LadyStanley
Registered User
https://phys.org/news/2019-02-insights-gay-hockey-players.html
Interesting that mental health and concussion is considered similarly to being homosexual per this study WRT being a distraction.
I am concerned that hiding a concussion is not good for a player's long term health. And not a good sign for openness and proper treatment. Hiding the true status of a player's health is a point that any concussion lawsuit would have to address.
Changing culture still needed throughout the pro hockey leagues.
The overriding threat of becoming a distraction is the main barrier keeping professional hockey players from identifying publicly as gay, even though such an admission would likely accelerate a more tolerant hockey culture, according to new research out of the University of Alberta.
Cheryl MacDonald, a sport sociologist who just completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the U of A, interviewed six straight former National Hockey League players and six openly gay hockey players who played at an elite level, but not the NHL. They included Brock McGillis of the United Hockey League—the only openly gay former professional hockey player in the world—to find out their attitudes about whether the NHL is ready to have one of its players come out as gay.
Though the subjects were split on whether they thought the NHL was homophobic, all of them—including former NHLers who compared hiding their addiction or mental health issues to coming out—agreed that the potential to lose their career outweighed the benefit of revealing something they can live with people not knowing.
"(The players told me) it doesn't matter if you're gay, or concussed, or you've been sexually abused or have mental health issues, none of those are OK because you are a distraction," said MacDonald, former co-chair of the western Canadian board of You Can Play and current post-doctoral scholar at St. Mary's University in Nova Scotia.
"You don't want to risk it not being OK, because the perception is someone who is just as good at your job but isn't gay is going to take your spot."
Some of the players interviewed said other reasons for keeping their sexual orientation under wraps include everything from the tolerance of the people in their hometown to fear over how the NHL brass might react.
Interesting that mental health and concussion is considered similarly to being homosexual per this study WRT being a distraction.
I am concerned that hiding a concussion is not good for a player's long term health. And not a good sign for openness and proper treatment. Hiding the true status of a player's health is a point that any concussion lawsuit would have to address.
Changing culture still needed throughout the pro hockey leagues.