Gruneau and Whitson's Hockey Night in Canada"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Chapter 1 of Gruneau and Whitson's "Hockey Night in Canada: Sport, Identities and Cultural Politics" offers the reader an introduction to the subject of hockey and the politics of culture. The author points out that the organizing theme of the chapter is the key question: "What has hockey got to do with culture?" The paper relates that the authors do not answer definitively this question; however, they do offer an excellent overview of the various ways in which the reader can approach the question. The author states that it is important to the framework of the book that the definition of culture includes sports, such as hockey. The paper states that the author now understands that there are many legitimate ways in which hockey can be deemed as culture. The paper includes quotations.

From the Paper:

"Gruneau and Whitson give notice of this theme when they kick off their chapter with the apparent irony of Yevgeny Yevtushenko saying that Phil Esposito was Canada's greatest poet. In case the reader fails to see the irony, they describe the physical, hyper-masculine world of hockey, contrasting it with the "vaguely effeminate character" of poetry. They also make the point that the average macho hockey player would be loath to be associated with poetry - and by the same token, the average intellectual would be loath to be associated with the (perceived) low-brow world of hockey."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Gruneau, Richard and David Whitson. Hockey Night in Canada: Sport, Identities and Cultural Politics. Toronto: Garamond Press, 1993.
• Lee, John B. The Hockey Player Sonnets: Overtime Edition. Manotick: Penumbra Press, 2003.

More papers on Gruneau and Whitson's Hockey Night in Canada":

• Article Review # 131574 : "Hockey and the Politics of Culture" - An Analysis"
• Analytical Essay # 89593 : "Hockey and Canada's Cultural Identity"
• Essay # 90504 : "Canadian Studies 390: Short Essay on Hockey"

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