General posts, including essays and discussions.
By Matt Ventresca When the big news broke over the weekend, media and sport organizations across North America began mobilizing their teams of journalists, marketers and social media gurus with a “War is Over”-type fervour. The company line, uttered in places as far reaching as Toronto, Detroit and Carolina, was that Sunday was a “great…
Like peanut butter and jam, with Malcolm Subban in net for Team Canada during the World Junior Tournament also came the racist tweets and comments. It is becoming old news: black hockey player = racist taunts. If you would like to see what was tweeted check out this article by Rachel DeCoste, ‘A N*gger in…
Starting next week, I will be teaching a third year course to undergraduates in University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. The course is called “Hockey in Canadian Society” – and yes, I realize that the title is incredibly similar to the name of this blog! I am extremely excited, if a little…
By Sunil Agnihotri To say the past four months of negotiations between the NHL and the NHLPA has been an embarrassment is a major understatement. It’s been difficult for hockey fans to watch the game being dragged through the mud as both the NHL owners and the NHLPA stand at a stalemate, waiting for the…
By E. Martin Nolan Just Drop It and the need to fight against the lockout’s bullshit Forget the economics, the creative accounting, the refusal to own up to the botched expansions of both franchises and salaries, the legal maneuverings, and on and on. We all know one thing about the current NHL lockout: it’s bullshit.…
By Alvin Ma Solidarity forever! Solidarity forever! Solidarity forever! For the union makes us strong. Prominently given its own page on the Canadian Auto Workers website, the lyrics to this anthem for worker cooperation might not seem out of place. What does seem out of place is a news article on its website, in the…
By Alvin Ma Then you come around again and say “Baby, I miss you and I swear I’m gonna change, trust me.” Remember how that lasted for a day? I say, “I hate you,” we break up, you call me, “I love you.” Oooh we called it off again last night But oooh, this time…
By Alvin Ma [Editor’s Note: This article by Alvin Ma is a response to Courtney Szto’s recent post about a human rights complaint filed by a Newfoundland coach over unequal ice time being given to some girl hockey players. Brent Watkins, the coach who filed the complaint, has contacted me to clarify his arguments and…
CBC News has reported that a volunteer minor hockey coach in Newfoundland (Stephenville to be exact) has filed a complaint with the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission. His complaint? That the girls in the area receive an unfair advantage because some of them are able to play in two leagues, the co-ed league and…
The University of Toronto (UofT) is Canada’s largest university, with an enrollment of over 75,000 students spread across three campuses in Toronto and Mississauga. It is also one of Canada’s oldest academic institutions, having been founded in 1827. Given its size, its age, and the location of its main campus in downtown Toronto, the university…
Hockey in Society / Hockey dans la société 