A player for the Montreal Stars is pursued by Toronto Fury players during the Stick-it-to-Cancer Canadian Women's Professional Hockey League Tournament, Windsor, ON (photo e.weeks)
As I hurried out of the house to attend my first women’s hockey game EVER I was excited. Several of the players we were about to watch that afternoon at the Stick-it-it-to Cancer tournament were members of Canada’s gold-winning Olympic team, including homegrown star Meghan Agosta. Though I wasn’t what anyone would call a hockey fan, I was definitely a sports lover, especially the individual sports like track & field, tennis, swimming, gymnastics.
My regard of sports had broadened considerably over the last half year due to my work with Leadership Advancement for Women in Sport (LAWS), an initiative promoting gender fairness and opportunity for girls and women, founded by Professor Marge Holman of the University of Windsor’s Human Kinetics Department. I had my own experience as a life-long athlete (primarily track & field) to draw upon but as my teams consisted of guys and girls, I wasn’t aware of too many inequalities, although I was conscious that certain events were off limits to the girls on the team. As I had been brought up during the heyday of Women’s Lib, I assumed triple jump, pole vaulting, steeplechase, etc. would eventually be open to them, and I was right.
Now, due to my work with LAWS I looked at all sports differently. I now had insights into how girls and women can be frequently marginalized in the sporting world in some events and are held back from opportunities to coach, officiate, etc. In addition, I had often read that people didn’t want to watch women playing sports, especially if they had to pay.
Except for small cheering section stands largely empty
Even with my new understanding of the realities of women’s sport, I expected a great turnout to the game. The weekend charity hockey fund-raiser in Windsor had been promoted for several months, through both social media and traditional forms. The event was for a good cause. The price of admission was low. The venue was conveniently located. And millions had been glued to their TV sets watching the women win gold during the winter Olympics in Vancouver less than two years ago.When the game began and I realized the sparse audience wasn’t going to get any bigger, I couldn’t help but wonder, where was everybody??!!
The Windsor Star’s sports reporter Bob Duff wrote an insightful piece about this shocking (at least for me) turn of events. I have copied his article here:
Agosta Nets hat Trick on Home Ice
“Women’s sport finds itself at a puzzling crossroads. As more opportunities arise for female athletes to pursue their passion at the grassroots level, in some elite circles, doors are being closed.”
Bob Duff, The Windsor Star
Ruthven’s Meghan Agosta of the Montreal Stars slipped into open space, took a feed and wired a high, hard slapshot past Toronto Fury goalie Sami Jo Small, her Canadian Olympic teammate.
The weekend was about making dreams a reality. A hockey homecoming for Agosta, her first local appearance on the ice in some six years.
“It’s nice to be able to play in front of family and friends, and young girls and boys who actually idolize me,” Agosta, who netted a hat trick Saturday in Montreal’s 12-3 victory. Agosta scored another three goals in Sunday’s 8-4 win over Toronto.
“It’s great that they can come out and see me play live.”
These outreach games, as the Canadian Women’s Hockey League refers to them, are designed to raise awareness that there is an NHL-style loop for the elite female players of the world.
They don’t get paid like NHLers — in fact, they don’t get paid much — but you won’t find a better brand of women’s club hockey anywhere on the planet.
“There’s a lot of great girl hockey players from Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland that play in the league,” Agosta said. “I think the better the competition, the better the hockey.
“You want to play against the best to be the best.”
These players are the best of the best, and envision a day when they will be accepted as such by the general sporting public.
More than 350 took in Saturday’s game at Windsor Arena, about an average gathering for the CWHL product, and therein lies part of the problem.
Women’s sport finds itself at a puzzling crossroads. As more opportunities arise for female athletes to pursue their passion at the grassroots level, in some elite circles, doors are being closed.
Women’s softball was dropped from the Summer Olympics. Even with three 24-hour Canadian sports channels, the CWHL has no TV contract.
“I wish we were professional now, but we’re not,” CWHL co-founder Small said. “That’s my ultimate goal, that’s why I stick around.”
Small has met with NHL officials in search of support for her goal.
“They’re very positive,” Small said. “They have some great ideas for us.
“As we look to get more funding from them and the individual club teams, it’s just a matter of the waiting game.”
The NHL hired former WNBA president Val Ackerman in May, but its official policy regarding the CWHL is one of observation, even though the gold-medal game for women’s hockey at the Vancouver Winter Games drew a viewing audience of 10 million.
“I think it’s only going to take time, but I do believe that in years to come, there is going to be a professional league where the girls do get paid,” Agosta said. “That would be ideal, and I wish it could be now, but us women, we play because we love the game.
“We don’t play because of the money.”
The world’s top female players remain hopeful their financial situation will change before long.
“That’s what we’re all dreaming about,” Toronto captain Tessa Bonhomme said. “That’s why we’re playing in this league, that’s why we do outreach games like this.
“For us, we want some young girls to dream to be drafted No. 1 overall in the female version of the NHL.
“Whether it’s going to happen in five years or 10 years, I’m not sure, but we’re committed to trying to make that happen as soon as possible.”
The last generation of players grew women’s hockey into an Olympic sport.
This generation seeks to grow the game into a full-fledged professional sport.
http://www.windsorstar.com/sports/Agosta+nets+trick+home/5775110/story.html#ixzz1fhyjJWP5
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