Canada boasts both female and male national teams for soccer. However, only one of those teams has shown success in recent years while the other one has little to no success at all. The female Canadian National team have become a success story in Canada and their fame really exploded following the 2012 London summer Olympic games. It was the first time Canada has won any traditional team medals since winning silver at the 1936 games (SOURCE). Currently the Canadian women are ranked 7th according to the FIFA ranking and have always been successful in the World cup. They have also won multiple medals in both CONCACAF and the PanAmerican games.
When we look at the men’s team however things are not looking very good for them. Having no success other then winning the CONCACAF gold cup in 2000, the men have failed to qualify to the World Cup since 1986. Furthermore, the men are ranked 112th in the world and are behind countries according to the FIFA standings like Punta Cana and Haiti.
The failure of the men’s team can be attributed to multiple factors however one factor stands out more then others. Most of the great talent that Canada breeds end up leaving to play for their country of origin rather then playing for the country that has raised them, Canada. The most prolific example of this type of behaviour was with Owen Hargreaves. He was born and raised in Calgary however his father was English, Hargreaves was a great talent and instead of choosing to play for Canada he decided to represent England. In 2006 he was rated one of the best players to play in the World Cup that year while also receiving English Player of the year award.
A great article written by Jared Mercer called, The State Of Canadian Soccer Defectors, essentially...
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...ayed a strong role in the increase of soccer participation as 1 in every 5 Canadians now is a visible minority and with soccer being the most played sport worldwide many are bringing this sport culture to Canada. Moreover, the hosting of international events has led to an increase in media exposure that has allowed more Canadians to experience professional soccer either on TV or at a stadium. The expansion of the MLS has given Canadians a chance to enjoy soccer at their front door and with European stars making their way to NA the league has been truly put on the map and has increased in popularity and viewership. As a Canadian, one must wonder what will the Canadian sport culture look like in the future. With immigration rising and soccer gaining popularity with the general public will the “beautiful game” as it is known around the world one day be Canada’s game.
It is yet another thing for Canada to be proud of. A moment where it brings Canada all together to appreciate this occasion, indeed it increased Canada’s unity and it is a great aspect of Canadian sport history. It also awards Toronto Blue Jays and Canadian baseball fans what they have been waiting for, a World Series won by a Canadian team. The Blue Jays two win-streak in the World Series characterizes Canadian baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays won their first World Series in 1992 against the Atlanta Braves 4-2 and went on to retain their title in 1993 against the Philadelphia Phillies with 4-2 record. The following essay will state the facts and statistics on the Blue Jays’ two Series, how it affected Canada in a positive manner within the country and how Canada was affected outside the country. It will explain the pros and cons of the two championship titles won by the Blue Jays.
Canadian that grew up cheering for the Canadiens, did not help either. As Patrick said in
In 1991 there was so little media interest in the event, almost no one even knew the United States had a team, and even less people knew that the United States won. Eight years later, “tickets sales reached 388,000,” more than triple the amount of sales in the 1995 Women’s World Cup (Longman). FIFA was depending on this World Cup to gain popularity, they needed more interest to spark people to play. If the United States had not won, it was predicted that not many in the suburban would not have much interest in soccer. Millions of young girls across the United States came to this event. After the World Cup it “will celebrate the explosive growth of soccer for women in the United States, where 7.5 million female players are registered, according to a recent survey by the Soccer Industry Council of America, a trade group. In suburbia, where the game flourishes, girls' soccer has become as popular as sport utility vehicles” (Longman). This World Cup team changed the perspective that soccer was only for males. “‘ We're fighting the myths and prejudices that women's soccer felt in the U.S. in the 70's,'' said Andrea Rodebaugh… 'That there are sports for boys and sports for girls and that soccer is not for girls, not feminine’” (Longman). This team changed the lives for many girls. The team gave little girls hope and faith they could make it in soccer. This team made them believe they could follow their passions.
Ice hockey, a sport that has been in existence for over two hundred years, has become a fan favorite across the globe. From Canada to Sweden, you will be able to find some of the best ice hockey players in the world; both male and female. This pastime has instilled a unique tradition throughout the years of its practice by a combination of both physical skill and mental strength. Although it did not provide aid to globalization, it has created a worldwide culture that many people are proud to be a part of. Since its inception until now, there has been a great deal of gender stereotyping concerning the sport. Regardless, ice hockey will continue to be a lucrative market, as well as a cherished hobby for many years to come.
Finally, if the comparison were ever made a survey, it would really show the full scale of Americanization in Canada. But until now we can only see from the daily life, how American culture is inviting Canada. Today more then ever, Canadians are in real danger of loosing their national identity. It is unfortunate that if the study of this cultural influence will be done few years later, it might be too late to save Canadian culture and identity.
Canada’s foreign policy intent was limited because of deployments that kept the military from being unequipped and becoming a high power. They are only put into conflicts that they are able to control the environment. During this time, Canada’s military had little capabilities. They were not known as a world power. Even though they were not as powerful as most countries, they wanted to take on a role as a middle power which was good for them.
