Let’s Talk Racism Part II — Interview with Joel Johnson — Must-click women’s hockey links
The IX: Hockey Friday with Erica L. Ayala, July 30, 2021
Hi! Howard Megdal here. The IX helps build the necessary infrastructure for women’s sports media. By connecting these worlds, it gives women’s sports the networking boost men’s sports can take for granted.
Continue reading with a subscription to The IX
Get unlimited access to our exclusive coverage of a varitety of women’s sports, including our premium newsletter by subscribing today!
Already a member?
Login
Those of you who are our satisfied subscribers, tell the world! We are grateful for your support. And you can share the gift of The IX with those who would love us as much as you do.
Let’s Talk Racism Part II: Black Women Don’t Owe You Shit
Back in January I told y’all how tired I was. I typed the following reflection:
Once again the world around me has drained me and made it harder (but not impossible) to tap into the joy covering women’s hockey brings me. In at moments like this, I wish I could share encouraging words and discuss what is happening in the world.
Unfortunately, the hockey community hasn’t found its voice. Some have and they are included as we go. But overall, we still have work to do.
I am not surprised, I am not mad, but I am disappointed. I find myself wanting to have a space in this community to discuss what I am really feeling. Yet, I am not sure exactly where to go.
…
So, I’m going to put it all out there. Maybe it’s time for hockey to take a Let’s Talk approach to racism in addition to mental health. Because I’ll tell you, my mental health is not in a good way these days. So yeah, let’s talk. Let’s talk about racism. Please.
I was reminded of this because of two former members of the women’s national team, one who was on the roster that won gold in 2018, decided to minimize Simone Biles. There are so many points of ridiculousness here that my head hasn’t stopped spinning for days.
In light of these tweets and this one found by friends of the newsletter Gal Pal Sports, my January post still remains relevant.
So, too, does the fact that players signing and re-signing with the NWHL lack, at minimum, the decency to not publicly align with a company like Barstool after their attack on Saroya Tinker. Players like Madison Packer have attempted to make amends on behalf on her team the Riveters. However, Packer and all her good intentions don’t erase the actions and the silence of her teammates and others in the league.
Tink is now with the Toronto Six, a team that has yet to take actions steps with regard to how they made trans hockey player Jessica Platt feel. As I wrote before in The IX Newsletter, I am not of the opinion that Platt was guaranteed to make The Six (Platt also said as much).
However, knowing that a league that rode the coattails of Harrison Browne continues to ignore the harm done by Toronto President Digit Murphy supporting (at one point) an organization with harmful notions of trans inclusion in sports is unacceptable.
Let’s talk about racism, let’s talk about transphobia and the wear on mental health they create. If women’s hockey and the NWHL (in the examples given) will not, then respectfully, tap out of the #BellLetsTalk movement.
We don’t need hollow acts. We already have men’s hockey for that.
Help send Erica to the Olympics to cover it!
Hey everyone, I’m going to the 2022 Winter Olympics!!! I’m about $1,000 away from reaching my first crowdfunding milestone to cover my accommodations deposit.
Here are a few ways to can help support my work.
-
Donate through my GoFundMe campaign
-
Send some love via PayPal
-
Tell a friend to subscribe to The IX and The Next
-
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
-
Share these links far and wide!
You can also shop my PWRFWD store, which includes my #BlackRosie design!
Week in Women’s Hockey
DO YOU BELIEVE IN MORE COVERAGE FOR WOMEN IN SPORTS? Good, click these links and show decision-makers that if you post it, we will read it! If you have any hot tips for great stories or voices you’d like to see in The IX, email me: erica@ericaLayala.com.
Must-Click Links
NWHL drops the puck on Season 7 November 6th.
Knutson returns to the Rivs.
Former Boston Pride GM Karilyn Piltch is taking her talents to Chicago.
I can’t say that I’m all-in on an International Draft, but here’s how the first NWHL one went.
Get to know Minnesota’s Hockey Niñas!
Joel Johnson tapped as USA women’s hockey head coach.
Eight Minnesota Gophers are headed to USA Hockey residency.
UNINTERRUPTED Canada to underwrite “Black Ice”, but will Black women be featured?
The Next, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom
Introducing The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited, and photographed by our young, diverse staff, dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives, and projections about the game we love.
Subscribe to make sure this vital work, creating a pipeline of young, diverse media professionals to write, edit and photograph the great game, continues and grows. Subscriptions include some exclusive content, but the reason for subscriptions is a simple one: making sure our writers and editors creating 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage get paid to do it.
Five at The IX: Joel Johnson
Here are a few timestamps from Johnson’s media availability. The full session including sled hockey and men’s head coaches can be found on YouTube.
On balancing his head coaching position at St. Thomas and the national team
On whether USAH will use next month’s Worlds as an evaluation
-
“Our goal is to win a World Championship”
Me asking about the challenges/what will change regarding Olympic preparations given COVID
-
“With the World Championships being so late, we’re going to try to make sure our players have the chance to rest and recover.”
