As I watched the NHL draft kick off, I look around to see if there are any women at the tables for the teams. As I look, I noticed that the tables are filled with men in suits. I think to myself as I continue to watch, how come women can’t be in charge of big decisions in all sports?
Back in January, the San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon was the first woman to coach in the NBA All-Star game, according to Sports Illustrated. When this happened, the sports world went into a debate on whether it was appropriate that a woman was named the first female assistant coach in the NBA. Another story of how women can take over roles in sports is when the Buffalo Bills hired Kathryn Smith as a special teams quality control coach, according to a New York Magazine article.
Knowing women have roles in both the NBA and NFL, but it doesn’t answer my question on why woman don’t have any roles in the NHL. The NHL has 30 teams in all. Now just think about how many women have positions of power where they can show they are capable of drafting quality players and building championship rosters.
According to NetNanny, there are different ways that the female and the make brain work.
- The male brain is highly specialized, using specific parts of one hemisphere or the other to accomplish specific tasks. The female brain is more diffused and utilizes significant portions of both hemispheres for a variety of tasks.
- Men can focus on narrow issues and block out unrelated information and distractions. Women naturally see everyday things from a broader, “big picture” vantage point.
- Men can narrowly focus their brains on specific tasks or activities for extended periods of time without tiring. Women are better equipped to divide their attention among multiple activities or tasks
As you can see women are designed to see the bigger picture, and this can help them make tough decisions when it’s necessary. The fact that women can divide attention can help them when in a situation where you have two different players not performing as well as they should be. Women have the ability to see long-term if a player is worth giving an extension to or if the team should look for a replacement at a cheaper cost. The fact is, women deserve a chance to show their ability to put together a team that can make a run in the playoffs. It seems like it will only be a matter of time until the NHL catches up to the NBA and NFL.