Gillis, Charlie. 2010. Not just our game, anymore: the hockey landscape has shifted. Can Canadians keep up? Maclean's. (8): 40-41.
The USA Olympic team did more than prove that softball was worthy of the Olympic games; they were extremely successful in each Olympic games they participated in; some may say that they were too successful (“USA Softball”) (SV; SV; SV). Some may argue that the 2004 USA team was the most successful Olympic softball team (“USA S...
Men and women have been separated since the beginning of life. God put Adam in charge of the Earth. When God created Eve, he took a piece of Adam’s rib from his stomach to create Eve. From this story that came from the bible, men believe that God made them better than women. And this has created a gender inequality between man and woman ever since then. Gender inequality, as stated on The Free Dictionary’s website is, “the difference between women and men in regard to social, political, economic, or other attainments or attitudes, or the problem perceives to exist because of such difference.” I believe that, when it comes to women’s sports, there is a pretty big difference in genders. Some of these differences are caused by men. A good example is that there are an enormous amount of men that take it as a joke. Most men feel that women just do not have the capability to ever have the strength and skills to compete with men. While others look at it as women are too girly to play and that they will cry and complain if they break a nail. Some think women are too fragile and if they try to compete against a man they will get badly injured. I believe these opinions that men have about women in sports, leads to the gender inequalities in it.
In 1990 women’s hockey had its first World Championship. Team Canada was made to wear pink jerseys as described in Hockey: A People’s History which showed a clear difference in the opinions of men playing versus women, as the women did not get to wear the red and white that the men wore to represent their country. However, this was still an important step. Men’s hockey was introduced to the Olympic Games in 1920. Women’s hockey was not included until 1998. It took 78 years for female hockey players to get to the same level on an international scale that men had been welcomed to. Olympic competition is arguably the best of the best; as countries send their most successful athletes to compete against the best from countries that they may not have the opportunity to play against in regular competition. While it may have taken many years, the introduction of women’s hockey into the Olympics was a clear display of the legitimization of the game. Thanks to the addition, many girls in Canada and around the world have had more exposure to women playing hockey. Especially for Canadian’s, seeing Team Canada dominate so frequently on the world stage has helped the growth of the game for women and has helped with the acceptance of female
Throughout history, women have had to struggle for equality in all elements of our society, but no where have they had a more difficult time than in the area of athletics. Sports is a right of passage that has always been grafted to boys and men. The time has come for our society to accept women athletes and give them the attention they deserve.
When it comes to women's sports and popularity in the 21 century it has been little progress made toward gender equality for woman sports, now in the 21 century more kids and adults know who some of these females athletes are but as far as media coverage goes for female athlete are in the shadows of the male athletes dominance and the tradition that males developed in sport due to what gender establish athletics first, because women sports were brought up years after men athletics had been established.
Franklin starts by giving reasons why he has used soccer to explain the failure of globalization and also clarifies that his objective is not to argue economic changes and factors, but to address cultural issues. In the first part of How Soccer Explains the American Culture Wars, the author goes into depth that how and why soccer entered into his life and what role his parents played to ensure that their child excelled in the sport. He then talks about the cultural divide in America; the different mindsets of the elite and the working middle class and how individuals from these classes reacted to the introduction of soccer in America in the 1980’s. Moving on, in the second part of his analysis, the author sheds light on the hateful comments of some eminent Americans such as Tom Wier, Jack Kemp, Allen Barra and most importantly Jim Rome. These individuals have openly expressed their hatred for soccer and they believe that it is “not a sport”. To counter claims and criticism made these men, Franklin presents some facts and figures that clearly state that over the years soccer has managed to make its way into the American culture, while the most American sport i.e. Baseball has lost viewership. This section is summed up by differentiating between the stances of two contrasting groups towards globalization. In the last part of the
The sport of soccer has overcome many changes through the years. In particular, women’s soccer compared to men’s soccer has gained much notoriety. The widespread knowledge of soccer has spread throughout numerous countries. Soccer began as primarily a men’s sport, but today soccer is considered a sport that both genders participate in. Women’s soccer has changed dramatically over the years with the increase in popularity as well as new style and rules of the game.
Throughout history it is clear that not only women, but both genders have faced seemingly insurmountable barriers when attempting to break into a sport that is not "proper" or stereotypical for their gender to participate in. Though as a society we are making strides towards equality in sport, such as the advent of Title IX, it is clear that we still have a long way to go. Though breakthrough policies such as this are moving in the right direction, other evidence points towards the fact that as a society, we are still more comfortable with women in traditionally female sports such as field hockey as opposed to boxing, and men in traditionally male sports such as body building as opposed to synchronized swimming, since these activities fit with our preconceived notions of what is "normal" for a specific gender. Supporting this idea is the fact that though we seem to be moving towards equality in sport with many coeducational universities and colleges having sport opportunities for both sexes, funding is still extremely unequal, as states by the Women's Sports Foundation in 2001: