To be honest with you guys, I am kind of devastated that this is my last blog post. I am also super upset that I am going to stop writing these before the Stanley Cup Playoffs even start! The Stanley Cup Playoffs are so fun and enjoyable to me, and in my opinion, they are the best playoffs out of all the major league sports. Nothing beats the bad blood and rivalry that brews out of an ice hockey seven game series. Sadly, however, the Philadelphia Flyers did not make the playoffs this year. They had a very rocky season riddled with injury. You guys are honestly lucky we didn’t have to do more passion blog posts, because I would definitely just be bitching about the Flyers in every single entry.
So, if you guys didn’t pick up on it yet, I’m very passionate about hockey. I have been for as long as I can remember. However, sadly again, hockey culture isn’t the most welcoming towards female fans. Female fans are often called “puck bunnies” and get made fun of by men for only watching the sport “because the players are good-looking”. Not only is this disrespectful to women, but it is also disrespectful towards the players. Women are perfectly capable of enjoying the sport out of a genuine love of the game. It is inherently sexist to assume that they only watch to catch glimpses of attractive players. This way of thinking also diminishes the skills and hard work of many hockey players, as it reduces them down to just their physical appearance. While I’m sure you can all tell right away that this type of prejudice towards female fans is wrong, I’ve dealt with it my whole life.
Reading the disgusting comments on hockey podcasts or Tweets about female fans often greatly upsets me. Talking with other male fans in real life can often upset me as well. While I recognize that not all male hockey fans are like this, there is definitely enough of them for the problem to need to be addressed. They often immediately assume I don’t actually know what I’m talking about and talk down to me. This even happened to me at Penn State just last semester. I approached the table for the ice hockey student section club, the Roar Zone, at the Involvement Fair, eagerly excited to get involved with Penn State ice hockey. However, I was quickly discouraged when the man at the table talked to me in a very condescending manner and began questioning my hockey intelligence. It was like the classic comments females receive when wearing band shirts. (“Oh, you like Led Zeppelin? Name three songs.”)
While I was initially disheartened about not being able to nurture my love of hockey at Penn State, I was presented with the amazing opportunity to write about it for my RCL passion blog. Through this blog, I was able to express and share my love and knowledge of the sport in a way that made me feel safe and respected. So, I would like to thank all of my readers and commenters for always seeming so interested and never talking down to me. I fear if not for this blog I would have let myself be silenced, but you guys encouraged me to continue to talk about the sport I love, and I am eternally grateful for that.
So, with all that said, thank you and farewell.
I’m sad this class is ending too! As to your notes on the treatment of women, whether in sports or on campus, it is a sad reality that we have to deal with some of this crap. I will say the two times I read your blog, I learned a little bit more about hockey (and women) each time. Good job and have a good summer!!
Megan! It was so nice getting to know you. Throughout the semester I have read your blogs a few times and each time they amaze me. I really think your words are inspirational and the passion that you put into your blogs is astonishing. I hope you keep in touch!
Hi Megan,
It was really nice to get to know you and learn more about your amazing love for Hockey. personally I had never seen a Hockey match before coming to Penn State, but reading through your blogs helped me understand way better the essence of the game and the league of this one. I am sad that you didn’t get to nurture your love for this sport as much as you wanted here at the University, but I am happy that you truly enjoyed the opportunity to write about this passion of yours in this class. Very good job and have nice summer!