that's what "hockey mom" means. It means, "white."

FINALLY the republicans have lobbed their first coded racial salvo!

oh bullfrog -- I am a hockey grandma -- yes I am white -- well actually Finnish and Russian -- but the skin is white -- my grandson goes to a private highschool here in Minnesota -- plays hockey and about 1/3 of his team is black or of mixed race.

However the football team is about 3/4th african American -- does that mean then if I said 'football mom' we could say they are black and we'd be lobbing a coded racial salvo? EH?

i'm sure you're right.

well, i HOPE you're right. i got no problem with hockey moms, soccer moms, football moms, or any other moms.

not a big fan of sneaky republicans is all. i got my eye on them. ;-)

But you're cool with the sneaky Democrats. No much of a fan of either party, but I prefer parties that don't look to punish success.

As for what is different about hockey than most of the other sports is the simple fact that in order to play it requires a significantly higher level of financial committment than any other sport.

Take the other sports, soccer simply requires a ball thus making it the most popular sport worldwide. Basketball is similar. For baseball it's a glove. Football is typically school sponsered.

The fact that most hockey players are white is a combination of where it came from (Canada was a pretty white country with most non-whites being immigrants) and the fact that ability to play is more financially than physically dependent eliminating many income levels.

This has led tot he sterotype of it being a "white" game, even though it is the most athletically intense team sport there is. Marketing and lack of flash keep many out.

Another key difference though along with the commitment is the fact that Hockey KEEPS more players than soccer. The numbers may be smaller but once you start playing at 4-6 you are more likely to still be playing into adulthood than those who played soccer (as a %)

That's because after such a huge investment on the part of the parents, they don't let the kids walk away so easily. That's just my guess. I can tell you, after spending a thousand dollars to suit up my child, he'll continue to play for at least a full season! No such commitment was required from the other sports he tried.

You also make sure that they are commited to the sport BEFORE they start playing.

My daughter plays hockey in a co-ed league, I see the sexism but to be honest the mothers of the boys in our league are extremely supportive of her especially given the fact that she is more aggressive than most of the boys.

The only sexism that I have seen is in terms of penalties, she has already learned that she is allowed to get away with more and uses that advantage.

Alright -- a female hockey player:-) I couldn't play back in my day other than with my 6 brothers on a frozen pond in our back yard, but I did kick some butt!

Your daughter will find she is a better player when she advances to all female hockey beyound the co-ed level. I have witnessed that in several cases over the last few years -- and I think it's great that girls can maybe get a little edge with the penalties:-)

Tell her to keep at it!

While I do agree with most of your post -- one thing that isn't correct is that very few kids playing hockey advance beyound high school, unless you are that elite athlete, or maybe if you are willing to forgo your high school experience and go with USHL --- most kids end at the high school level and even that is getting harder and harder to make the team.

My one grandson is a very talented athlete, plays football, hockey and lacrosse and carries a 4.0 GPA. This is his senior year in high school and had more academic scholarship offers than athletic offers, which is the way it really should be, after all you are going to school for the academics -- however after all the years of sacrifice that my daughter and her husband have made to allow him to play hockey, it is kind of a let down that his hockey career will end this year.

I can only imagine what it must feel like to not see your youth even go beyound the Pee Wee level, after all the expense. Ice time here is about 1000 bucks per season, plus the equipment is about 750 per season, say nothing of a goalie, who dishes out about 1000 bucks for equipment. With the way kids grow it isn't a one time investment.

As a former high school hockey player I once asked a black friend of mine why more blacks don't play hockey. His response...'Are you crazy? Why would I go out onto an ice rink filled with white guys with sticks that they beat you with?'

sargesmom:

playing hockey advance beyound high school, unless you are that elite athlete, or maybe if you are willing to forgo your high school experience and go with USHL --- most kids end at the high school level and even that is getting harder and harder to make the team.

I guess I'm a little confused... there are many different levels of hockey, basically the requirement to play on our team is to be a decent guy and be willing to pay your share of the league fee.

Our entire team is made of professionals who simply play hockey for fun and we are well beyond high school. What I meant is that amateur hockey is more common with adults than basketball or any other sport in the area that I live in.

There are no adult football leagues that I am aware of. I mean amateur not professional simply for fun.