Welcome to Hockey in Society’s “Weekly Links” post. This feature highlights articles or blog entries that are related to Hockey in Society’s areas of interest and that may be of interest to the site’s readers.

Hockey Links

• According to Brendan Shanahan, the NHL will examine the role of fighting in relation to blows to the head and concussions. An encouraging admission, but not exactly a strong endorsement for change given the glacial speed at which progress occurs in the NHL’s headquarters and Board of Governors meetings. [CBC Sports]
• Speaking of Shanahan, the videos he has introduced in his new role as the NHL’s disciplinarian have proven to be a hit so far. Shanahan shows clips of suspensions, with a clear explanation of the factors that contributed to it being a suspendable offense. While the long-term effect on hockey violence of this novel approach remains to be seen, it is certainly a promising start. [Globe & Mail and Puck Daddy]
• A Bollywood star has donated $400,000 to promote ice hockey in India, a country in which field hockey is hugely popular. Right to Play, consider the philanthropic gauntlet thrown! [Globe & Mail]
• Ken Campbell of The Hockey News, with a solid, if brief, overview of some of North American hockey’s current woes: fighting in the CHL, racism, and NHL suspensions. [The Hockey News]
• This is a little old, but here is a post on the teenage girl who successfully lobbied EA Sports to include customizable female avatars in its NHL 12 video game. The author of this post will be joining Hockey in Society as a contributor in the near future, and we are excited to have her on the team! [The Rabbit Hole]

General Sport Links

• If you haven’t seen it, Taylor Branch’s essay in The Atlantic on college sports is a must-read. “The Shame of College Sports”: the title says it all. [The Atlantic]
• Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated wrote a rebuttal of Branch’s article. While Davis makes some good points, I remain far more compelled by Branch. Hopefully Davis takes Branch up on his offer for a public debate. [Sports Illustrated]