Equality? Maybe we are getting just a little closer to it in hockey.
Yesterday, USA Hockey and the women’s National Team athletes struck a deal that will see them compete in this weekends World Championships being held in Plymouth Michigan.
The primary points in a deal covering the next four years includes the following;
Each National Team player will earn approximately $70,000 per year. Before the agreement, they were earning about $6,000 in the six months they were training for the Olympic games. They have the opportunity to advance that figure to upwards of six figures under the United State’s Olympic Committee’s (USOC) ‘Operation Gold’ program if they medal in events.
They will also receive $2,000 a month in a training stipend regardless of her experience level. The USOC pays between $750-$2,000 as a training stipend depending on the player’s experience level. USA Hockey will make up the difference between the amount USOC pays and the $2,000 guaranteed.
For the first time in the history of the program, the women’s team will receive the same insurance coverage as the men’s team.
While items such as per diem, fundraising and other issues are also addressed. The agreement still falls short of ideal, but does go a long way in leveling the ice for women concerning international play.
USA Hockey, has been on the wrong side of the fence on many issues of late. Leadership now needs to begin looking in the mirror and recognizing that they are failing their membership on many points.
An eleventh hour rescue after replacement players were turning USA Hockey down in a show of women’s solidarity, says more about how people feel than USA Hockey may want recognize.
Many believe that leadership has lost touch with what the consumer wants from and through USA Hockey. Politics, and finance now control the confines of the governing body when its foundation was originally designed to be a rule making body.
Thankfully though, leadership, in the end recognized the public and political pressure that would continue should the issues had not been resolved. One can only question which group was just saved from disaster, the Women’s National Team, or USA Hockey itself?
Joseph Kolodziej – Publisher
