Racism In Hockey

Turning on a hockey game and seeing mostly white players is an ongoing trend for hockey fanatics around the country. The NHL has been evidently dominated by white athletes since the league began in 1964, and this dominance has flowed into the present. A lack of opportunity for non-white children and the high economical demands of the sport have definitely played a role in this issue. That is why “Blacks on skates are still a rare sight: in the NHL’s nearly 100-year history, there have been just over 70 black players”(Whiting). The sport of hockey has been inherently deemed a “white” sport which seems to reinforce the stereotype of white dominance in the NHL, leading to the continual of this issue. But, this issue is not being completely ignored

In many of the top sports played in the United States like basketball, football, and baseball, there is not much racial inequality. So why can you not turn on an NHL game and see many non-white players? There seems to be a trend in the barriers that are ultimately holding non-white athletes from pursuing the sport of Hockey. From a financial standpoint, youth hockey teams are asking a lot from the players and their families as “It costs a lot of money to play hockey. Equipment alone – skates, two sticks, pads and a helmet – could run over a thousand dollars, not to mention all the gas money that goes into getting a kid to practice, games and out-of-town tournaments”(Moore). The sports is most definitely not cheap and is actually ranked as the most expensive sport for kids to play. Now an expensive sport can be a barrier to pretty much anyone out there, but in the United States, “there’s a stark race-to-wealth differential”(Judd). Non-white people today, on average, are not as wealthy or receive as great of an income as white people which makes it harder to play such an expensive sport. One study from 2013 actually shows that black people in america received the lowest average annual income when compared to other races. But, money is not the only reason that is holding non-white athletes back from hockey. There is a belief that the continual lack of non-white NHL players, year in and year

Generations of potential non-white hockey players might never get the chance to play because they do not meet the financial requirements or don’t have access to rinks. So, with the investment in our non-white hockey players and the partnerships with NHL teams, we can potentially expand the league to have more non-white athletes. This would ultimately increase revenue from potential non-white fans. Jersey sales, ticket sales, and other gear sales could possibly increase making the investment in our youth a smart one. Plus, bringing equality to a sport that lacks it, is satisfying and worth the risk. By financially investing our youth, we are opening doors for their future and allowing them to try something new that they could not really have access to