Curtis Fogel

Snow on the Gridiron: A Brief History of Canadian Football

Snow on the Gridiron: A Brief History of Canadian Football Football is played throughout the far regions of the world. There is no other sport that brings so many people together locally, nationally, and internationally. Football is not, however, a unified sport with shared rules, customs and histories across time and space. In contrast, football is largely a different sport depending on where it is being played. This paper traces the development of Canadian football as a unique sport with strong similarities to and subtle differences from American football, as well as clear distinctions from forms of football played outside of North America.

Cyber Backlash and the Maintenance of Sex Segregation in Professional Sport

Abstract In 2013, Mark Cuban, the team owner of Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), announced that he would consider selecting female basketball player Brittney Griner to play for his professional men’s team. Within 24 hours after ESPN posted an online article reporting Mark Cuban’s statement, 921 online comments were posted in response. This study analyzes these comments to investigate the pervasive sexism and gender discrimination found in online sporting news arenas. It investigates how Brittney Griner’s sex, gender, and athletic ability became subjects of scrutiny and debate in these online comments and how discriminatory comments about Griner were routinely extended to all female athletes and to women even outside of sport. By examining the online backlash against Mark Cuban’s proposal, this paper investigates the maintenance of sex segregation in professional sport and the systemic devaluing of female athletes and privileging of male athletes that upholds it.

Death On the Pitch: Rugby ViOlence anD cRiminal law in canaDa

On May 9, 2007, a 15-year-old named Manny Castillo was driven head first into the ground during a high school rugby match in Canada. Castillo suffered severe head, neck, and spinal cord injuries that led to his death in the days that followed the match. The opposing player, unnamed under the Canadian Youth Criminal Justice Act, was charged with and convicted of manslaughter for his deadly act on the pitch. This paper explores: (i) the events on the pitch that led to Castillo’s death, (ii) the legal issues that prosecutors faced in gaining a successful conviction in the rugby death, (iii) a comparison to other cases internationally where rugby players have died on the pitch, and (iv) prevention strategies to ensure a safer playing field. The data used in this study include existing literature on rugby violence and the law, media articles, and legal case files.

Ethical Issues in Socio-Historical Archival Research: A Short Skit

Qualitative methods associated with historical sociology have enjoyed a revival. Yet, the ethical issues raised by these methods have not been adequately explored. This paper fills this gap through a short skit performed by a researcher, a qualitative research methods textbook, and the Tri-Council Policy. The researcher in the skit is conducting archival research on the historical involvement of women in Canadian labour struggles. By employing a scripted narrative, this paper challenges conventional writing on method and ethics. Through this innovative approach many of the ethical issues and tensions that socio-historical researchers encounter in their research are captured. Questions about the ethics of socio-historical archival research, as well sociological research more generally, are raised.