Given the inspiration behind the literary namesake of Owen Meany’s Batting Stance, it’s almost surprising we don’t see more sports references from the band. Then again, Owen Meany was always a very unlikely sports enthusiast; the very nature of the diminutive character proving that we don’t all get to choose our lots in life and some things happen simply as if by some miracle.
Where the subjects of John Irving’s novel overcame some inherent challenges in the sport of basketball, Owen Meany’s Batting Stance takes on the hurdle of toxic masculinity when it comes to hockey on “The Androgynous Hockey Stick”.
To be honest, we polled the staff on everything we collectively know about sports and determined that the majority of our knowledge is derived from the work of John Irving; specifically as a demonstration of physical prowess that might be applied in the context of war. After all, this has been the way of things since the days of the Ancient Greek hoplite; fresh off their Olympic victory lap and destined for the front lines of battle.
The question is, did the Ancient Greeks also invent bro-culture?
Rather than touting Hockey as the Canadian paragon of sportsmanship, Owen Meany’s Batting Stance’s Daniel Walker questions a culture that many, even at first glance, have recognized as a great opportunity to learn to play an instrument instead.
“‘The Androgynous Hockey Stick’ was written as a means to reclaim my negative experience playing hockey as a kid into a personal anthem. It is a call to counter the narrative which has both glorified the sport and traditionally ignored the varying degrees of toxic culture it has enabled,” says Walker.
“This song draws from my childhood being exposed and reduced by those perpetuating false ideals of maleness. As a child, it seemed when we put on the jersey we weren’t performing for the sake of a sport but something else entirely.”
“The Androgynous Hockey Stick” is the second single to be released by OMBS this year, following their June single “He(art) Attack”. Nothing has yet been mentioned as to whether the two singles will be appearing as part of a larger album or not.