I can't remember a time in life when I wasn't a fan of the Philadelphia Flyers. Ever since I was a little kid, I was in love with hockey. I've followed the Flyers through hope and heartbreak, from their season of being dead last in the league to almost winning the Stanley Cup. But what I recently saw at a preseason game upset me more than that soft goal Leighton gave up in overtime of Game 6.

 If you've been to a Flyers game at any point in the last few years, you've probably noticed the "Ice Girls", a team of scantily clad women who clean up the ice during commercial breaks while men in full pants and sweatshirts follow them around. I always thought it was demeaning toward women in a way only sports can be (think NFL cheerleaders). So I was glad to hear that after last season ended, the Flyers organization canceled their "Ice Girls" program after an article came out about alleged mistreatment of the girls sanctioned by the team's policies of keeping them freezing in an arena for hours at a time and forcing them to leave after-game dinners when members of the Flyers came into the restaurant they'd commonly go to. You can read it all at http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/06/philadelphia-flyers-ice-girls-los-angeles-kings-new-york-rangers-stanley-cup-finals.

 Well, apparently all it takes to make an organizations of thousands of people  decide to continue a regime of damaging the image of women is a few loud sports fans. Last night, the ads on the in-arena TV said that the Flyers have decide to bring the Ice Girls back starting at the home opener with the Devils on October 9th. According to an article in NJ.com, Flyers COO of Business Operations Shawn Tilger stated that “when Flyers fans voice their concerns, we listen."

 As a life long Flyers fan, and as a man, this upsets me. The Philadelphia Flyers are saying that's alright to continue objectifying women and treating them badly as long as some other men complain loudly enough that they can't watch freezing, undernourished women skate around during game. They're saying it's alright to send the message to girls in the audience, to the thousands of young daughters, sisters, and mothers sitting in the stands just wanting to watch a hockey game, that men won't be happy with you until you have almost no clothes on.

To me, that's a disgusting message to send to fans. I'm boycotting the Flyers until they choose to treat women with respect and dignity, and I hope you'll join me if you want to send a message that this behavior is completely unacceptable in 2014.