Believing Game

Safety First

Equality does not always match up to physical capability. Men's hockey has become an

overwhelming and dangerous sport between the body checks, with an aggressive system. When it

comes to the issue on females not being able to body check, the answer is a simple biological

approach. Females do not have the natural strength that any male has; therefore, making it an

incredibly high risk factor when confronting a risky body slam against the boards. Women are

designed in a way where their hips are more fragile, and their muscles cannot handle the intense force

of a full on body slam. This does not make all women incapable of it, but it does include the vast

majority of female hockey players. Instead, women's hockey should continue to focus on systematic

plays to excel in the sport. Women's hockey has been consistent with surpassing men's hockey on

their capability to compete at a complex strategy level, versus the aggressive approach of the game of

hockey.

An Out-Dated Rule

The checking rules between men and women's hockey has created a divide between the two genders.

Since the beginning of women's hockey, there has been a perception that females cannot handle body

checks. The rule banning this is incredibly old-fashioned and sexist. Allowing rules like this to slide

starts to diminish the progress made for women's rights. It shows a stereotypical stance when rules of

equality are enforced in the workforce, but not the sports domination. In fact, body checking is not

about anatomy, or how a man's body differs from a woman's. Instead, body checking is about

technique. In hockey you receive in depth training to learn certain ways to not only receive, but

delivering a body checks to avoid injury. So having a woman give a proper body check to another

woman who is virtually the same size and strength, will reduce the risk

that is perceived with checking in women's hockey.