Canada boasts both female and male national teams for soccer. However, only one of those teams has shown success in recent years while the other one has little to no success at all. The female Canadian National team have become a success story in Canada and their fame really exploded following the 2012 London summer Olympic games. It was the first time Canada has won any traditional team medals since winning silver at the 1936 games (SOURCE). Currently the Canadian women are ranked 7th according to the FIFA ranking and have always been successful in the World cup. They have also won multiple medals in both CONCACAF and the PanAmerican games.
When we look at the men’s team however things are not looking very good for them. Having no success other then winning the CONCACAF gold cup in 2000, the men have failed to qualify to the World Cup since 1986. Furthermore, the men are ranked 112th in the world and are behind countries according to the FIFA standings like Punta Cana and Haiti.
The failure of the men’s team can be attributed to multiple factors however one factor stands out more then others. Most of the great talent that Canada breeds end up leaving to play for their country of origin rather then playing for the country that has raised them, Canada. The most prolific example of this type of behaviour was with Owen Hargreaves. He was born and raised in Calgary however his father was English, Hargreaves was a great talent and instead of choosing to play for Canada he decided to represent England. In 2006 he was rated one of the best players to play in the World Cup that year while also receiving English Player of the year award.
A great article written by Jared Mercer called, The State Of Canadian Soccer Defectors, essentially...
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...ayed a strong role in the increase of soccer participation as 1 in every 5 Canadians now is a visible minority and with soccer being the most played sport worldwide many are bringing this sport culture to Canada. Moreover, the hosting of international events has led to an increase in media exposure that has allowed more Canadians to experience professional soccer either on TV or at a stadium. The expansion of the MLS has given Canadians a chance to enjoy soccer at their front door and with European stars making their way to NA the league has been truly put on the map and has increased in popularity and viewership. As a Canadian, one must wonder what will the Canadian sport culture look like in the future. With immigration rising and soccer gaining popularity with the general public will the “beautiful game” as it is known around the world one day be Canada’s game.
As stated in my thesis statement, the sport of hockey has been forced to compete with the growing mass popularity with other sports such as basketball and football. There once was a point in time where hockey had just as much popularity as those sports but because people are finding more interest in those sports, the National Hockey League found itself in a “drought” of unimportance with other sports. With not televising the sport as “commonly” as other sports.
Nowadays in sports especially in hockey we see a lot of athletes come from across seas to play on Canadian and american hockey teams. Some of these players are premier athletes and
In 1991 there was so little media interest in the event, almost no one even knew the United States had a team, and even less people knew that the United States won. Eight years later, “tickets sales reached 388,000,” more than triple the amount of sales in the 1995 Women’s World Cup (Longman). FIFA was depending on this World Cup to gain popularity, they needed more interest to spark people to play. If the United States had not won, it was predicted that not many in the suburban would not have much interest in soccer. Millions of young girls across the United States came to this event. After the World Cup it “will celebrate the explosive growth of soccer for women in the United States, where 7.5 million female players are registered, according to a recent survey by the Soccer Industry Council of America, a trade group. In suburbia, where the game flourishes, girls' soccer has become as popular as sport utility vehicles” (Longman). This World Cup team changed the perspective that soccer was only for males. “‘ We're fighting the myths and prejudices that women's soccer felt in the U.S. in the 70's,'' said Andrea Rodebaugh… 'That there are sports for boys and sports for girls and that soccer is not for girls, not feminine’” (Longman). This team changed the lives for many girls. The team gave little girls hope and faith they could make it in soccer. This team made them believe they could follow their passions.
Before the 1980 Winter Olympics began, the US Olympic hockey team was not expected to do as well as they did. They had many powerhouse teams to beat and the team was just a bunch of college kids who wanted to play hockey. In the end, they had performed one of the greatest upsets in the history of hockey by defeating the USSR, the whom many thought of as the greatest hockey team in the world.
