By now, you’ve probably seen the incredibly terrible take written by Rosie DiManno from the Toronto Star about women’s hockey not belonging in the Olympics. I’d post a link to it but that one extra click will put money in her pocket. If you do read the piece, you’ll see that the author has included some damning statistics about why Canada has dummied the competition in hockey and that it’s bad for the game.

It’s a take, a cold one, but a take all the same.

In a year that involves many 'virtual adjustments', assistant coach @koricheverie shares her excitement about being back the rink and how @HC_Women is gearing up for full team practices.

Bubble Blog: https://t.co/uZvrOWFD4q pic.twitter.com/lwK42N8JLf

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) January 23, 2021

If we’re going to take women’s hockey out, let’s eliminate bobsledding too! The Jamaican team qualified once again in bobsled but they’re clearly not a winter country so let’s crush their spirits too! Why not eliminate men’s basketball because the USA always dominates the competition and the gold is usually waiting for them at the end.

Sounds like a solid idea.

But let’s make this all about us, Canadians, and a sport we take so seriously that people like Rosie think that if there isn’t even a sniff of competition all the time then we should boot the event out. Is it a forgone conclusion that China, Japan, Latvia, and other countries likely will not stand a chance against the powerhouse Canadian and American squads? Pretty much, but does that mean that those other countries should be denied the opportunity to compete in the Olympics, a best on best tournament?

No way.

While there is no doubt all governing bodies need to dramatically step up their efforts when it comes to #WoHo, this is a kick in the teeth to those who've made the elevation of the women's game their life's work.

Just a nasty and predictable take.https://t.co/xLjtMnYmqm

— Tara Slone (@TaraSlone) February 6, 2022

Punting women’s hockey out, a sport that is one of the most exciting events at the Games, isn’t just a bad idea, it’s a terrible one. It has grown so much in the last 20 years with women finally getting opportunities to compete with the men in a professional environment like the NHL All-Star Game, as well as the growing NWHL and Premier Hockey Federation as it’s now known.

The games promote a grassroots beginning for athletes who have never known the sport but get the chance to build their talents. Not every Canadian makes an impact in our own country, they help grow the game around the world which is the reason the sport even had a fighting chance, to begin with.

See, here’s the thing: Canada’s best might be pretty darn good, but does that make countries like China any less important? Maybe their best IS the best they could draw from in a shallow pool and even though they could get the score run up on them, they get to compete in the Olympic games. Go ahead, tell them they shouldn’t be there, Rosie already has. She hasn’t bothered to think past the end of her nose on this one.

https://twitter.com/simonhoupt/status/1490389624002428938?s=20&t=9laLpATV_AISIRLFXvPtqw

I suppose I’ll let my daughters know it’s not worth competing in speedskating because even if Canada is near the top of the list, the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany are likely going to win if we don’t have a good crop that cycle so they should just quit now; the spirit and integrity of the Olympics live on!

The NHL made the decision not to send its players to the Games this time around, but the players that have gone are about to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience that can never be taken away from them.

Jamaica are back competing with the bobsled team and even though they probably aren’t going to dominate (but what do I know), competing in the Olympics is an honor only so many people can say they’ve done. Hopefully, they can make an impact and grow a sport in a country that would be the last place we’d all think ice sports would work. But yeah, let’s count them out, Rosie has.

"It’s a cheap medal, in no way comparable to the paramountcy that some nations historically enjoy in a specific sport…"

Not just a crap, dangerous and misogynistic opinion, but cruel too.

— Tara Slone (@TaraSlone) February 6, 2022

The Olympics aren’t about Canada, this isn’t a one-country event, but I get that she thought it was.

When you eliminate a sport that even one country continually dominates, you crush the hopes and dreams of every other athlete in every other country because you’ve decided there is never going to be an opportunity to prove yourself against the world’s best. You might lose every single time, you might win but if you cancel the sport, there will never be a chance to find out.

Kids grow up dreaming of competing in the Olympic games regardless of sport, the country they live in, or the odds against them. They don’t think “well, my country is really good at this sport but other countries aren’t so I’ll never get to go anyway because there’s no challenge”.

Before we go out and cancel sports, let’s put some thought into how this impacts the sport itself.

I’d tell Rosie to stick to sports like we’ve heard the phrase so often, but that’s probably a bad idea.