Masculinity and the national hockey league: Hockey's gender constructions

Abstract

As a part of gender studies, academics have shone a spotlight on hegemonic masculinity in Western society. One of the places where hegemony is most prevalent is in sports culture. The research in this document seeks to build on existing scholarship concerning hegemonic masculinity in sports culture. Through textual analysis of National Hockey League communications, this study gathered data of how the league distributes messages about gender, how the league wants to be portrayed and if those messages outweigh the hegemonic masculinity of sports. This analysis found that, while the NHL promotes inclusive masculinity, its hegemonic values are the ones more prominent. Despite the league's efforts to become more inclusive, there remains much work ahead for the NHL if it truly desires to foster an inclusive masculinity.