I like words, so my first reaction to a comment made by Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper earlier this week was wondering if other people would find it offensive as well. They did it. good.
There's no reason why hockey can't be a context that reminds us of words that are best left out of our everyday usage, especially in sports.
We're not talking about general vulgarity. It's not likely to work, and frankly, if anyone cares about it, it's more of a matter of civility.
This is about making angry points and directing trash talk at others, relying on demeaning generalizations and slurs, and persistently, at the expense of some factions of society. The wording says that, as that faction of society is perceived by some, the subject of such comments is:
Here's what happened in Cooper's case. That was right after his Lightning were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs on Monday, losing 6-1 to the Florida Panthers. In the postgame press conference, Cooper went on a lengthy rant about two goals that were canceled due to goaltender interference.
In that accusation, Cooper said of goaltenders, “You'd better make them wear skirts.”
Wow. Hmm. I roll my eyes.
The full comment is below:
we know what he said. He believes the NHL is coddling goaltenders and too easily calling interference and goals null and void. He was frustrated after losing. He was baffled by the penalties and rules that caused widespread confusion across the league, from coaches (just ask Mike Sullivan of the Penguins) to the goalies themselves.
Those people are right. No one seems to know exactly what constitutes goalie interference. That's a valid criticism.
The problem is that even though Cooper could have expressed it in many different ways, he reverted to common, derogatory phrases that imply that women are weak and need to be protected. As a result, the NHL called goaltender interference in that game a derogatory term for goaltenders. A goalkeeper is like a fragile girl.
These types of generalizations and slurs are all too commonly used in our society, and are often used by sports officials and those around them to explain how they carry themselves through the passion of competition and the frustrations of playing. It permeates how you express yourself.
That can't be true. And it hurts. Let me borrow the words of a female sportswriter. She has been the subject of overt and subtle sexism throughout her long career, some of which still persists in our profession. When sports people use phrases like “you should wear a skirt,'' in a sense it confirms that discrimination. No, it's not enough to take me away from my career, but it seems very unnecessary.
Not too long ago, it was brought to light that large-scale slurs referring to homosexuals were widely used to disparage opponents in sports. Like, you must be gay because you're so flawed. Indeed, it seems like sports have used that particular slur less frequently since it became a public issue.
After all, there are many ways to call someone a wimp without insulting a particular group. Creative people are welcome.
It's not cool to use language that perpetuates slurs and harmful generalizations associated with specific segments of society, or that make scathing points toward opponents or sports officials. That includes gender, color, religion, national origin, disability, and anything else that defines us as a group.
Of course, such things can be blatant. Years ago, my neighbor was struggling as a single mother raising two rambunctious children and would often yell at her. It was hard to hear that and people tried to help, but the worst story I heard was one night when she yelled, “Can't we just have a nice dinner like a normal white family?” That was it.
That's really, obviously not OK. It's terrible to pass on this kind of racism to your children. But it's also bad when perhaps less blatant slurs and generalizations creep into our communications and become accepted, including in the sports world.
In Cooper's case, to his credit, he realized that.
At his end-of-season press conference Wednesday, he opened with a sudden, heartfelt and meaningful apology. This was not something that public relations experts came up with just to counter growing public criticism.
Cooper, a former lawyer and intellectual who is the longest-serving coach in the NHL, said the analogy between coddling goalies and women is false. He said he plans to discuss it with his twin daughters. She noted that the NHL has worked to support the growth of women's professional hockey. He even said his “skirt” comment bothered him more than his Monday loss or elimination. oh.
Let's talk about saving highlights. Mr. Cooper's apology probably focused more on the situation than his initial comments and may have helped people understand how harmful those kinds of comments can be.
So while it's unfortunate that Cooper made the “skirt” comment, ultimately his handling of the situation deserves the following response:
Thank you, John. Perhaps we can all strive to be better than we are now.
