Bouchier's thesis is that the emergence of lacrosse as Canada's "national" sport in late 19th century Ontario did not occur in a political or cultural vacuum. Rather, the forces of social reform that led to the rise of organized lacrosse had explicitly cultural and national ambitions. The organizers and promoters of the sport were predominantly middle-class skilled workers, almost entirely Protestant, and sought to use lacrosse to instill "manly" values ​​in younger generations of men. Social reformers feared for the moral and masculine character of young men in newly urbanized environments. In urban and industrial areas, young men were deprived of the harsh experience of the Canadian backcountry and were exposed to longer periods of "feminine" influence as they spent more time in school (taught by female teachers) and lived at home with their mother. for years to come. The virile and national character of lacrosse was thought to be a remedy to these “problems”. However, these objectives were ultimately only partially achieved. Lacrosse propagandists were more or less successful in achieving cultural hegemony, but reformist and moralistic motivations were undermined by competitive pressures. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayBouchier notes that the reason lacrosse, of all sports, was chosen by reformers was because it carried a “Canadian stamp” (Bouchier, 1994, 90). Lacrosse grew out of Canada's indigenous cultures, with the harsh nature of the sport reflecting Canada's rugged climate and emerging national character. Lacrosse was therefore assumed to foster a national character and commitment among youth, hence the marginalization of less challenging, individual-oriented sports. Lacrosse further attracted more reformers because it was very distinct from many of the urban evils of taverns, cockfighting, and gambling that were seen as threatening the character of young men. The union between lacrosse and the ascetics and pietists of the time. The era is particularly interesting, as some conservative circles still considered competitive sport an immoral waste of time. However, Bouchier describes how lacrosse propagandists managed to frame the sport in terms of "muscular Christianity" and took steps to downplay the violence and brute force associated with the game in order to win the approval of ascetic skeptics ( Bouchier, 1994, 94). This alignment of lacrosse with religion served to entrench the cultural hegemony of the white, Protestant middle class. How lacrosse worked to achieve cultural hegemony for this group is evident in the data tables presented in the article (leaders and organizers were disproportionately non-manual workers for example). But even though this cultural hegemony was achieved, the character-building motivation was ultimately, to some extent, undermined by the pressures that arise organically in any competitive arena. The pressures of winning thwarted some of the reformers' intentions in several ways. Field conduct began to push the boundaries of the gentleman's game, gambling and match-fixing entered the sport, and communities developed a tribal allegiance to their local teams. (Bouchier, 1994, 101). Several interesting comments can be made on this article. First of all,, 89-110.