Having no direct rersearch experience in the geography of sport I can
only speculate. Sarah's comments I wholeheartedly agree with (I have
always been extremely confused by the differing levels of prize money
offered for men's and women's sporting events - tennis being a prime
example considering the strength of the women's game at the moment)
Lacrosse itself is a very curious sport. There are more women than men who
play, more female teams, better standards and more success. In fact
the men's game is considered the poor relation. However the class structure
of women's lacrosse is very different to that of the men's game. The
women's national squads are almost exclusively drawn from those who have had
a private education. This is not as endemic in the men's game.
However more men than women watch lacrosse. Men's lacrosse in
particular. My feeling is that men's lacrosse (a very physical sport
similar to ice hockey) appeals to notions of masculinity when compared
with some other sports. Whereas women's lacrosse, in sympathy with Sarah's comments,
doesn't hold the same appeal for women. The good news is that womens lacrosse has
equal (if not slightly better) resources directed at it. The bad news
that it is generally kept in the private education system.
Steve
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Steven Cummins, MRC Research Student
MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit,
6 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow, G12 8RZ
Tel: (0141) 357 3949 ext 248 Fax: (0141) 337 2389
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Http://www.msoc-mrc.gla.ac.uk
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