The Europeans wanted to spread this sport, and was successful doing so. As soon as they played their first documented games, other teams also joined in and quickly became an official sport. The popularity of lacrosse rose in The Americas as soon as the Caughnawaga Indians demonstrated a game in Montreal, Canada. This was reported in a newspaper, and white men became interested. In 1876, quickly after the first set of playing rules were announced, New York University became the first team to be established in the US. During the spread of lacrosse, Queen Victoria gave recognition to the game when she endorsed a match being played in England. A popular figure being involved in this sport had a big impact on the future of lacrosse. 1904 was an important year in lacrosse history. For the first time, the sport became an actual event played in the Olympics which Canada had won the gold medal. As the next few years passed, the Unites would have won the next gold medals, but the glory moments of lacrosse quickly came to an end in 1908. It’s not completely clear as to why the sport was excluded, but research has shown that around this time, the global interests have changed and lacrosse seemed to be going out of style. As this was a disappointment to lacrosse history, it did not stop the sport from achieving much more. The still got to be a part of the world games and was involved in the World Cup. Men have always dominated in sports, while women weren’t necessarily recognized for their skills even though they do just as well. 1931, was their year. Women's lax was now recognized as a sport, rather than just a hobby. Many more teams were organized, and they participated in nearly the same activities as the men did. Equality of the sexes has always been an issue, Men has always been more dominant, so it is important to give credit to women for getting as much attention as they should. Today, it is still not exactly equal. The rules for men are way more
Terrence and Jordin Tootoo grew up in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, in Canada’s arctic region. They were like other Inuit children in Rankin Inlet in many respects: They were brought up to respect the customs of their people and they enjoyed the resources the land around them provided- they learned to hunt and fish for food like the others. However, the brothers were also different from their peers in one main respect- they were blessed with a love for the game of hockey, and also with extraordinary amounts of talent which would enable them to leave their native community to pursue the dream of professional hockey. While the brothers were growing up they were inseparable; however, after leaving Rankin Inlet to pursue the professional game their respective careers took strikingly different paths. Jordin’s journey took him to the top- he was drafted into the National Hockey League and signed a lucrative contract with the Nashville Predators. However, Terrence’s road to the professional ranks was filled with hardship and tragedy, ultimately resulting in his suicide in August of 2002. The contrasting paths taken by the brothers is an illustration of how professional sporting careers can have varying impacts on the lives of Native American and Canadian athletes and their communities. In the following few paragraphs I will outline the history of Native Americans and Canadians in sports. I will examine how successful Native athletes are able to help their communities, both financially and by serving as role models for younger Natives. Also, I will argue that their still exist barriers and challenges to Native athletes that do not confront other athletes. For example, Native athletes are often placed under increased scrutiny because of their positions as role models. I will conclude by commenting on how Native athletes fit into pro sports today, and speculate on what can be done to increase the amount of success enjoyed by Natives.
Therefore, the women participating in such arduous sports breaks the normative ideas of what it means to be a women and what activities she can participate in. In contrast, for those women who do carry on tasks that are typically seen as masculine, are valued less, have less recognition, and their prestige and income tend to decline compared to their male counterparts (Johnson, 1997). Interestingly, when one types “soccer team” on google, the first thing to show up is the Unites States Men’s National Soccer Team. One has to explicitly type “women” in front of soccer. This shows the lack of acknowledgement of the women’s soccer team compared to their male counterparts. If the men’s soccer team is credited significantly more than the women’s soccer team, then the male representation is made more palpable in media with a greater screen time, thus bolstering their reputation and popularity and resulting in increase in pay from the soccer
Canada’s foreign policy intent was limited because of deployments that kept the military from being unequipped and becoming a high power. They are only put into conflicts that they are able to control the environment. During this time, Canada’s military had little capabilities. They were not known as a world power. Even though they were not as powerful as most countries, they wanted to take on a role as a middle power which was good for them.
