Fallen Leafs
Send me your lovely banter and your acerbic wit: fallen.leafs@ymail.com
“I hope the day comes, and soon, when this is not a story.” — Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke
this is a great story. hockey needs to reevaluate the way it treats gay men. notice how no one ever talks about it? no one ever hears about it? that needs to change sooner rather than later. for such a great sport that accepts people from all corners of the globe, it has a major problem with hate towards homosexuals. maybe this is the kick-start it needs.
Difficulty with inclusion is not a hockey exclusive problem. This is prevalent in all sports. Coincidentally, in the article itself, Brendan Burke’s university hockey team had no problems with a gay player and in essence said, “who cares?” Hockey, just like any other professional sport, is heavily reliant on past roots and quite often, stereotypes as well. Football, baseball, hockey, boxing, etc. owe their popularity because they help extend the virtues of the male ideal. Toughness, bravery, courage, and especially, masculinity. The irony isn’t lost on me that an athlete who decides to reveal his sexuality exhibits almost every trait that the male society holds in such high standard.
Just as society is slowly coming to grips with an increased female presence in sports, an area long dominated and in many ways still overwrought with male influence, homosexuality will have to be addressed in more meaningful gestures. Inevitability, however, doesn’t have to lead into apathy. The danger with high-profile stories such as this one, and something even Brian Burke alludes to in the article, is that this will be misconstrued as a publicity ploy only brought to light because of the high profile nature attached to Burke.
My hope is that eventually we see more articles, not of an athlete coming out, but rather a locker room of young adults showing how mature and progressive they truly are by simply not caring. Changing the attitudes of those who can’t accept a different generation isn’t what concerns me that much. But showing and giving credit to the next generation for having the right sense of acceptance and inclusion? Unfortunately, these types of stories are too often lost in the semantics of sensationalism.
