Girls playing on boy's teams

**alaskaguy** · 05-25-2008, 11:05 PM

A 12 year old girl was recently banned from playing on a boys basketball team.

She competed against boys for more than a year, but now she will only be allowed to play against other girls.

Should girls be allowed to play on boys teams? If so on what teams and why or why not?

Link:
Girl Banned For Being Too Good For Boys Basketball Team

**Aaron Jacobs** · 05-25-2008, 11:11 PM

I have absolutely no problem with that, once people can understand everything should be fair but not necessarily equal we will all be a lot better off.

**CycloneErik** · 05-25-2008, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by Aaron Jacobs

I have absolutely no problem with that, once people can understand everything should be fair but not necessarily equal we will all be a lot better off.

Can you clarify this one? I think I might agree with you, but I'm not exactly sure.

Do you mean fair but not equal as in: girls can play on boys teams, but aren't guaranteed to participate just by being there, or that we don't need to have boys' and girls' teams?

The former would be OK. I'm not sure on the latter.

**isugcs** · 05-25-2008, 11:51 PM

I have zero problem with a girl competing against boys, especially if she's kicking butt. I'd be outraged if I were them.

**clones_jer** · 05-25-2008, 11:55 PM

I can see the bind the league is in though, their rule backfired on them.

"No player of the other gender is allowed on either a girls or boys team" - is the usual lingo to ensure all-girls teams in the girls side.

Beleive me, if a parent b*tched, and the rules are on paper in a pay-to-play league, the league officials really have no choice but to enforce the rule.

girls good though. and sounded really humble too when she was on tv this morning

**SplitIdentity** · 05-26-2008, 12:16 AM

Good.

Seriously, I know that it's PC to allow girls to play on boy's teams and what not. Here are the problems. If all of the good female athletes play on male teams, where does that leave the all-female teams?

And if we are saying that the all girl teams are automatically the lower talented teams, what about boys who never sniff playing time on an all boys team - why can't they try out on the girls team?

I hate this "We want it both way" culture that we're creating. If you want an all girls team, then you need an all boys team. You can't allow the all girls team to become a fall back option for lower talented girls, while the boys teams become co-ed. If it's gonna be co-ed, it needs to be on both sides.

**Aaron Jacobs** · 05-26-2008, 12:21 AM

Originally Posted by CycloneErik

Can you clarify this one? I think I might agree with you, but I'm not exactly sure.

Do you mean fair but not equal as in: girls can play on boys teams, but aren't guaranteed to participate just by being there, or that we don't need to have boys' and girls' teams?

The former would be OK. I'm not sure on the latter.

I'll try to articulate my thinking a little better for you.

In the past few years it seems like there have been a lot of cases where a girl wants to participate in a boys activity. I believe that the boys activity has every right to deny them of joining that organization as long as there is an alternative option (ex. we have mens and womens divisions of the same sport).

Sure a girl can be good enough to play mens basketball, but can a guy that isn't very good at basketball play for the womens team?

So i think that everything should be made fair. People should have the same opportunities to participate in an activity, however it does not have to be the exact same thing which would be equal. I believe fair is rarely equal and equal is rarely fair, and I think if we get to a position were everything is fair we will be better off than if everything is equal.

I hope that helps, if you have any other questions I'd be happy to anwser them.

**tman24** · 05-26-2008, 12:22 AM

We had something similar to this in my middle school days. There were a few girls that wanted to play football, so they got there way but then there were a few guys that wanted to play volleyball but they were not allowed to do it. I agree with sohawk it has to be both ways or no ways.

**Aaron Jacobs** · 05-26-2008, 12:28 AM

Originally Posted by tman24

We had something similar to this in my middle school days. There were a few girls that wanted to play football, so they got there way but then there were a few guys that wanted to play volleyball but they were not allowed to do it. I agree with sohawk it has to be both ways or no ways.

It almost seems contradictory on my part but i believe girls should be allowed on football and wrestling teams because there is no womens division of the sport. Whereas volleyball has a mens and womens division, the mens team is just rarely picked up by high schools.

**tman24** · 05-26-2008, 12:32 AM

I dont have a problem with women on a mans team but there wasn't a mens volleyball team (in middle school or high school) so then the only one a male could go out for was the girls volleyball team. So how does that work? The males should be allowed to join that team.

**clone52** · 05-26-2008, 05:08 AM

Originally Posted by Aaron Jacobs

It almost seems contradictory on my part but i believe girls should be allowed on football and wrestling teams because there is no womens division of the sport. Whereas volleyball has a mens and womens division, the mens team is just rarely picked up by high schools.

I don't believe the state of Iowa has a men's division, so I don't think its even an option for high schools to pick up.

**CycloneErik** · 05-26-2008, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by Aaron Jacobs

I'll try to articulate my thinking a little better for you.

In the past few years it seems like there have been a lot of cases where a girl wants to participate in a boys activity. I believe that the boys activity has every right to deny them of joining that organization as long as there is an alternative option (ex. we have mens and womens divisions of the same sport).

Sure a girl can be good enough to play mens basketball, but can a guy that isn't very good at basketball play for the womens team?

So i think that everything should be made fair. People should have the same opportunities to participate in an activity, however it does not have to be the exact same thing which would be equal. I believe fair is rarely equal and equal is rarely fair, and I think if we get to a position were everything is fair we will be better off than if everything is equal.

I hope that helps, if you have any other questions I'd be happy to anwser them.

That works for me. I liked especially SouthernHawk's idea that this can make the women's program kind of a fallback for the less talented girls, and as you pointed out, less talented guys. It would lessen the level of repsect that people have for women's sports (if they have it to start with).

Thanks for clarifying.

**everyyard** · 05-26-2008, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by alaskaguy

A 12 year old girl was recently banned from playing on a boys basketball team.

She competed against boys for more than a year, but now she will only be allowed to play against other girls.

Should girls be allowed to play on boys teams? If so on what teams and why or why not?

Link:
Girl Banned For Being Too Good For Boys Basketball Team

Well if so we really need to re-work title 9 which was set for equality in sports for men, women, boys, and girls. Under the current system then boys should be allowed to play on girls teams too. While on initial look this seems fair, what happens if all the second string boys decide that they would rather start on the girls team than set on the bench for the boys. If we say it is okay for a girl to join the boys teams but not vica versa, isn't what we are really saying is the boys teams are better, more athletic. And if so doesn't that negate one of the principles of title 9.

**everyyard** · 05-26-2008, 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by tman24

I dont have a problem with women on a mans team but there wasn't a mens volleyball team (in middle school or high school) so then the only one a male could go out for was the girls volleyball team. So how does that work? The males should be allowed to join that team.

And what happens when 5-6 of the high schools best boys decide they want to play on that volleyball team. Is it even a girls sport at that point? Do they raise the nets?

**tube1** · 05-26-2008, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by everyyard

Well if so we really need to re-work title 19 which was set for equality in sports for men, women, boys, and girls. Under the current system then boys should be allowed to play on girls teams too. While on initial look this seems fair, what happens if all the second string boys decide that they would rather start on the girls team than set on the bench for the boys. If we say it is okay for a girl to join the boys teams but not vica versa, isn't what we are really saying is the boys teams are better, more athletic. And if so doesn't that negate one of the principles of title 19.

What does Medicaid have to do with sports here?