! It seems there is more to find on what happened at the Women’s Hockey Championships in Finland, and incredibly interviews with some of the women. What a great idea, actually covering what they have to say. I am disappointed by my local news station (s) I really feel they missed the boat and continue to miss it.
There are probably many stories of girls and women out there who are making some interesting plays and in-roads in the world of sports, but I am hard pressed to find weekly mention of them. Instead I listen to multiple interviews and see plenty of highlights from the world of male sports. I surely hope I don’t have to wait many more years to be able to see better media coverage. It is really hard to expect boys and girls, women and men to truly respect each others contributions when predominantly only one side of the story is being told.
I’m sure it was a hard fought battle on the ice by our team and I congratulate the winners! Next time I hope to see more of your teams in the spotlight!
Here is a link to some coverage of the Finland game, if you want to become a little more informed.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5j0XHZimoDVjlPDqwSKn6AVJUar4Q
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YOU ARE SO RIGHT! Woman in sports is always last when it comes to any mention in the news, or even in conversation for that matter. I am a big hockey fan, and have been watching all of the playoff hype on sportsnet…. yet I didn’t even hear that there was a womans world tournament in play. I have played sports my entire life, and I have had to fight for every bit of recognition from my male friends. Until you beat a male in a game of 21, or out sprint them in a race, it is hard to get any credit for being a good female athlete. Thanks for writing this one!
I’m glad it touched a chord with you and I hope it does with others. This is no accident that sports media failed to see the value in covering this event. Nor, can it be that there is not enough women to profile in the world of sports. This was a glaring example that even women world champions can’t make the top of the list. Shame on Sportsnet, Squire Barnes of Global TV and all those that didn’t see fit to give sports fans a true representation of sports highlights…women athletes included!