One thing I don't think I've ever seen acknowledged, in this thread or possibly *ever* in all the discussion about CCP is that maybe, just maybe, a bunch of men who are pretty hardcore hockey fans - the kind of fans that regularly visit a message board dedicated to our favourite team, buy merchandise, analyze statistics, etc. etc. - is that we aren't even the target audience for her as a commentator?
Someone indirectly referred to it in this thread by saying SN wants to offer a "top notch product" but that begs the question - for who? For the Corsi-fanatic who wants non-stop analytics references during the broadcast? For the casual fan who isn't quite sure what an offside is and needs it explained? For the guy who played junior and loves hearing dressing room stories from guys who actually made the show? For the Punjabi grandmother who immigrated to Canada and uses hockey to connect with her Canadian-born grandchildren?
I mean, when it comes right down to it, most of us hardcore hockey fans would probably watch games without commentary (or even if they were in a completely different language) just to get our hockey fix. But would a more general fan?
The discussion about offering a "top notch" product led to an observation that maybe hiring Cassie was a cost-saving measure since she's local to Calgary. But what if it's the opposite - what is there was calculus by SN management that having a prominent female voice could lead to *increased* audiences?
Because, whether we like it or not, there is a larger focus on representation and diversity in all aspects of our society. Yes, there have also been some comments that there are other female commentators that would likely be better (Leah Hextall being one of the most frequent examples) and that's probably a fairer (and healthier!) debate than most of the CCP-related discussion that happens.
But all I know is that when my seven year old daughter puts on her tiny Flames jersey and comes to sit and watch the game with me, she doesn't know if the commentary is good or bad. What she knows that one of the people talking about the game is a girl just like her.
That's a small subtle thing but I believe having CCP as a commentator helps to broaden the audience, build the game, and create lifelong fans and whether I think CCP is a good commentator or not (I'm ambivalent - she doesn't stand out as particularly great *or* overly irritating), her commentary also isn't even in my Top 10 of most important things I enjoy about watching Flames hockey.
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