HeadStrong

Kane discusses Hockey Diversity Alliance, fighting racism

Share

When it comes to the four major North American sports, the NHL is lagging far behind the other three leagues.

According to Yahoo! Sports, NHL rosters only featured 5.7 percent Black, Indigenous or people of color in 2020. The NBA (83.1 percent), NFL (69.4 percent) and MLB (39.8 percent) are all much more diverse when it comes to BIPOC inclusion, per The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sport.

The Sharks’ Evander Kane is working to change the future of his sport, however, through his work with the Hockey Diversity Alliance. In NBC Sports Bay Area’s latest feature for HEADSTRONG 2.0, which promotes mental health awareness during men’s health month in January, Kane discussed how he and eight fellow NHL players co-founded the HDA.

“We did it because we wanted to show strength in numbers and unity within our league as bi-racial players and minorities, to combat some of these racist instances that have happened not only in society but in our sport,” Kane said. “And to try and change the culture of the game that we all love.”

Learn more about Kane’s efforts in the video above and stay tuned for more HeadStrong 2.0 features throughout January.

Contact Us