They are called the Lynah Faithful. Hundreds of students gather outside, often waiting for hours to purchase Red men’s hockey season tickets. Men’s hockey is a cultural phenomenon at Cornell, and Lynah Rink stands as a microcosm for a mutual identity among college students; a sense of pride and unity among the other 13,000 undergrads that coincide with one another in this small, yet unique Central New York town.
But what a lot of people don’t know is that people are paying over $200 on season tickets to watch a team that is currently 9-9-3, and are currently fifth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), while the women’s team is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation with a astonishing 22-1 record, and have yet to lose in conference play (16-0).
What is even more remarkable is the sheer dominance the forgotten Red smother on their opponents. They have only given up two or more goals twice all season, and have boasted 13 shutouts.
They are currently on an 18-game winning streak and have not lost since Nov. 2. Can you even list the men’s 9 losses?
4,200 pack Lynah Rink to see a men’s team that quite frankly, is having an off year–yet you will be lucky to see 400 spectators at women’s hockey games, where a dynasty is in the making.
The Red embarked on an even more unprecedented run than the Red’s Sweet 16 basketball team, making it all the way to the NCAA Title Game, before losing a heartbreaker to the University of Minnesota-Duluth 3-2 in triple overtime.
While the men’s basketball team winning not only their first-ever NCAA Tournament game, but also making a Sweet 16 experience was remarkable, even our own President picked them to be in the Sweet 16 (as did I).
I’ll put $100 on it that you could ask 10 Cornellians if they knew the women’s hockey team made it to the title game last season, they would not have the slightest idea.
But that’s the reality of women’s collegiate athletics. Title IX may be implemented to provide women an equal opportunity in collegiate athletics, but it does not make students compelled to watch women compete.
I am not a saint either, preferring to watch men’s collegiate athletics, but you would think hockey would be the lone exception to a very sexist and arbitrary rule–men are more entertaining to watch compete than women.
While women are entitled to the same opportunity to compete on college’s biggest stage, you can’t help but think that men and women are separate, but “equal” entities.
Women may use the same facilities, be provided the same funding and same opportunities, but they continue to be shadowed and segregated from the popularity of men’s collegiate sports.
This is simply a bitter reminder when it took the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team 89 straight wins to finally be recognized by major media outlets such as ESPN.
They can talk about the University of Syracuse struggling, or Michigan State falling out of the top 25, but 89 straight wins is what it takes, an utter dynasty in the making to make media outlets obligated to provide extensive coverage.
People argue women’s sports have less parity than men’s sports, making it easier for dynasty-esque teams to sprout up, but hockey is one sport where it is extremely hard to stay consistent and dominate the opposition like the Red have done this season.
Ever heard of a hockey team winning 18 straight games? I hadn’t either. I also haven’t heard of a hockey team outscoring its opponents 113-17. That’s less than one goal allowed per game.
So may we attempt to pay homage to the forgotten counterparts at Lynah Rink, where the concept of equal might be equal, but the question begs whether or not it is fair?
Equal in opportunity (thank you Title IX!), but unequal in expected outcome.