Normally my writing is done in a tongue and cheek style. I like to have fun, poke fun sometimes, and hope that everyone reading gets a laugh while providing them a good story.
Today we become a lot more serious in the approach.
We have all heard the stories about the “puck bunnies” and the occasional billet mom. We have all heard the jokes that come along with those same stories. Unfortunately some of the women associated with those stories gain reputations that can last a lifetime because of those stories. Sometimes, those stories are not even completely true, but they will always be told and likely be exaggerated as time passes.
Hockey players for untold years have always been something of a fascination for some women. What’s not to like right? Highly trained, skilled, hard working, hard hitting and arguably the most gifted athletes in the world. That’s a hockey player.
Hard partying, care free, and womanizing are also terms that have been used to describe many players over the years.
In recent years though we have also begun to hear the reports of unwanted sexual advances, or worse, alleged sexual assaults involving hockey players.
I used the phrase alleged because I have to. See, its very hard to prove sexual assault to begin with, its even harder still to make such a charge stick against an athlete who is at least pretty famous in his small town.
In the hockey culture, hazing was once an accepted part of rookie parties or rookie initiations. Some of those hazing incidents included behavior that would be considered by many outsiders as sexually deviant or abusive in nature. Some initiation rites were and can be good clean fun and are a part of tradition like getting your head shaved or having to sing a song in a crowded restaurant. Some rites on the other hand are simply not acceptable behavior in todays society.
Unfortunately another story has recently come to light involving three NCAA hockey players, and an alleged sexual assault. More unfortunate is that the accusation against three players seems to shed light on what could be a pattern of this type of alleged behavior taking place with groups of hockey players.
Fortunately these players have been suspended not only from the team but from school, and are not even allowed on campus for any purpose. Do a google search and you can find all the stories.
Another report alleged a sexual assault committed by an NCAA hockey player. A lawsuit has been filed by Gloria Allred. The school responded to the lawsuit acknowledging several accusations made in the lawsuit, including that it failed to notify one of the plaintiffs, when it rescinded the expulsion of her suspected attacker.
But it denies that victim had reported the incident at the time as a rape. It also said it doesn’t have enough information to confirm or deny her highly publicized allegation that she was told by a university police officer that women have to “stop spreading their legs like peanut butter.”
Gloria Allred, has said she believes the school’s athletic culture contributed to the improper handling of multiple cases.
None of the men involved in the complaint ever faced criminal charges. The attacks allegedly occurred between 2010 and 2013, while the victims were students at the school. To be fair, not all of the complaints were against hockey players.
What does this say about our athletic culture? These are surely just a few recent instances, and TJHN has reported on others in the past. But what does this really say?
It is a shame that more often we are hearing these stories, victims are coming forward, and athletes are becoming “the accused”. Maybe we let them down as a society, in how we so often objectify women. Maybe we set a bad example in that way. Or maybe we have all allowed the boys to be boys for too long and let it go too far.
I am not sure what the answer is to solve this type of problem, I will leave that to people who are much smarter and actually trained to do so, but I sure hope someone figures it out.
David Wagner – The Angel Of Death – For Those Who Live Stupidly I salute You
*The Death Pool is a mix of comedy, and satire in connection with recent events. It is not an official report of current events although it may look as though the news is so accurate that it could one day happen or may be happening.
