Times are changing dramatically, but nobody can deny that a gender gap still exists in sport, and it is a wider one than that encountered in other areas of life. With a few exceptions, such as tennis and athletics, women\u2019s sport typically attracts less sponsorship, publicity and recognition than men\u2019s. The \u201clocker room\u201d mentality is also something that remains pervasive. This is as much the case in hockey as it is in football, soccer, baseball or basketball. Events like International Women\u2019s Day provide a great opportunity to do something meaningful towards bridging the gender gap, and that\u2019s exactly what the NHL and it’s North American broadcasters did on March 08.<\/p>\n
In that day\u2019s match-ups between the St Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks and the Calgary Flames versus the Vegas Golden Knights, every individual involved in the telecasts, on both sides of the cameras, was a woman.<\/p>\n
The idea was the brainchild of NBC Sports producer Kaitlin Urka. Last year, she showed former Olympic medalist AJ Mleczko\u2019s daughter around a working production truck. The girl\u2019s immediate reaction to the experience was not to be overawed by the technology but to ask why there were no women working there.<\/p>\n
Urka and Mieczko reunited for the game at St Louis, with Urka taking control in the production truck while Mieczko was accompanied by Kendall Coyne Schofield, Jennifer Botterill and Kathryn Tappen in the commentary booth.<\/p>\n
Diversity in hockey is a topic that has been hitting the headlines with increasing regularity over recent months, and events like this help to keep it on the agenda. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told USA Today<\/a><\/strong> that \u201cdiversity and inclusiveness make hockey stronger.\u201d However, the fact remains that 96 percent of operational roles in hockey are performed by men.<\/p>\n As well as being ethically and morally right, encouraging diversity also makes sound commercial sense. Women constitute an ever-growing proportion of the NHL\u2019s fanbase. This has increased since the relaxation of sports betting legislation over recent years, with a larger proportion of women visiting online NHL betting sites<\/a><\/strong> to place a dollar or two on their favourite team.<\/p>\nA \u201cTerrifying\u201d Pay Gap<\/h3>\n