Title IX Goes Both Ways

I was reading an article today about 13 year old Keeling Pilaro from Long Island, New York who had been playing on the  Southampton High School Varsity field hockey team last year. This year, however Keeling was banned from competing because Keeling is considered too dominant of a player. I forgot to mention that Keeling Pilaro is the only boy who plays in the league. 

Even though it is not listed on the district's athletic governing body's website  as a girls sport (see below), the entirety, except for Keeling, of the sport's participants are female. 

To me this begs the question, can this body ban Keeling from playing in the sport? Since the claim is that he is too dominant they might be in the clear but on a closer look at his statistics from last year he only ranked 11th in points. Then he must be pushing all these girls around due to his size. Keeling stands at 4' 8" and is playing against girls who are bigger than he is. It seams like there is another reason that he is being kept out of competing and that is simply he is a boy that excels in a traditionally girls sport. 

The governing body claims that "The rules state he would be allowed to play if he wasn't the dominant player." So if he was an average player he would be allowed to play, but if he excels he must be not allowed to play. This is sexism pure and simple. since there is only one field hockey team at the school it must be open to both boys and girls. Wrestling and football are a great comparison for this.  Both sports are traditionally boys sports but both allows for girls to participate as well. 

Why should the school district be punishing a child for playing a sport that he loves? He is from a country, Ireland, that allows both boys and girls to play the sport and since there is only one team at his high school he should be allowed to play on the team. If the district's ban on him playing is upheld should schools be allowed from banning girls from playing football or wrestling? Even though there is only one team for both sports? According to Title IX: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance..." This goes both ways for boys and girls. You cannot allow a girl to play football and at the same time ban a boy from playing field hockey. It is simply illegal according to federal law. If we want equity in sports it must be able to go both ways. 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/keeling-pilaro-male-field-hockey-player-banned-being-160713816.html

Al Raitt

KIN 577

SPORT&EDUCATION: CAN THEY GO TOGETHER?

The debate regarding the possibility of paying student-athletes for their engagement in intercollegiate sport brought up a very interesting issue: is it right for colleges and universities to give up on their academic mission in order to gain visibility through NCAA tournaments? Since roughly 2% of the student-athletes will make it as professionals, my opinion is that the remaining 98% are robbed of their future. Young athletes are so deceived by the dream of fame and fortune that they cannot see the real value of a scholarship: to have a choice in case something does not go the way they planned.

The question now is if this problem can be solved changing the American model of intercollegiate sport, maybe introducing the European club model, where school and sport are separate entities, and apparently athletes have a greater control over their lives. Unluckily the answer is no, in fact a 2010 research conducted on Italian juvenile soccer teams shows that 95% of the players born on 1992 held back or abandoned their studies, and 12% changed their major; the conference which was held on this topic was titled “Juvenile soccer: a chance for social growth or a factory of future outcasts?”, and it looks like the latter is the answer since even Italian soccer shows discouraging figures: 1 athlete every 35.000 makes it as a professional.

The real problem, according to the organization that scheduled the event, is that there is no dialogue between school and sport clubs, and this is true also in the American intercollegiate sports. A better understanding of a student-athlete’s needs from the school’s faculty and a bigger effort from the players to keep up with the studies may be a first step in the right direction, but are coaches ready to hold out professor’s hand?

Federico Barone
KIN 577

Fat is Death

After discussing in class, I was a lot more aware of fat phobia. I know we are a society that thrives on perfection, and comparing everything to the ideal, but fat phobia hurts a lot of people. I recently saw a commercial regarding the lap band, and this woman went on and on about how it saved her life and how it can save yours today. This girl was "thick" in society's eyes but she could have been a healthy adult, but the pressure of being fat made the lap band a "life savor".  These kinds of commercials and ads are everywhere making it impossible to think fat is okay. Being fat in this society scares people like a plague, and people are willing to do whatever it takes to not be fat. People who were healthy, go on extreme diets, take fat loss pills, diuretics, purge, or other means to lose the weight. It is usually the people who are considered a normal weight for their height and age that want to lose the weight the most-- to be one of the "skinny girls". Fat phobia is dangerous and I hope society realizes it before it's too late.

M. Ikemura
338i.S2

Money and the Dodgers

Released from the grasp of Frank McCourt, the big name behind the Dodgers' new owners is the beloved Magic Johnson, who brought a ton of buzz to the buying of this LA based team. But according to the associated press, Mark Walter will be the controlling owner, not Johnson. Walter runs Guggenheim Partners, a financial services firm known that caters to the highly rich.

In a state of economic decline, how could a group of people afford a purchase at a record $2.15 billion, roughly $500 million more than the next highest bidder? Simply put, Walter and his company Guggenheim are used to picking up table scraps, shaping them into what they hope are better companies for the future (From the LA Times). It seems like a god send for the Dodgers that someone like Walter, estimated at $1.3 billion personally, has taken over. But there is one problem. According to Walter himself, he doesn't know much about baseball.

