Have you heard of the Old Boys Club?
Old Boys Club – A boys’ club (organization that excludes women), especially one with an established history of male control.
This is obviously an older term. We are now in the year 2021. No doubt old boys clubs exist. But some have changed or new ones have emerged. The makeup is likely different but there’s group up people who like to carry on the established tradition and keep the benefits ‘in-house’.
Out of all the major league sports Hockey is definitely an “old boys club”.
Sometimes continuity is a good thing. Having established rules and codes of conduct are important in a well functioning enterprise. But there are the drawbacks. And its the new entrants that are faced with downsides and difficulties.
Some old adages in hockey are that you have to earn your spot. You earn your minutes and linemates. They don’t want to give a young player too much too quickly. That’s archaic thinking.
Let the young guns play. Hockey has somewhat started to embrace this. But examples of the out-dated perspective remain.
I thinks its beneficial for everyone if the ‘old boys club’ starts to embrace some new ways. I have to feel the old fashioned thinking had to part of why my favorite player moved on.
Old Boys Clubs or any selective clubs benefit its members mostly and we’d all be better served as athletes or fans it we moved on from this exclusionary thinking.
