San Jose Sharks ice girls stirring up controversy
The announcement of ice girl auditions for the San Jose Sharks has caused quite the controversy over the past couple weeks. Now to the point where fans are threatening to cancel their season tickets, one has to wonder if the uniforms and ice team is worth the debate?
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Firstly, the new addition of an ice team will consist of both men and women. Pictures of the uniforms have been posted on the Sharks website. Men will be wearing a teal zip up and women will be wearing modified Sharks jerseys with their midriff showing. This seems to be the most controversial issue with fans. An anti-ice girls Facebook page has even been created that currently has over 1,700 likes.
In all honestly, the uniform is tame compared to many other ice teams around the NHL. Some franchises have women in midriff showing tops as well as booty shorts, so the uniform could be so much worse.
Not to mention cheerleaders have been a part of sports for decades and football fans don’t cancel their season tickets over scantily clad women on the field. Rather, these cheerleaders help excite the crowd and bring an additional level of entertainment to game days. Rather than dance around for fans to watch, the ice team will have an actual purpose in keeping the ice clean and interacting with fans during contests and what not. Some of the fans protesting believe this is just the beginning and that a more risque cheerleader type of presence will gradually take the place of what is currently being said.
The ice team will replace the current Tank Patrol and will not only be maintaining ice conditions, but help energize the crowd during intermissions and commercial breaks. John Tortora, the Sharks chief operating officer, stated that “Once all of the final details are in place, we’re confident the final version of the ice team will be very tasteful and appropriate for the city of San Jose and the Sharks.”
Tortora also said that the decision to bring ice girls to the Tank has nothing to do with the Sharks playoff performance and was a decision that would have been implemented either way. That seems slightly hard to believe, but perhaps it is just part of the rebuilding the team has been doing over the course of the offseason.
With all of this being said, all I wonder is if the drama is worth it or not? I say focus on the game and what the players actually do on the ice.