[ARETE] Moore, Game Misconduct

[Duncan Jamieson]

All,
Please find attached and below Lisa Timpf's review of Evan Moore, *Game
Misconduct: Hockey's Toxic Culture and how to Fix It.*
Thanks,
Duncan

Lisa Timpf

72 Oak St.

Simcoe, Ontario

N3Y 3J8



email: lisa.timpf at gmail.com



Word count: Approx. 950





Moore, Evan F. and Jashvina Shah. *Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture
and How to Fix It.* Triumph Books, 2021. 256 pp. $28.00.



Reviewed by Lisa Timpf



*Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and How to Fix It* by Evan Moore
and Jashvina Shah takes a broad-ranging look at the sport of hockey as it
intersects with a number of parameters, including racism, sexism, and
homophobia. Though the authors are critical of many aspects of hockey’s
culture, the book is written with constructive intent. As Moore notes in
the Epilogue, “I love hockey. And when I love something, I want to make it
better.” (p. 233) At the same time, he acknowledges that “hockey culture
needs an intervention—therapy, at least.” (p. 233)

The book is smoothly written, and the authors’ passion for the game shines
through. The book’s readability should be no surprise, given the fact that
both authors are experienced journalists. Moore has covered culture and
entertainment for the *Chicago Sun-Times*, and has written for *Rolling
Stone, Huffington Post,* and *Ebony.* Jashvina Shah is a multimedia
reporter who covers college hockey and social issues in sports. Her writing
has been published in *The Globe and Mail, The Athletic,* and *College
Hockey News*, among other venues.

The book begins with chapters on hockey culture and the structure of
hockey, focussing mainly on the United States and Canada. Once this
groundwork has been set, individual chapters then delve into the various
themes covered by the book: racism; sexism and sexual violence; bullying,
hazing, and abuse; women’s hockey; ableism; and homophobia, biphobia, and
transphobia. A chapter titled “Why It Happens and How to Fix It” provides
examples of actions that can be taken to make hockey more inviting and
inclusive for players at all levels.

The authors blend input from a variety of sources to make their case,
including interviews with current and former players and other relevant
individuals as well as their own personal experience. Reference to studies,
books, and news events provide deeper background.

Though the book provides some historic context for how we got here, it is
also up to date on the issues. Relatively recent situations like Akim Aliu
speaking out about his experiences with racism and the hazing lawsuit
brought forward by Daniel Carcillo and Garrett Taylor are discussed in the
book, as are other occurrences.

Not all of the issues discussed are unique to hockey, and the authors
acknowledge that, commenting on other sports, like football and basketball,
where appropriate. However, Moore and Shah make a case that some of the
issues are more severe in hockey than in other sports and offer some views
as to why this might be so. The insular nature of the hockey development
model, where promising players with elite talent are pulled away from their
families and sent to live in other cities with billet families, is one
contributing factor. Separated from home and their friends, elite players’
primary influences become their billet families, coaches, and teammates,
and this both reinforces the status quo and also makes them more vulnerable
to issues like hazing and abuse. The primarily white, cishet nature of the
majority of high-level coaches and power brokers, the emphasis on toxic
masculinity, the expectation of conformity, the code of silence, and the
tendency for hero worship also play a role in shaping and reinforcing
hockey’s current culture, as do other factors.

*Game Misconduct* provides a refreshingly candid look at the sport. There
will no doubt be some who bristle at the book’s assertions. But as a gay
woman who has played house league hockey, a former sportswriter who has
covered university women’s hockey, and a long-time hockey fan, I can attest
that the book rings true in those areas where it intersects with my own
identities and experiences.

As though to underscore *Game Misconduct’s* message, while I was reading
the book, a news story broke about an incident at a hockey tournament in
Prince Edward Island in which players from an opposing team in the stands
directed racial slurs at a Black goalie—further evidence, if anyone needed
it, that racism continues to be an issue for the sport.

Can things change? Moore and Shah note that “hockey, historically, has
dragged its feet at every turn when it comes to social justice.” (p. 72) As
well, the “rising costs of hockey are also a barrier to cultivating a
diverse player base.” (p. 205) Hockey’s organizational structure
perpetuates the status quo: “Hockey exists in its own bubble. . . . It’s
composed mostly of boys and men who are white, cishet, straight, and
upper-class. And those who play often become coaches and teach the same
values to the next generation.” (p. 1) In addition, the emphasis on
conformity within the sport contributes to “a culture of silence—anyone who
is different is afraid to speak out.” (p. 2) It won’t be easy making
revolutionary change, even if there becomes a widespread will to do so. But
all is not lost.

While the authors acknowledge that changing hockey’s culture is a complex
undertaking, and diagnosing the problems requires “a deep dive into how we
got here,” (p. 229), they also provide examples of programs that are making
a positive impact, even now—programs like Coaching Boys Into Men, SCORE
Boston Hockey, and Snider Hockey.

*Game Misconduct* leaves the reader with plenty to think about, even though
some of the chapters are simply scratching the surface. As the authors
note, the section on women’s hockey could merit a book unto itself. Still,
you need to start somewhere, and as an overview of the issues, *Game
Misconduct* is a good resource. In the Epilogue, Moore notes that his
intention in co-writing the book was to “kick-start a long-overdue
conversation.” (p. 234) *Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and How to
Fix It* has the potential to do just that.

-END-
















Remember to smell the roses as you recumber past

Duncan R. Jamieson, Ph. D.
Professor of History
Book Review Editor
*AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature*
Ashland University
Ashland, OH  44805
USA
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