"'Bros Before Hos': The Guy Code About Hockey

'Bros Before Hos': The Guy Code About Hockey

Montana Fissel Blog post 1

24 September 2014

In the article 'Bros Before Hos': The Guy Code Michael Kimmel talks about the attitude, values, and traits that make up what it means to be a "man" in American culture (Kimmel 1). Growing up a guy you are always told to "suck it up" and told to be manly and not to show emotion. To be a man there are four rules: no sissy stuff, being successful, reliable, and being edgy (Kimmel 2). These ideas were consistently being told to men by men to give them the idea of what masculinity looks like (Kimmel 3). The biggest insult to a man is emasculating him. So when men go about their day they try to do things that make them seem masculine and avoid things that do not. Men then try to walk, talk, and act in a way that protects them from the gay stereotype (Kimmel 4). Kimmel says in the "Be a Man" box that homosexuality signals that you are weak and a failure. And Men completely fear this idea of being weak. But not all guys want to be in the box (Kimmel 5). But if you step out you are instantly criticized (Kimmel 6). So since biologically we have testosterone that all the theories of being a man are encoded into us and we cannot escape the “Guy Code” (Kimmel 7).

            Reading this article made me think about how this is being displayed around me in my own life. The first thing I thought of was sports, more specifically the sport of hockey. So my research questions: What gender issues does hockey have? Is hockey a gender specific sport? Answering these help me find out how the “Guy Code” is incorporated in hockey.

            In the research my group conducted we found an article from the University of Maine, written by Tyler Bilton that explains a gender issue in hockey. Bilton in his article talks about how hockey is identified with being violent and that it always has been portrayed that way.  But it is inherent to the sport. Media constructs this idea and makes men’s hockey hegemonic masculine. Portraying the idea of violence forming a masculine identity for hockey around the world (Bilton1). Boltin says:

Hockey is helping give women in Turkey confidence while also altering the traditional identity of femininity. In order for a new male identity to emerge, a new male gaze that recognizes that women are equal and can play hockey is required. This new male gaze is being formed already due to the shift in media coverage of women’s hockey and the participation of women in ice hockey. And from that new male gaze there are already examples of this new male identity emerging, providing hope for continued growth. (Boltin 1)

 

            Similar to what Boltin said, my group found another article. However it is on the gender specifics of hockey. Author’s Gilenstam, K., Karp, S., & Henriksson-Larsen, K. who wrote: Gender in ice hockey: women in a male territory. Gilenstam, Karp, & Henriksson-Larsen said:

Ice hockey is undeniably a very tough sport.  In North America some consider it to be a “flag carrier” for masculinity as it takes many skills deemed masculine to be a top athlete in the sport.  These skills include explosive strength, aggressiveness, and rough body contact.  In Canada women’s ice hockey is thought to be superior to men’s ice hockey.  It is promoted that the women play with more speed and finesse and less violence.  However, female ice hockey players describe their love for the game for almost the same reasons as male ice hockey players.  They love to exert their physical power to the limit, as well as the physical contact of the game.  Female hockey players take it one step further when they state that they feel refreshed that they can enjoy the physical aspect of the game which is accepted more widely on the ice than it is in society. (Gilenstam, Karp, & Henriksson-Larsen, 2007)

            I now timidly say that I have found the answer to my questions. I found a gender issue in hockey in the sense that media portrays the idea of violence making it a very masculine sport. Hockey is considered a gender specific sport in some cultures but it is slowly changing worldwide. Becoming less of a masculine sport will playing hockey be against the 'Bros Before Hos': The Guy Code? I don’t think it will. I think The Guy Code has to be changed a little in the sense that females are capable to be masculine also. So men will not be less masculine, rather women are becoming less feminine.

Works Cited

Bilton, Tyler, "An examination of hockey: identity, gender construction, hegemonic masculinity, women's hockey, and Turkey" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1896.

            http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/1896

Gilenstam, K., Karp, S., & Henriksson-Larsen, K. (2007). Gender in ice hockey: women in a male territory. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports , 235-249. http://www.unicommons.com/node/22156

Conspicuous Consumption- Hockey

Conspicuous Consumption- Hockey

In the article Conspicuous Consumption by Robert Atwin they talk about how people buy things that they don't really need. It shows how people buy things that are more expensive to me more exclusive or or have the upper hand on other people. 

In hockey, often times people buy more expensive items to higher their reputation with teammates and other players. For example, people buying an NHL jersey of their favorite players could experience conspicuous consumption because they want to have the same jersey that the pros have, but buying a jersey similar to the ones the pros wear could be a lot less expensive. ex. Reebok Zach Parise Jersey-Green: fansedge=$169.95 coolhockey=$125.00 faceofffanatics=$169.95. Those pricings above are all for the same exact jersey. Some places offer it at cheaper costs and some more expensive. Some fans have the "I want it now" mentality and fall into higher, more unreasonable prices.

                                                 

The two jerseys above are the same except the one on the right does not have the laces at the top. The one on the left, you can buy for $229.99 at the hockey lodge at the Excel Energy center and the one on the right you can buy for $149.99 at icejersey.com. The difference is $80. So you tell me, is it worth it?

The real question some people have is "is more expensive gear more worth it?". The answer to that question depends on who you ask. But most of the research leads to no, it is not worth it. One hockey dad on ESPN.com wrote an article on why more expensive gear isn't worth it as a young player still learning but could matter more as they grow older. As a young skater the focus is on learning the game. The type of gear you have is essentially irrelevant because they are still learning how to even use it all. However, you still see young kids with top of the line gear. They don't need it at all but they sure do get more attention when they use it. But it does not make you a better player at a young age.