The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Current schedule working just fine
Ed Patino
PUBLISHED: March 29, 2007
Soon a decision will be made regarding the lawsuit between the Michigan High School Athletic Association and Communities of Equity.
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You know the story by now.
In 1998, Grand Rapids-based organization Communities of Equity sued the MHSAA, claiming the association discriminates against girls because basketball is played in the fall and volleyball is a winter sport.
The seasons are reversed nationally at the college level and in 47 states at the prep level. In those cases, boys' and girls' basketball are played during the same season.
After nine years of lawsuits, appeals and counter appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court will make a decision if it will hear the MHSAA's latest appeal, filed last August after the association was found to be in violation of discrimination.
Now, I'm all for equal rights and women's sports. In fact, some of the best assignments I've had as a sports reporter were covering girls' basketball games and volleyball matches. On St. Patrick's Day, I caught a glimpse on Fox Sports Detroit of my alma mater, Livonia Churchill, winning the Class A state volleyball championship.
The being said, Communities of Equity might want to rethink its case. Once again, the Grand Rapids-based organization claims that by having the girls' and boys' basketball seasons separate, the MHSAA is discriminating girls. But is it really?
The current schedule actually allows for more exposure to both boys' and girls' basketball. By not having to share their season with the boys, the girls have their season highlighted. They don't have to share the audience, either. Girls' games in Michigan draw decent crowds -- at least from what I've seen -- and come playoff time, it's not uncommon to see student sections at games, just like the boys.
Having worked in a college athletic department before, where both genders play during the winter season, I've witnessed first-hand the lack of crowds at women's games. While the women are playing at home, many fans make the road trip to see the men play.
Not that it happens everywhere (see Tennessee, Connecticut, etc.), but wouldn't Communities of Equity want to avoid half-empty arenas at girls' games?
The current schedule also works for volleyball, where it's the premier girls' sports of the winter. Volleyball matches are also well attended, as evidenced by the state finals in Kalamazoo. And student sections at volleyball matches have become common over the past several years.
In regards to the tournaments, girls' basketball would be conflicting with the boys' tournament, again dividing the audience. Likewise, if the schedule did change, volleyball's state finals likely would take place the same day as another big event, the University of Michigan-Ohio State football game.
If officials are limited to the number of games they could take, and more choose to work boys' games, is not having the best officials work girls' games discriminating?
Moving girls practice times to early in the morning or late at night, because of the possible conflicts, is not discriminating?
How about college recruiting? The current setup allows college basketball coaches to watch girls' games before the season, while college volleyball coaches get to watch prep matches starting early in their off-seasons. During ESPN's recent coverage of the NCAA women's basketball regional in East Lansing, even the commentators mentioned this advantage Michigan girls have over other states.
And yet, Communities of Equity feels this setup is discriminating. It looks like it's in the minority, with many coaches and athletic directors statewide happy with the current schedule and the opportunities it gives both boys and girls.
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