“You know, it’s 2019. Female sports have come so far.”
Leo MacPherson – Director of Athletics and Recreation at StFX
All across North America, Homecoming weekend is traditionally celebrated with a football game. This year however, at StFX University, the traditional football game was moved to Friday night, and it was the women’s rugby team which took the spotlight on Saturday afternoon. There was some negative feedback from people who didn’t understand why the change was taking place, and there was some shock that came from the football team, but overall the response was rather positive and in favour of the decision.
This is significant to sociology as it highlights women’s sport and the advances that are slowly being made. As sport is typically male dominated, women’s sport doesn’t usually get as much coverage. Even at the university level, it is rare and pretty phenomenal that a women’s team has gained enough recognition for such a switch to have taken place, and it gives hope for further recognition of women’s sport in the future. As six-time national champions since 2006, many alumni knew that the women’s rugby team was very successful. Playing on the Saturday afternoon gave alumni the chance to watch the team in action. It is not definite that this will be a permanent change to the university’s homecoming, however, it has been stated that the school is committed to showcasing female sports “across the board”.
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