Indigenous Discrimination in the NHL: Ethan Bear
"I'm here to stand up to this behaviour... I'm proud of where I come from. I'm proud to be from Ochapowace First Nation. I'm not just doing this for myself. I'm doing this for all people of colour & for the next generation." - Ethan Bear
Who is Ethan Bear?
Ethan Bear is an Indigenous hockey player on the Edmonton Oilers. He was born on June 26th 1997 and raised in Ochapowace Nation near Whitewood, Saskatchewan. He played for Ochapowace MHA youth hockey team. He was chosen to be on the Edmonton Oilers as the 124th draft pick.
“In a July 2020 pre-season game, he became the first player to wear a jersey with his name written in Cree.”
The Incident
After the Oilers lost back-to-back games and were eliminated from the first round of NHL playoffs Monday by the Winnipeg Jets, some Oilers fans took to social media to degrade and direct racist comments towards the Indigenous player. Bear and The Oiler’s management both released a statement condemning these comments and standing up against the racist remarks.
Official Statements:
On May 26, 2021, the Oilers released a statement that said, in part:
"The Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club is disappointed in these disgusting, cowardly and racist remarks. While we have witnessed progress in the area of equality and inclusion, this reprehensible behaviour demonstrates we still have significant work to do. Ethan Bear is an incredibly skilled hockey player and a beloved teammate. His community-minded efforts both here in Edmonton and in Saskatchewan represent the qualities any organization could possibly ask of its members."
Ethan Bear’s girlfriend, known as @Lenasianed on Instagram, took to her stories to call out fans and their racism towards the Oilers’ player. While condemning those comments, she also went on to express gratitude from herself and Ethan to those that showed overwhelming support.
Community Support
Due to this incident, there has been an overwhelming outpour of support and donations to Indigenous sports organizations. One in particular, Spirit North founded by Olympic cross-country ski champion Beckie Scott, saw an increase in donations of $10,000 all citing Bear as the reason for donation.
Implications
While this incident ended on a brighter note, Bear was backed up by the Oilers, his family and girlfriend as well fans and the community, this is by no means an isolated situation. Indigenous people and players have continued to experience discrimination and racism within hockey.
Indigenous people have constantly been subjected to redwashing and tokenism.
Unfortunately they are not alone. Other non-white players have continued to face discrimination and racism as hockey is predominantly made and consumed by a white population. While this demographic has been changing, the inherent racism that seems to be riddled within hockey culture serves as a microcosm to Canadian Society as a whole.
So called Canada has always been perceived as welcoming, diverse and prides itself on its multicultural demographic. However, incidents such as the racism against Ethan Bear indicate how prevalent and unwelcoming Canadian society truly is. The truth is hidden behind international niceties and image keeping.
Sources:
https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/197561/ethan-bear
https://globalnews.ca/news/7905340/edmonton-oilers-ethan-bear-racism-beckie-scott-spirit-north/
https://twitter.com/cspotweet/status/1397358043268931585/photo/1
