On Sunday, Feb. 6, an article titled “Why women’s hockey doesn’t belong in the Olympics” was published—and no, it was not by the Onion. A columnist at the Toronto Star berated women’s hockey, arguing that because Canada and the United States dominate the sport at the Olympic level, the women’s[Read More…]
Behind the Bench
An axe to grind: It’s time for Atlanta’s ‘chop’ to go
The transition away from dehumanizing caricatures of Indigenous peoples within the sports world has been marked by many teams dropping their blatantly racist names. After years of activism, McGill changed the moniker of their men’s varsity teams to the “Redbirds” in 2019. The Washington Football Team eliminated their degrading nickname[Read More…]
Peng Shuai resurfaces, but justice for survivors is nowhere to be found
Content Warning: This article discusses sexual violence. On Nov. 2, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai posted a statement to Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, accusing former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her in his home three years prior. Shortly after, the statement was deleted from the platform and[Read More…]
Behind the Bench: Montreal Canadiens must repent for their draft pick
Content warning: This article discusses sexual violence. On July 23, the Montreal Canadiens organization made the controversial decision to draft Logan Mailloux as the team’s first round pick. Mailloux was charged and fined in November 2020 for taking and sharing sexually explicit photos of a woman without her consent. As[Read More…]
Player safety needs to be a higher priority in hockey
Sports can provide entertainment, outlets for expression, and even career opportunities. However, at the end of the day, sports are games, and safety should always be a top priority. On March 16, Timur Faizutdinov, a 19-year-old Russian hockey player, died after being struck in the head with a puck. Although[Read More…]
Sports are political
McGill Faculty of Medicine alumnus Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (MD ‘18) is, as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, the first Quebecer to win a Super Bowl title. The victory has placed the Chiefs’ offensive linebacker in the spotlight, with McGill administrators sparing no expense in promoting Duvernay-Tardif’s ties to the[Read More…]
Behind the Bench: More than her husband
Internet personality and wife of English professional soccer player Wayne Rooney, Coleen Rooney, rocked Twitter on Oct. 9 with her claim that Rebekah Vardy, a competitor on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and wife of Jamie Vardy, had been leaking personal details of Rooney’s life to British tabloid[Read More…]
Behind the bench: Kevin Durant’s injury shows how fans affect athletes
NBA player Kevin Durant received relentless scrutiny following his 2016 decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors. The decision came after the Thunder infamously gave up a 3–1 lead in the Western Conference Finals to Warriors, and fans have continued to express their disapproval of[Read More…]
Behind the bench: Baseball can do better to honour Jackie Robinson
On Jan. 31, Jackie Robinson, immortalized in baseball history as the first black player to play in the MLB in over 60 years, would have celebrated his 100th birthday. Baseball has come a long way since Robinson’s major league debut on April 15, 1947. Though the legendary Dodgers second baseman[Read More…]
Behind the Bench: Mr. President, it’s time to take a knee
Professional athletes bring a valuable voice and wide outreach to social issues
