Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? No...It’s Hockey & High Heels Woman!!!
For female sports fans, and the people who attempt to serve to them, well, you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
It pains me to have to jump up onto my soap box right now, during this most exciting stretch drive to the playoffs. But I feel the need to address the critics of Club Scarlet Website . It’s like I have to take on the role of some sort of bizarre crime fighting super hero and set the collective straight on a couple of issues. Of course that would require cultivating an alter ego, a new outfit and a set of sharp looking heels.
Or, I could simply emulate Mike Myers Saturday Night Live super hero character, Middle Aged Man (remember his side kick, Drinking Buddy played by the late great comedic actor, Chris Farley?). Middle Aged Man swooped into to guide people on day to day matters like finances and insurance.
Hockey & High Heels Woman will guide the hockey world on how to accept females as fans, players etc, and suggest ways for the hockey elite to tone down their snobbery. Or shame them into it if necessary.
For the record, I have been studying and researching the plight of the female sports fan since 2002. I have seen my fair share of negative reaction, not only directed at my own efforts to recognize and celebrate the female sports fan, but towards other pioneers attempting to present sports in a new or different way other than the main stream. The negativity is getting a little old and tired.
Now, before you play the “her book and website are titled Hockey & High Heels…she’s just another puck bunny” card, I say, with a WHAM and a POW, “It’s Hockey & High Heels because I wanted it to be a beacon for women. Let them know there might be something here created with them in mind. And oh, I’m only 5 foot two.
There are way too many women tuning into sports to ignore them any further, people.
The numbers for NHL hockey don’t lie: in 2003 I stumbled across a statistic…the NHL estimated their fan base was almost 40% female. In 2006, I came across another statistic from a Simmons Market research claiming the NHL had 41% female attendance age 12 yrs and older, the highest following of females out of the four big pro sports leagues. Wanting to be sure, I telephoned Bernadette Mansur, the spokesperson for the NHL for her confirmation. Not only did she confirm that, she also provided me with television stats that showed the female viewership is increasing for TSN, Versus and NBC.
Regarding Club Scarlet, the usual suspects from the complaint department are there: It’s for puck bunnies, it’s demeaning, the colors are brothel-like, and the player photographs are too sexy looking. But the one that really baffles me are the complaints about the Hockey 101 section. How can people find fault in something educational??
This really seems to bother the female elitist hockey fans. They take an educational section about the game as an insult to their intelligence. Well, H&HH Woman is here to tell you... no need to feel like others think you are inferior, ladies. Other hockey sites also offer Hockey 101, including Oh My God, a Canadian NHL team site: The Vancouver Canucks website, Canucks.com had a hockey 101 section installed over a year ago. Vancouver is a multi cultural city, welcoming new citizens from all over the world all the time. It seems only fair to help get them up to speed on their new country’s favorite game. Plus the rule book is there for all levels of fans to access when they are arguing over the ref’s calls on the Canucks.com message board.
Moving east, hockey fans in Montreal and Toronto were not born with a 100 years of hockey history downloaded onto a chip embedded in their brains. To combat this horrible short coming, both official team sites offer history sections for anyone interested in LEARNING more about the game from a historical aspect.
In 2007, I met former goal tender, and current Coyotes Analyst, Darren Pang when I did a book signing at the Coyotes Hockey & Heels event, and he said, “every day I learn something new about hockey”. He’s not the only accomplished hockey person to say this either. So, you gals out there with issues about the Hockey 101 section...please get over yourselves.
I’m not going to delve into the Puck Bunny sub culture, mainly because that’s just what it is and it’s not for everybody. The majority of female fans out there are not dedicating their life to hooking up with a professional hockey player.
On player’s sexy looks: apparently Club Scarlet’s player photo gallery is comprised of shots used in other marketing materials, and not just for the purpose of the website. After going through the photos, I’d say the shoot captured “cool” more than anything else. Sure some players have a sexy look…it’s their choice, and the important thing is having a choice.
Hockey fans who are still wondering why clubs like Club Scarlet and the Penguins Hockey and Heels Club are necessary, I offer you this: I have communicated with many, many, many female hockey fans around North America over the years, and one common theme keeps coming up: women who love hockey often have few people to share it with. The husband/boyfriend/family/friends only watch insert other sport name here. This type of club is the best way to connect with other hockey enthusiasts.
On another front, you’d be surprised at how many women convert people into hockey fans. Organized clubs and targeted websites will make it even easier for natural born promoters to get their peeps into the game. Lovers of hockey: isn't that what we all want?
The sports world hasn’t caught up to women yet. The Capital’s Club Scarlet, and the Penguin’s Hockey & Heels Club brings it another step closer.
The late Colleen Howe, US Hockey Hall of Famer, world’s first female sports agent, Mrs. Hockey to Gordie Howe’s Mr. Hockey, had a motto, and her son Murray shared it with those in attendance at her recent funeral. In her day, If you had asked Colleen if she thought a club for female fans was a good idea, she probably would have used her motto and answered, “Why not?”
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