This week a Catholic school baseball team forfeited the Arizona Charter Athletic Association championship to Mesa Preparatory Academy because Mesa has a girl on their team. 15-year old Paige Sultzbach plays second base for Mesa.
Yup. They'd rather give up the championship than play a girl.
Paige shouldn't take it too personally. The school, Our Lady of Sorrows, has a policy of never playing co-ed sports. And having Paige on their team made Mesa's a co-ed team. The school issued a statement saying they teach boys respect by not placing girls in athletic competition, where "proper boundaries can only be respected with difficulty."
Really? That's how you teach boys to have respect for girls? That's so disrespectful of Paige! How about teaching respect for girls as strong, athletic people? If your team is good enough to be in the championship chances are that female second base player is there because she's the best second base player in the school -- regardless of gender.
And it's not like these kids are doing Greco-Roman wrestling. It's baseball, one of the least-contact sports out there. You MIGHT have to tag a girl with your glove. She'll be okay, I promise.
When it comes to teaching boys "proper boundaries" around girls, a little difficulty is not such a terrible thing. Life is full of such challenges. How do you show respect for girls on a crowded bus? How do you show respect when you find girls in leadership positions? If respect is really the issue, then Our Lady of Sorrows needs to learn what respect means in the 21st century.
Paige already had to sit out two other games with Our Lady of Sorrows. Kudos to the coaches and her parents for not forcing her to sit out the championship game.
Do you think Our Lady of Sorrows' policy is unrealistic?
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Comments 16
unrealistic? yes. but if they're not a public school, their policy is whatever they'd like it to be.
perhaps next year, they shouldn't be asked back to the championship for not playing fair. last i heard, we were also teaching our athletes a little thing called good sportsmanship.
Please realize though that the opposing school that forfeited is not Roman Catholic, they are apart of the Society of St. Pius X, they had broken off from the Roman Catholic church in the 70s. They believe in educating men and women separately and that they should not compete against each other. This is not the normal beliefs of Roman Catholics
Really, girls shouldn't be in boys sports. You people have such a double standard. Boys can't play in girls sports. If boys are supposed to be respecting girls just because of their gender, then the reverse is true, too. Respect boys abilities and talents by letting them have their boys teams. Girls shouldn't get to play on boys teams just because they are a girl. And frankly, that is what it has become.
@manderspanders - Boys should try out for girls sports too. I wouldn't be the one shaming them, it would be the people who think, "The worst thing you can do to a man is call him a woman." It isn't wrestling or football or even basketball. Baseball skills are gender independent, and this is coming from a big baseball fan.
Good point manderspanders, you never hear of a boy joining the girls soccer team, lacross team, field hockey team (those two are aren't always even offered in boys teams!) or softball team but there tend to be more sports that are "boys" sports.
Pinstripes - what do you do when it is wrestling and a boy feels uncomfortable? What if a boy gets an errection while wrestling a girl? What then? You prevent it by saying "well sweetie you can't play" but to who? If it's the girl what do you say when she says SHE doesn't care, that's HIS problem girls can try out for baseball after all. I generally avoid slipper slope arguments but there's an actual posibility.