Men’s Hockey Games at the University of New England Draws in Bigger Crowds, Leaving the Women’s Team in the Shadows
Despite equal athletic talent, the women’s hockey team struggles for recognition as fans overwhelmingly favor the men’s games, highlighting a deeper gender imbalance in campus sports culture.
Angelina Keizer
University Student
February 27 2025
At the University of New England, the men’s hockey team continues to attract larger crowds, overshadowing the women’s team despite both showcasing equal athletic talent. This disparity in fan support highlights a broader issue of gender imbalance within campus sports. While the women’s team competes at a high level, it struggles to gain the same recognition and fanbase as its male counterparts, reflecting a persistent societal preference for men’s sports. This trend impacts the future of female athletes in college athletics.
Cayden Macqueston (She/Her), a Nursing major and freshman player for UNE’s women’s hockey team, notices the difference in attention the men’s team gets compared to her team. When asked about the issue, Cayden expresses frustration but also finds humor in it, “It’s just funny,” she says, referring to how only parents and friends show up to her games. Meanwhile, the men’s team draws a crowd eager to secure a seat before the game. For Cayden, the focus on gender dynamics aren’t targeted at the fan’s behavior, but instead the way the game itself is perceived. She emphasizes how, “To everyone else the men’s games are more entertaining because they can hit. It’s sexist how us girls will get penalties for hitting but the men are allowed to. Realistically what is the difference between letting guys hit themselves and letting us hit each other?”, she questions.
This imbalance in attendance and support reflects a larger issue of gender inequality in sports. Men’s hockey has been well-established in the public eye for years, with a long history of public support, media coverage, and fan engagement, while women’s sports struggle to gain the same recognition, despite equal talent and effort.
Marine Biology freshman at UNE, Christian Morton (He/Him), offers his honest perspective on the issue. Coming from a football background, Morton finds himself drawn to the physicality of men’s hockey. Not to disrespect the women, he prefers to watch men’s hockey in belief that it is, “more entertaining and physical.” Morton states, “All men’s sports in my opinion, seem to get into the physicality aspect. I’ve seen more fights in men’s hockey, and it’s just overall more aggressive.” When reflecting back to UNE’s annual Teddy Bear Toss event, which is held for both men’s and women’s hockey, Morton recalls the drastic difference in attendance. “I remember there being a line going out of the Forum, people shoulder to shoulder waiting to get in. Meanwhile, there was no wait whatsoever for the women’s game.”
This striking contrast in attendance doesn’t go unnoticed for Morton, who observes, “The Men’s Teddy Bear Toss was THE game.” For him, the crowd dynamics at both events are telling of the broader cultural attitude toward men’s versus women’s sports. He touches on the importance of equality in the game, “I do think it’s sexist when striving for equality. Why have different rules? In my opinion, I feel as though physical games are the most exciting. That is an aspect missing with the women’s games due to the different rules and regulations.”
On the contrary, a freshman in Occupational Studies at UNE, Sarah Jarry (She/Her), shares her own experience of noticing a distinct shift that can be seen in the crowd’s behavior at men’s and women’s hockey games. “There’s a change in crowd dynamic,” Jarry says. “Typically at a women’s game the crowd seems less enthusiastic when scoring. The men’s game seems more engaged and supportive” Jarry’s observation speaks to the emotional investment that fans often make in sports. The difference in how fans react could be tied to the societal assumption that men’s sports are inherently more exciting or worthy of sincere support, while women’s sports are still fighting for visibility and equal treatment.
The difference in crowd size between the men’s and women’s games highlights the societal devaluation of women’s athleticism, often seen in the way sports culture privileges physicality and aggression, traits traditionally associated with masculinity. This inequality, deeply embedded in both college and sports in the big leagues, reinforces stereotypes and limits opportunities for women to gain the same recognition and fan support as men. As Cayden Macqueston points out, “It’s sexist how us girls will get penalties for hitting, but the men are allowed to,” to the often discriminatory rules that differentiate men’s and women’s games.
As UNE’s female athletes continue to push forward in the face of these challenges, the hope is that their talent and dedication will eventually be recognized as equally deserving of fan support and attention, thereby closing the gap in gender inequality that has gone on for far too long.
