“You’re Not Allowed Body Checking in Women’s Hockey”: Preserving Gendered and Nationalistic Hegemonies in the 2006 Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament
in Women in Sport and Physical Activity JournalThe purpose of the study was to focus on how hegemonic nationality, as well as hegemonic masculinity and femininity are expressed in the media commentaries about women’s sport. This study focused specifically on Olympic hockey broadcasts on NBC’s cable affiliates employing freelance journalists during the 2006 Olympics. Textual analyses of five U.S. and Canadian women’s games were conducted. Two hockey commentators of the Olympic Games were also interviewed. Results indicate that, in relationship to men, the women’s game is viewed as less physical. In regards to nationality, the U.S. women are viewed as legitimate athletes for embracing hockey and not traditional feminine sports such as figure skating. Canadian women are viewed as legitimate for initially having participated in female versions of hockey such as ringette before playing hockey. The U.S. women are described as having strength and power as well as being fit and still feminine, while their Canadian counterparts are mostly described by physical size.
Kelly Poniatowski Elizabeth College 1 Alpha Drive Elizabethtown, PA 17022 E-mail: poniatowskik@etown.edu Phone: (717) 361-1371 Fax: (717) 361-1180
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