The objective of the piece was not to lambaste amateur sport organizations for these shortcomings because, while many amateur sport organizations could and should do more, nothing they can do will actually solve the problem. The only path to safe sport is through a federally-funded, multi-sport system of education, reporting and discipline. Unfortunately, this past week, the CBC reported on a story that highlights why this is necessary.
The conventional structure of a hockey game, in which participants are penalized for breaking the rules and penalties increase depending on the severity of the violation, is not suitable to address verbal abuse of officials. A new approach is necessary and needed urgently. The green armband is not a new approach; it’s more of the same. While hockey “listens and learns”, officials are suffering.
When I was growing up in Vancouver, there were two groups of people in every hockey dressing room: there were the “White Kids” and the “Brown/Asian Kids”, and there was me. Nobody ever spoke about these groups and yet, they existed. I didn’t have this experience in my neighbourhood or my school and although I…
