Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoller
Does hockey have the most conservative fans?
Is this the opposite of bud light? Is the NHL recognizing their audience by not having pride night?
Is hockey homophobic?
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They won't outright admit it, but in terms of people involved in the game all but the most recent generation were raised in the hazing era where the rite of passage included abuse and homophobic activities and you were told to suck it up and eat your objections because that's just the way it had always been and the part of the defacto path to making it.
The old boys will do the bare minimum for PR sake and recite the scripts given to them when Gary comes around with his paddle, but actually transitioning them to a mentality around the game where these things are no longer tolerated and we welcome the groups that were once marginalized and at the receiving end of locker room abuse probably won't happen for them. They'll just continue to be the passive bystanders they've always been.
But the least we can do is keep the right movement going so that when those guys expire and leave we'll have a better game that is both safe and welcoming for whoever wants to play it or enjoy it.