Abstract This paper examines the interrelated issues of civicpride and identity and the challenges of retaining big league sports teams in Canadian cities. The paper argues that the sources of civicpride are changing, such that hockey is no longer the chief or only source of a sense of civicpride and identity in Canadian cities. Moreover, the paper argues that this is a good thing, as hockey has become increasingly commercialized and public money should not end up in the private pockets of franchise holders.
From the Paper "Fortunately, as we have seen, civic identity and pride is no longer tied exclusively to hockey in Canada. People have grown up and moved on. This is a good thing, as hockey at the same time has morphed into a big-money sport that makes only a very few people richer - mainly just the franchise owners. It is untenable and unconscionable for people to be denied food, healthcare and housing, while taxpayers' money is poured into the pockets of already wealthy franchise owners. This will mean that more Canadian cities will see the departure of their teams to the big, wealthy cities of the USA's sunshine belt. It seems that Canadians will simply have to root their civic pride and identity in benefits for all, and learn to watch the games from afar. Fortunately, most of us have television!"
Tags: franchise, identity, league, commercialization
Abstract The paper gives a brief history of the many great sporting moments that all Canadians will remember, while showing some of the blunders which have given hockey and Canadians a black eye.
From the Paper "Throughout Canada's history, there have been numerous great and not so great hockey moments. Canada's domination in this sport is something that many, if not all, Canadian's take great pride and joy in. For the past century or so, Canadian families would gather together by their radio or television and watch or listen to their homegrown hockey stars take to the ice. Unfortunately there are also some blemishes on Canada's hockey history. There have been many moments in which some were disgraced to be known as a Canadian hockey fan. Nevertheless, Canada has always been, and always will be a large piece of Canadian culture."
Abstract Every nation has a unique way of expressing their most deeply held beliefs and customs through local art, community projects, or organized activities like sports. This paper explains that, in Canada, geography and nature have resulted in the game of hockey being part of the national landscape. The paper further discusses John B. Lee's book, "The Hockey Sonnets", and how it uses the mythology of hockey to express cultural ideologies and dramatic narratives from the viewpoint of the Canadian cultural identity.
Abstract This paper looks at how hockey, arguably Canada's most popular sport, is so engrained in Canadian culture that Canadian identification with it begins at an early age. The paper points out how, along with Richard Gruneau and David Whitson, the authors of "Hockey Night in Canada: Sports Identities and Cultural Politics", Canadian youth over the decades have grown up with a fairly stylized and masculine ideal of the sport and its place in Canadian society.
An exploration of the part of hockey in the composition of Canada's national identity, focusing on a program broadcasted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Abstract The paper looks at multi-ethnicity in Canada and at what unifies this nation. It focuses on the sport of hockey as an important component of the country's national identity. It looks at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and its struggle for identity, claiming that when it broadcasted its first ?Hockey Night? in Canada, it found it's "true being". The paper explores the origin and importance of CBC's ?Hockey Night? to national unity. It explains how the program crossed the boundaries of young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural, French and English, east and west. The paper also discusses the controversial aspect of the program's time slot, overlapping the national news. The status of the program as a source of education is mentioned and the paper concludes with a review of the contribution of CBC's ?Hockey Night? to the national identity of Canadians.
From the Paper "Canada is comprised of many different cultures, spread over a vast geographical region. The only way for all these different types of people all over Canada to create a cohesive united nation to dwell on the similarities, which are shared amongst the majority. Cultural identity, it could be said can found when a whole nation can share in and care about a similar subject. For Canada this sense of national identity is represented by the sport of hockey. In any social or academic setting where the topic of discussion is Canadian identity the lists always begin with peacekeeping and multiculturalism and always come back to hockey. Some may say hockey is only a symbol of Canadian identity, and is no different then a moose, a beaver, or long winters. Hockey however has more then a symbolic animal because hockey gives a spirit of unification and it is here where our country has celebrated some of its greatest victories and most horrifying defeats. The love of the sport of hockey may not be shared by all Canadian citizens, but it is certainly been loved and adored by many since its beginnings in Montreal in 1875."
Abstract There is no doubt that hockey in Canada is a rich field for the exploration of the most pervasive myths of Canadian culture. Specifically, the poems in John B. Lee's "The Hockey Player Sonnets: Overtime Edition" evoke some of these myths. However, there are significant differences between the myths that are reflected in Lee's poems, and the myths that are alluded to in Richard Gruneau's and David Whitson's "Hockey Night in Canada" and Elizabeth Etue's and Megan K. Williams's "On the Edge". These differences are explored in this essay.
Abstract In this article, the writer mentions that the labor movement had cemented the concept of leisure time into the middle-class, Canadian mindset permanently. The writer points out that the development of institutionalized hockey in early Canadian life was a way to define the meaning of the sport, understand why it was played, and how these factors contributed to social life and behavior. Further, the writer maintains that hockey played an important part in the formation of early Canadian stuff.
From the Paper "Canadian culture is an elusive concept. The vast geography of the country, coupled with hundreds of years of steady immigration, make any single national phenomenon difficult to define. One cultural factor that many Canadians can agree on is the national sport of hockey. In the book Hockey Night in Canada, Richard Gruneau and David Whitson examine this cultural phenomenon and how it affects the Canadian mindset. The authors state at the beginning of Chapter 2 that "one of the many indicators of hockey's growing importance in Canadian popular culture" was the fierce debate that continues to rage over where in the country the game first originated. The three cities vying for the title seem ... "
Abstract This paper discusses how ice hockey was once identified as a quintessentially Canadian sport and at the same time a key figure in the domain of masculine sports. However over recent years hockey has garnered strength as an international sport and has expanded its membership to include that of women. The paper further dicusses how att the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, the Canadian women's hockey team won gold whilst their male counterparts failed to reach the medal round. What relevance does this result have for Canada involvement in international competition, and what does it mean for the role of women in traditional male dominated sports?
Abstract This paper discusses the short story, "The Hockey Sweater" by a French-Canadian writer Roch Carrier and argues that the main theme of the story is the strained relationship between the Anglophone and Francophone Canadians, told through an allegory. The paper relates that, although Carrier does find that there are common points in the relationship between Francophone and Anglophone Canadians, most of the story is concentrated on the conflicts between the two major Canadian cultures.
From the Paper "The story selected for this essay is "The Hockey Sweater" by a French-Canadian writer Roch Carrier. The essay will argue that the main theme of the story is the strained relationship between the Anglophone and Francophone Canadians, told through an allegory.
"The main protagonist of the story, written in the first-person narrative, is a young boy whose life revolves around school, the church and the skating rink where he plays hockey with his friends from school. This suggests that the author might be writing from his own experiences and points of view. As will be shown later in this text, he lives in the small town in Quebec. The most exciting part of boy's life is takes place at the rink. Everything else is considered punishment. The choice of hockey rink as a center of life, or at least of good life, places the story setting deep in Canadian culture. Hockey as national Canadian sport is a part of both Anglophone and Francophone Canadians' life. Something the two can and do share. Probably the most common dream of all Canadian boys, Francophone or Anglophone, is to be a great hockey player."
Abstract There are a few stereotypical images that spring to mind when one thinks of Canada's national identity, and hockey is inevitably one of them. Is this sport really a part of Canada's national identity, or has it become an empty corporate shell? This paper discusses the book "Hockey Night in Canada", by Richard Gruneau and David Whitson and the message it conveys about the Canadian cultural and national identity.
Abstract This paper presents a positive review of John Lee's poems in "The Hockey Player Sonnets: Overtime Edition", describing them as a rich reflection of myths that will be familiar to many Canadians. As such, they would make a pleasant and even nostalgic read for many people. The writer of the paper explains that, although the poems don't have the same effect on her as they would on someone who grew up with the particular heritage discussed by the poems, they do contribute to her understanding of the myths surrounding the game of hockey in Canada. The paper also notes that the poems offer a variety of perspectives on the myths and evoke a number of clear pictures of a particular lifestyle.
Abstract The paper reviews the article by Peter Skerry, "Citizenship Begins at Home: A New Approach to the Civic Integration of Immigrants", in order to assess the extent to which institutions should be responsible for the integration of new immigrants into American communities. The paper argues that institutions should act formally and informally as support systems for new arrivals, but individuals still must determine where they wish to go with their own lives.
From the Paper "At the present time, some American universities are arguing that it is part of their mandate to provide "a diverse community" of career professionals with the opportunity to transform themselves so that they might transform society for the better. Indeed, some universities have made such sentiments part of their over-arching mission statement. While some people may feel uncomfortable with such assertions - there are perhaps too many "social engineers" in America as it is - there is definitely something to be said for institutions stepping forward to help groom young people, especially young people from immigrant backgrounds, into productive and faithful Americans. Certainly, Peter Skerry (2004) is correct to point out that what America needs most is for institutions and communities to step forward and provide the structure and guidance necessary for newly-arrived individuals to take full advantage of what America has to offer."
This paper addresses the current movement to create civics education within the classroom through contrasting existing political philosophies on the subject of conformity against the initiative to teach civics within the classroom.
3,900 words (approx. 15.6 pages), 8 sources, 2002, $ 142.95
Abstract This paper addresses the current movement to create civics education within the classroom through contrasting existing political philosophies on the subject of conformity against the initiative to teach civics within the classroom. This demonstrates how civics education rather than government education is a form of propaganda that promotes conformity.
This paper addresses the current movement to create civics education within the classroom through contrasting existing political philosophies on the subject of conformity against the initiative to teach civics within the classroom.
3,900 words (approx. 15.6 pages), 8 sources, 2002, $ 142.95
Abstract This paper addresses the current movement to create civics education within the classroom through contrasting existing political philosophies on the subject of conformity against the initiative to teach civics within the classroom. This demonstrates how civics education rather than government education is a form of propaganda that promotes conformity.
Tags: EDUCATION / CURRICULUM THEORY AND ISSUES, concept civics education
Abstract This paper takes a look at the amount of violence in professional hockey, focusing primarily on the case of Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore. This paper goes on to discuss the debate such violence has caused within the world of sport.
From the Paper "The Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident in the National Hockey League's 2003-2004 season provoked widespread debate in both the sports world and among the general public about the role of violence in professional hockey. In this incident Bertuzzi, in retaliation for an aggressive hit by Moore on one of Bertuzzi's teammates, attacked Moore and accidentally broke his neck. While there was no paralysis, Bertuzzi was indefinitely suspended and Moore was said to be considering lawsuits against Bertuzzi, Bertuzzi's team, and the NHL in general."