In 1994, the Canadian Federal government compromised and voted to make hockey Canada’s National Winter Sport and lacrosse Canada’s National Summer Sport. Which Sport should be named Canada’s true national sport? Hockey is in the blood of all Canadians. Millions can vividly remember the first time they put on a pair of skates and stepped onto the ice. Providing nation-wide entertainment, Canadians are overcome by emotional realization that “Canada is hockey.”- Mike Weir. Generations of Canadians were brought up listening to Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday evening on the radio. It is more than just a sport in Canada, it defines the culture. Look no further than the five-dollar bill. One will observe a group of children playing a game of hockey on a frozen pond. The sport is part of Canada’s national identity.
However, the discrepancy in media coverage is getting better with time. There is a realization of the importance of balanced attention with regard to gender in sports programs. Therefore, there are increased efforts to ensure that several sport programs show women participating in games. This will lead to a better perception of sports by girls. Eventually, girls will change their attitude about sports.
Women are becoming a bigger part of the professional sports world. The number of professional sports for women is growing at a very fast rate. Right now though, the comparison of women's professional sports to men's professional sports still varies greatly. For example, men's professional sports range from wrestling to football to skateboarding. Women on the other hand, do not have the opportunity to participate in these professional sports. But this is changing quickly. Women are beginning to receive the same opportunities in sports as men.
Throughout history, women have had to struggle for equality in all elements of our society, but no where have they had a more difficult time than in the area of athletics. Sports is a right of passage that has always been grafted to boys and men. The time has come for our society to accept women athletes and give them the attention they deserve.
...nged other soccer leagues in Europe as well the struggling NFL. The ASL’s stars would eventually lead the United States to a third-place finish in the very first soccer World Cup in 1930. Soccer almost became a major sport in the USA. But, just before the 1930 World Cup, disaster struck. The ASL clashed with the USFA (United States Football Association) because the ASL wanted to use rules that were never used before in soccer. The ASL was eventually brought to an end in 1933. Although this was a big tragedy for American soccer, it has started to show signs of life again. Soccer has started to gain popularity again, with top players from around the world playing in America’s MLS (Major League Soccer), and many fans cheering on MLS teams and the USA national soccer team. If this continues, then, maybe one day, American soccer will return to its illustrious golden age.
Men and women have been separated since the beginning of life. God put Adam in charge of the Earth. When God created Eve, he took a piece of Adam’s rib from his stomach to create Eve. From this story that came from the bible, men believe that God made them better than women. And this has created a gender inequality between man and woman ever since then. Gender inequality, as stated on The Free Dictionary’s website is, “the difference between women and men in regard to social, political, economic, or other attainments or attitudes, or the problem perceives to exist because of such difference.” I believe that, when it comes to women’s sports, there is a pretty big difference in genders. Some of these differences are caused by men. A good example is that there are an enormous amount of men that take it as a joke. Most men feel that women just do not have the capability to ever have the strength and skills to compete with men. While others look at it as women are too girly to play and that they will cry and complain if they break a nail. Some think women are too fragile and if they try to compete against a man they will get badly injured. I believe these opinions that men have about women in sports, leads to the gender inequalities in it.
Throughout history it is clear that not only women, but both genders have faced seemingly insurmountable barriers when attempting to break into a sport that is not "proper" or stereotypical for their gender to participate in. Though as a society we are making strides towards equality in sport, such as the advent of Title IX, it is clear that we still have a long way to go. Though breakthrough policies such as this are moving in the right direction, other evidence points towards the fact that as a society, we are still more comfortable with women in traditionally female sports such as field hockey as opposed to boxing, and men in traditionally male sports such as body building as opposed to synchronized swimming, since these activities fit with our preconceived notions of what is "normal" for a specific gender. Supporting this idea is the fact that though we seem to be moving towards equality in sport with many coeducational universities and colleges having sport opportunities for both sexes, funding is still extremely unequal, as states by the Women's Sports Foundation in 2001: