How misrepresenting the challenges facing women's hockey hurts more than it helps

Since becoming an Olympic event ahead of the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, the American and Canadian women's ice hockey teams have met in every gold medal final, save one - when Sweden upset the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino.

The two teams dominate. It's not even close.

For some, the commanding omnipresence of two nations atop the podium is reason enough for the sport to not be included on the Olympic agenda. The threat of this actually happening is largely unrealistic, but fear mongers are quick to point to the comments of former IOC head Jacques Rogges when he removed baseball from the Summer Olympics more than eight years ago.

To be on the Olympic program is an issue where you need universality as much as possible. You need to have a sport with a following, you need to have the best players. And these are the qualifications that have to be met. When you have all that, you have to win hearts. You can win the mind, but you still must win hearts.

Nonsense, mainly, but it didn't stop Rogge from issuing a toothless warning to women's hockey after 2010's Winter Olympics. Rogge's tenure as IOC president has since ended, and with it too, the idea of exclusion from the Olympics. 

The idea that the women's hockey tournament is somehow in constant danger of being pulled from Olympic competition is built on straw, the old plaid shirt of a farmer and a wooden post. In fact, the topic wasn't even broached on a large scale at these Winter Olympics until ridiculous comparisons to speed skating were made by women's hockey supporters.

Their concern is understandable. Women's sports in North America are constantly marginalized, criticized for the level of competition in comparison to men's. The arguments against female competition almost always rely on myopic views of current situations that fail to consider the alternative of what the fostering of talent and fandom could provide.

That's not to gloss over the main problem facing women's hockey - the lack of parity. It's to recognize that women's hockey doesn't have the same benefits that the men's competition enjoys: 

• Elite level events haven't been around for the same length of time. 
• There is no sport infrastructure that comes close to the NHL for development. 
• Gender equality remains dependent on slow social progress.

Instead of suggesting that speed skating's secured status, despite Dutch dominance in Sochi, has something to do with gender - ignoring the fact that this is the first time so many medals have been won by one nation in closely contested races between the representatives of several different nations - proponents of women's hockey could better support the cause by pointing out the improved play of Finland, the close semifinal matchup between Canada and Switzerland, or even the ever increasing speed of play on exhibition throughout these Olympics.

Perhaps the most amusing part of all this is that women's hockey remains a well-watched and well-covered Winter Olympics event in North America. As the conspiracy theorists in other nations suggest that the men's event is purposely rigged by the IOC to ensure the Americans go far, so as to assuage any regret NBC might have for paying such steep fees for broadcast rights, it doesn't follow reason that an event so pleasing to an American network would face any risk of cancellation.

Nonetheless, the scarecrows gain momentary mobility to beg the International Ice Hockey Federation to produce an issue out of a non-issue. A request with which the IIHF seemingly complies every four years when it announces that women's hockey is not in danger of being dropped. 

What's so bothersome about this regularly scheduled display of meaninglessness is that it seems custom built to appeal to the condescending acceptance that regrettably and too often comes from men. "Jeez. Those gals sure can play," they say, a moment before patting themselves on the back for being so open minded. This becomes all the more frustrating when we consider the existence of a would-be target audience that could actually use the inspiration that women's hockey provides. 

Hardened North American fans of hockey may not seek out a bronze medal game between Sweden and Switzerland, but imagine young women in those two nations watching this game and wanting to one day become just like the players for whom they're cheering. 

This is the possibly naive dream that anyone who loves sports has for under represented disciplines. It's the real challenge for women's hockey, and as such, it should be the real focus, not whether or not it will continue to be a part of the Winter Olympics.