"I'm a baseball fan, but I'm not qualified to make baseball decisions, and I don't want to pretend to be," said Walter, who was over 20 when he saw his first big-league game in person.

Here is what I am puzzled by; to me, sport is becoming more about money and less about the game; it's just a means to make a huge profit, which can be seen when anyone with a fat wallet is able to buy a team. We have discussed the past few weeks in class about the big business that is sport, but there is still this pull towards the "love of the game" and why we tend to watch. So why is it that someone who admittedly says he knows little about the game allowed to control an MLB team in a large city?

I wonder what the state of sports business would be like if sports conglomerates even the playing field for other poorer teams and poorer fans. These people that have undeniable love and passion for the game, so why are they struggling to see their favorite teams? If the game is really about the fans and the love of the sport, why is it so difficult to be a participant? The other day, I payed $30 dollars for a Clippers game ticket in the last row of Staples Center where it would have cost me $80 to see a Lakers game. Absurd. I hope that Walters does a good job with this team, but I have to say I am displeased with my Dodgers being run by someone who didn't even attend his first big league game till he was 20. The same passion and love the game for the game at the bottom tier, in the fans, needs to be at the top, in owners like Walters.

Arielle Moyal

KIN 577

010426115

Murky Waters

Yet again the media is reporting on another allegation of sexual misconduct between a swim coach and athlete. This new allegation comes in the wake of USA Swimming's recently implemented 7 point action program to combat possible coaching misconduct and to ensure athlete safety.

In February of 2010, a well respected swim coach, Andy King, was sentenced for molesting nearly 20 young women during his coaching career and sentenced to 40 years in state prison.
A 15 year old victim of King's filed a civil lawsuit against King and USA Swimming, of which 32 coaches were accused of some form of sexual misconduct with young athletes.
Sadly, sexual misconduct- related lawsuits are not unfamiliar for USA swimming, with cases dating back 30 years. Scores of websites are dedicated to illuminating the sports dirty secrets, notably Swim Scandal. In the wake of recent allegations, and an ABC News investigation, USA Swimming then created an extensive revision of policies, partnered with the Child Welfare League of America, improved background checks, and published a list of nearly 50 swim coaches that are permanently banned from the sport.

Critics are still questioning whether USA is still doing enough to protect young athletes. It seems like a monthly occurrence in the media that a coach is under investigation for sexual misconduct.
Aquatics International conducted an online survey in August 2010 to nearly 520 aquatics professionals, and reported that:

"32 percent of aquatics professionals say they are not confident they have adequate protocols in place when hiring a new staff member, and only 9 percent plan to make any changes." Some leaders appear unwilling or unable to address the issue. At best, they’re uncomfortable discussing the prickly subject of sex abuse. At worst, they simply refuse to accept a role in preventing future abuse."

According to the Center of Disease Control, one in four girls and one in six boys is sexually abused before the age of 18. Most victims know their abuser, as they may be relative, friend, sitter, coach, counselor or instructor. In most cases, the adult abuser is male and the victims are young women.
There is no doubt that there is an abuse of trust and power in these situations. Coaches likely threaten their victims with removal from the teams, violence or loss of scholarships.

Celia Brackenridge, an internationally recognized author and expert on youth sport and athlete welfare stated in an article in Aquatics International: “There are strong cultural factors at play here based on trust, devotion, ambition and submission to authority figures, the performance culture is not unlike that in a cult or religious environment where the young person — in this case, a swimmer — is prepared to sacrifice, do almost anything to succeed, and feels she has no option but to comply. The medal is the equivalent of salvation and redemption.”

In light of the increased media attention of USA Swimming and these coaching scandals, more and more aquatics organizations are getting involved at the advice of USA Swimming's president.

“We take this issue very seriously and are working tirelessly to find the best and most effective ways in which to address it," said Chuck Wielgus, USA Swimming executive director, in an article in Aquatics International, “We want to be a leader among governing bodies in the area of athlete protection, and we have committed to sharing our programming and key learnings on this topic. While it’s a difficult and emotional issue, we are not going to shy away from it. Rather, we are looking for ways to improve and expand our athlete protection efforts, and to raise the bar on athlete protection throughout the Olympic movement.”

Wielgus also adds,“There are two points that will absolutely make the most difference in addressing this societal tragedy, and they go hand in hand. They are education and reporting,” “We want to educate our coaches, athletes and parents — the people who are at the swim clubs interacting with each other, talking to the athletes — about how to identify inappropriate behavior and how to report it. It is our goal that our entire membership knows that truthfully reporting this behavior is not only acceptable, but is a serious and important responsibility.”

