The young hockey player I have at home (age 20) seems just as mixed about
these situations as the article contends. He says you never have to
participate. And yet, people do. These young men are doing just what the
article says, they believe that they are bonding together. There is no
penalty for not participating. They want to because they want to be part of
the team and believe that this is how you do it. It is very confusing for
them because they do not have other models.
 
I was very impressed with Jack Parker in this article. He is trying to
create another model. Athletes exist in their own subculture. This is no
different than many of the subcultures we all create, examples: church-based
bowling teams, campers, feminists, hikers and bikers, to name a few. None of
these groups are special, they just naturally create their own cultural
rules, which are not spelled out in writing. You can certainly hike even if
you don't understand the subculture, you will just be slightly on the
outside of the family.
 
Team-building at work can be just as intense as in sports, but different. I
believe that until new models for team-building in sports are created by the
players (and former players, now coaches) in a very active way, hazing, in
some form, will continue in this role. Jack Parker and his players should
speak out a little more on the topic, since obviously they are winners as
well.
 
I think the Globe article was actually very good at helping the rest of us
understand what these young men were thinking. They are truly surprised that
people think this was bad or extraordinary. They feel like jerks because it
is all over town now. It is going to take a much more positive intervention
by role models within the sport for young hockey players to truly understand
what the fuss is about.
 
Sorry for the long message, but as a hockey parent, this is a constant
struggle - the line between life and sport.
 
Susan S.
 
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