Courts Are Hurting Girls Athletics
Female sports in MIchigan Won't Ever Be The Same
Numbers of girl athletes in Michigan will fall because of ill-advise court action. by Judge Richard Enslen and the federal Court of Appeals
The Michigan High School Athletic Association had a wonderful thing going with its girls' sports programs. Through surveys with athletic directors and various coaches, the MHSAA had a sports alignment unlike most other states across the country and the result was a record number of participants among the girls.
But then, unfortunately, the courts and a far-left liberal group named Communities For Equity (CFE) got involved and girls athletes in Michigan will suffer the damaging consequences.
A losing battle for MHSAA
Earlier this year, the MHSAA lost a 10-year court battle with CFE to change its sports seasons.
The Grand Rapids Press reported that a group of Grand Rapids area women had convinced themselves that if high school volleyball in Michigan was in the fall rather than in the winter, their daughters would have had better chances of full-ride scholarships at NCAA Division I institutions.
Girls basketball started in the early 1970s in Michigan following the passage of Title IX. It was decided to go with a fall season and later, when volleyball came along, a winter season was adopted for that sport.
Before the 2007-08 high school season, Michigan had the only fall girls basketball season. But coaches by overwhelming numbers, said they preferred it that way. As the only indoor sport during the fall, girls basketball teams had full control of facilities. In the winter, teams are forced to practice at 6 a.m. in the morning or 10 p.m. at night because of cramped facilities. Teams could also have camps and practice sessions during the summer and then go into their fall seasons without a break.
Fall season preferable
That’s especially why volleyball coaches wanted the fall season. Some parents of Michigan volleyball parents claimed that because colleges recruited heavily in the fall, their daughters couldn’t get a fair shake if they didn’t play until the winter.
But the numbers, provided by www.mhsaa.com, showed girls volleyball players in Michigan were getting decent opportunities for college scholarships. Also, college basketball coaches had more time to scout Michigan girls basketball players during their fall season.
There were actually excellent points on both sides as to why volleyball should stay in the winter and girls basketball in the fall compared to vice-versa. Basketball is a year-round sport, practically. The WNBA plays during the summer. What’s more is that media coverage of girls basketball, especially during its tournament run in November, was superior practically to any other state’s basketball coverage. The MHSAA calendar featured only girls hoops in November. As a result, media coverage for girls basketball was superior to boys basketball.
But now that the courts have ordered Michigan to change its seasons, girls basketball will have to share media spotlight with boys basketball, wrestling and hockey.
What’s more is that the number of female participants in Michigan sports is expected to drop dramatically because the court-ordered shift in sports presented conflicts for girls who now have to choose between other sports.
Figures released by the MHSAA on numbers for the 2006-07 indicate why CFE shouldn’t have asked the courts to switch the seasons. Girls athletes were being served tremendously.
According to 2006 U.S. Census Bureau figures, Michigan ranked eighth in females ages 14 to 17. But the number of female athletes in MHSAA sports ranked fourth nationally for the 2006-07 season. Only California, Texas and New York had more girls participants. Large states like Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey had fewer female participants.
Participation number was high
Michigan also had the third largest number of volleyball participants and was fourth in girls basketball players. Initial figures indicate those numbers will fall since volleyball has switched to the fall and girls basketball to the winter.
U.S. District Judge Richard A. Enslen, ruled a few years ago that the MHSAA’s scheduling practices discriminate against female high school athletes. He based it on faulty logic that included incorrectly pointing out that the WNBA had its women’s season in the winter.
The Federal Court of Appeals, noting that only Michigan had fall girls basketball, upheld the ruling and the Supreme Court declined the MHSAA’s request to give the case a hearing.
The courts also ruled that girls tennis should be in the spring and boys tennis in the fall. Girls tennis teams, angry that they wouldn’t have the chance to play in the warmer fall climate in Michigan, filed suit against the move. But Enslen, who took a personal liking to the CFE plaintiffs who were only concerned about volleyball, would not give the tennis players a hearing.
No alignment is perfect, but the MHSAA was serving girls athletics superbly under the former plan. High school sports are designed to be a classroom on the field and any plan that increased those numbers should not have been condemned by the courts.
What’s worse is that a dozen lawyers representing a group that sued to change the scheduling of prep sports seasons in Michigan are seeking $5 million in fees. Kristen Galles was the lead lawyer in Communities for Equity’s case and reportedly stands to receive $3.4 million.
And for what? Cutting down the number of girls athletes in Michigan? No plans are perfect but the one the MHSAA had before the courts got involved was close to being perfect.
Unfortunately, it’s the girls high school athletes of Michigan who will now suffer.
