Can't have shit in Detroit

I've posted a lot #onhere about the absolute lack of consistency from the league and referees officiating dangerous contact- there doesn't seem to be clear communication between the league, referees, players, and fans about what kinds of play/contact are and are not acceptable, and what punishment should be for various repeating penalties/levels of injury risk specific hits provide. However, I'll also add that Curl is far from the only player who plays like this in the league, and I really only ever see this critique brought up in responses to posts like mine, that say that people shouldn't get fired for their political beliefs, which makes it sound like a reason to continue hating on Curl rather than a genuine attempt to engage in critique.

I for one wouldn't necessarily characterize her punishments as a slap on the wrist- game suspensions in the PWHL are significantly impactful given how little salary the players make and how few games they play (relative to the NHL, for example), and in the absence of explicit language in the rulebook or code of conduct (if that exists?) for escalating violations, the league is doing what it can. If we want the league to improve player safety, increase transparency around refereeing and player safety committee decisions, and implement escalating consequences for repeated dangerous behavior, then we should be asking the league to do that! But I never see anyone actually pushing for that concrete advocacy, only for Curl to get kicked out of the league.

And if you want my real hot take on the whole situation: I think a lot of PWHL fans are new to sports fandom and contact sports in general (which is no shade! I was too when I started watching the league in the first season!), really don't have a good grasp of what actual real clean physicality looks like, and have no desire to learn. There's differences between hits that are "legal"/not, hits that are "clean"/not, and hits that result in injuries/don't. A lot of those distinctions and how referees react to them come from the rulebook and the guidance from the league, and a lot of the posting and complaints from fans is coming from a new to the sport/league perspective, which shapes how those critiques are expressed (which is to say, players the fans don't like get endlessly criticized, and fan favorite players get excused for similar behavior- and I'm not making a moral/normative judgement on whether that's good or bad either, just stating what I'm seeing).

by the power of malewags!!!