King's attorney has claimed that it is also the parent's fault, for not paying close enough attention to their children. The tragedy is that so often, parents are often blinded by their own ambition to listen to their own instincts, or simply are in denial that their trusted coach is actually a sex offender. However, to simply blame the parents for the lewd acts performed on their innocent child by a trusted coach is simply unforgivable. But given recent events and publicity garnered by these scandals, I have to question how much this has changed parental perceptions of the sport. Have the efforts by USA Swimming to foster greater education and awareness created a stronger, closer network of parents, children and coaches? Organizations such as YMCA, American Red Cross, public universities and club swim teams have published revised policies and expectations for parents as well. Parents are given greater education of what signs to look for, questions to ask their children and methods of documentation to maintain proper standard of conduct by their child's coaches, and greater protocols are in place for when issues arise.

Have the efforts of USA Swimming in the last year been enough to deter these sex offenders? Have the last 30 years and an ingrained culture of 'don"t ask, don't tell" made changes too hard to overcome? Is the sport destined to bear the scarlet letter of Abuse slashed across its swimsuit forever?

Only time will tell. Given the elements of deviance we have studied in sport, our (female) swimmers are already struggling with body image issues, eating disorders and drug use. When will we see the day when these deviance's will be eradicated from sport, and society. For know, I guess we will continue to tread ( water) lightly.

Angela Wild
Kin 577

Helping Kids Find Their Way

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/20/health/child-gender-nonconformity/index.html


In the world of youth swimming, it can be argued that the sport doesn't have a dominate gender. Equal numbers of girls and boys routinely practice and compete across the globe in swim competitions, both individually and as a team. Rarely are there parents who discourage their child from being a competitive swimmer based on the "gender perception" of the sport.

However, frequently seen on the pool deck is the damaging effects of parents and their subtle (and not so subtle) influence of gender role ideology on children, and the damaging effect this can have on the child. For example, one of my male students came in to his swim class wearing his sisters' pink rash guard. A man, presumably a father of another child, quipped "Really, he let you put that on him! My son would kill me if I made wear him wear pink!'

This is a common sight at the pool. Boys being chided by their fathers for playing with Barbie's or "girl" toys, girls being chastised for wearing their brothers' swim trunks and a rash guard, or boys being criticized because they got into Mom's nail polish collection and showed up to swim class with purple hands and pink toes.

In Cheryl Kilodavis's book "Princess Boy", the inspiration came from her 5 year old sons preference to pink dresses, sparkly shoes and feminine attire. Her intention of the book is to bring greater awareness of being more tolerant of children who may not conform to standard gender norms. Her book has sparked heated debates regarding parenting, gender identity issues and "acceptable" levels of tolerance.

Throughout our coaching careers, we will undoubtedly encounter a wide spectrum of children and athletes who may be struggling with gender fluidity issues. As coaches and teachers, we must not forget that we make up a profoundly important component of the "trust triad" in a young athletes career. The relationship between a child, parent and coach is one where we are hugely influential on both sides. Creating a culture of awareness, understanding and tolerance can make a remarkable difference in a child who is struggling with gender identity issues. We must be sensitive to these children and help parents become more aware of how their comments may eventually become damaging to a struggling child. Given the issues of drug abuse, eating disorder, abuse and burnout experienced by "typical" athletes, athletes struggling with gender identity issues face even greater challenges, and are larger targets for systemic abuse. Coaching professionals must continue to promote greater awareness and tolerance among our athletes, parents and communities to stop the cycle of abuse.
- Angela Wild Kin 577

Racism in America: Steps forward or stagnant?

The beautiful game has been tainted by deviance, violence, and money; but in March of 2006 there was a video that exposed something much more horrifying that was occuring in soccer stadiums across Europe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=tGzQ-i_hcf8
Luckily Sepp Blatter the president of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association the governing body of professional soccer world wide) was already aware of this and stepped up enforcement of such atrocities with an Anti-Racism Campaign. According to Blatter teams who condones such behavior would be heavily sanctioned.
http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/socialresponsibility/news/newsid=1384919/index.html

In the United States we can consider ourselves lucky. Lucky that we had pioneers like Rosa Parks, Malcom X, and Martin Luther King Jr. pave the way for Human Civil Rights in the 1960’s. We also had people like Jackie Robinson, Ernie Davis, and Cassius Clay pave the way in mainstream sports. Since then there has been a war fought for equality and the freedom to pursue happiness without persecution based on race. As a result we do not face the extreme cases of racism in sports as the ones portrayed in the video. However, this does not mean that we are not prone to racism and other forms of discrimination. Incidents such as the “Mark Sanchez mouth piece, “Lin-Sanity”, or the ongoing discrimination at Augusta National. Now more than ever we must move to eradicate racism and all forms of discrimination from our society (including sports). What’s it going to take to get full inclusion in sports such as tennis, golf, swimming, and NCAA Sports (except Football and basketball) and in society as a whole. It is clear that our society is not inclusive or equal and yet we as a nation have seem powerless to fix this problem. Education and awareness can help alleviate the manipulative thinking of the masses but as long as the large media moguls do not make a change there will continue to be a trickle down effect targeting the feeble minds.

-Jazz Rodriguez