Meghan Duggan understood the risk. So did her 22 teammates on the United States women’s national hockey team. They put their careers on the line when they announced March 15 that they would boycott the coming world championship if U.S.A. Hockey, the sport’s national governing body, did not increase wages and support for the women.
Many players had no financial cushion to fall back on. Hockey as a full-time occupation produced barely enough to cover their basic needs, like rent. U.S.A. Hockey had shown little inclination to acquiesce to their demands for support equal to what the men’s national team received and for better youth development programs for girls.