Canucks fan says misogyny a factor after man belittled her cheering at a game
CTV
Vancouver Canucks fan Hayley Montes was left rattled after being belittled by another spectator in the stands – an incident she says is an example of the kind of misogyny in sports directed at female fans, journalists and athletes.
On the night the Vancouver Canucks honoured former player Kevin Bieksa, it was important for Richmond's Hayley Montes to be in the building -- but she didn't anticipate a verbal conflict with another fan.
"I picked that game because Kevin Bieksa was my favourite player growing up," Montes said.
She enjoyed the pregame ceremony, and was loudly cheering the team on as the Canucks and Anaheim Ducks played an entertaining, high-scoring game.
But an interaction with a fan sitting in front of her that took place late in the game overshadowed an otherwise great night.
"He turned to me and he said I'm going to need you to shut the f**k up because I need to focus," she said. "And I looked at him and I was like, 'Wow, you're crazy!'"
She doesn't think the other fan would have spoken to her in the manner he did if she were a man.
She says a short time later he turned around to speak to her again and when she didn't acknowledge him, he grabbed her knee and held onto it while clumsily attempting an apology.
