A criminal who plays hockey is still a criminal.
It is no secret that professional athletes are amongst the powerful elite who can escape the consequences of their actions. It is the midst of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, and defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, face their biggest challenge yet – not another team, but their own fans.
Professional sports are notorious for misogyny, and the NHL is no exception. In recent months, sexual assault allegations have been made against high profile players such as Chicago forward Patrick Kane. These trials and the unresponsiveness of the NHL have brought attention to the league, raising questions of its treatment of women. Fans across the nation, including the
Blackhawks’ own, are demanding that disciplinary actions are taken. If not, the NHL risks alienating a large demographic of their fans. Responsibility rests upon the National Hockey
League to crack down on behavior and discipline its players — not just for the benefit of fans, but for its own good.
The Chicago Blackhawks organization faced backlash this past summer when the Buffalo
Police announced an investigation of sexual assault allegations against Patrick Kane in August.
These allegations follow his first large scandal in 2009, when he pled guilty of assaulting a taxi driver. According to the Buffalo News, Kane allegedly raped a young woman at his Buffalo home. While the trial was underway, Kane was allowed to attend training camp this summer before the season began. Many protested the organization’s decision and urged them to acknowledge the issue at hand. Nevertheless, it was recently announced that Kane would be a captain at this year’s All-Star game, spurring outrage. Thirty-two percent of NHL fans are women, and I am one of them. Like many others, I view the league’s inaction as a sign of disrespect towards women. By sweeping the situation under the rug, the NHL perpetuates rape culture and contributes to a patriarchal system in which rich, powerful men are not held accountable. We must ask ourselves, if Patrick Kane wasn’t an elite NHL player but an average man, would he have been allowed to return to work in the midst of a sexual assault investigation? Or would he have been fired at the first sign of a legal investigation? By allowing Kane to play in the All-Star game, the NHL fails to acknowledge the severity of his actions. It projects the message that sexual assault is not a serious offense, and that accusations of such actions aren’t to be treated seriously. By refusing to discipline Kane for his moral misconducts, the NHL is putting him on a pedestal for fans, players, and children to idolize.
The NHL is the least popular major league sport in the United States. A controversial scandal like this can only do the league harm, and if the NHL wants to gain popularity, it should take precaution to prevent more incidents from arising. If an NHL player is allegedly guilty of sexual assault, or any violent crime, the NHL should suspend them until their name is cleared.
Furthermore, players with criminal records should not be idolized and treated as role models. For example, Kane was removed from the cover of the EA Sports NHL 16 video game. This was the right move, as keeping him on the cover would only normalize his behavior to young fans. If the
NHL allows Kane to play the All-Star game, it will do exactly that.
It is the NHL’s responsibility to punish players, but it is also our responsibility as fans to speak out when the league is negligent. By continuing to support Kane and the Blackhawks organization without protesting, fans are complacent to misogyny in sports culture. Whether it is for your love of the sport or the respect of the fans, we must all come together to protest rape culture in the NHL. Make your feelings known. Refuse to absolve players on the basis of skill.
Boycott team organizations. Do what it takes to change the league.