(In response to this post)
Catholic School: We Forfeit the State Championship because There’s a Girl on the Other Team
May 11, 2012 By 123 Comments
Paige Sultzbach must be one hell of an athlete because she’s scaring away the competition.
Paige Sultzbach (Carlos Chavez - The Republic)
Her school, Mesa Preparatory Academy in Arizona, doesn’t have a softball team, so she decided to try out for the boys’ baseball team. To no one’s surprise, she made it. They went undefeated all season (with a 9-0 record) and were excited to play for the Arizona Charter Athletic Association state championship on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately, her team faced the aptly-named Our Lady of Sorrows Academy… a school that doesn’t think women ought to allowed to play a Man’s Game:
But Our Lady of Sorrows, a fundamentalist Catholic school in Phoenix that lost twice to Mesa Prep during the regular season, chose to forfeit the championship game rather than play a team fielding a female player.
Our Lady of Sorrows school officials would not comment, but Sultzbach’s mother, Pamela Sultzbach, said her daughter and the rest of the team received the news after Wednesday afternoon’s practice.
“This is not a contact sport, it shouldn’t be an issue,” Pamela said. “It wasn’t that they were afraid they were going to hurt or injure her, it’s that (they believe) that a girl’s place is not on a field.”
…
“I respect their views, but it’s a bit out of the 18th century,” said Mesa Prep athletic director Amy Arnold, who is the only woman now coaching a boys high-school football team in Arizona.
Sultzbach’s team won the state championship, but not in the way they would’ve liked to. Meanwhile, the athletes on the opposing team didn’t even get a chance to play in the game they had worked toward all season.
In a statement put out by Our Lady of Sorrows, school officials didn’t seem the least bit sorry for what they did:
As a Catholic school we promote the ideal of forming and educating boys and girls separately during the adolescent years, especially in physical education.
Our school aims to instill in our boys a profound respect for women and girls. Teaching our boys to treat ladies with deference, we choose not to place them in an athletic competition where proper boundaries can only be respected with difficulty.
… and we all know the best way to treat women with respect is to avoid letting them beat the crap out of our team.
They’re not doing the ladies any favor by refusing to play a team that has one on it. What part of teamwork and practice can’t women participate in?
The school needs to issue a second statement that begins with an apology to the entire Mesa Preparatory Academy team for choosing the cowards’ way out of the game. Then they can apologize to their own students for not letting them play for the state title because of some warped policy that bans co-ed sports because boys and girls must be taught “separately” in their little world.
Sultzbach has already been way more respectful to the other team than they deserve. When they played each other during the regular season, she sat out during both of the games. But she rightly refused to do that for the state championship.
I hope college recruiters are taking a good look at her. She seems like a strong girl who has a great athletic career in front of her.
(Thanks to Dani for the link)
Ron Brown Backs Down, But Still Hasn’t Learned
May 8, 2012 By 7 Comments
He’s the University of Nebraska assistant football coach who believes very strongly in the literal truth of the Bible. So strongly, in fact, that he spoke at a City Council meeting in Omaha back in March, opposing a law that would have banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Brown has a long history of using his platform as a coach in a prestigious football program to trumpet his bigotry, leading a number of journalists and a member of the Lincoln Board of Education to call for Brown’s firing. While he certainly has a right to his opinions, however vile, the intermingling of Cornhusker football with Brown’s Bible-based message is illegal and violates the University’s own anti-discrimination policy.
It seems that all the attention Brown has gotten on the subject is finally starting to drive that point home. On Saturday, Brown told the Lincoln Journal-Star that he would not testify regarding a proposed Lincoln ordinance similar to the one in Omaha (which ultimately passed).
Unfortunately, it’s a clear-cut case of “right outcome, wrong reasons.” Brown stated that he’s choosing not to testify so as not to draw attention away from the discussion over the ordinance:
“A number of fellow Christians who have been working on legislation and working on the nuts and bolts of this issue told me, ‘Look, there’s going to be so much media attention over you, it’s going to take away from the issue,’” Brown told the Journal Star.
Although he acknowledges that he was wrong to give the Memorial Stadium address as his own when testifying in Omaha, Brown also refuses to admit the need for separation between his personal views and his conduct in the workplace. In a letter to Journal-Star readers, Brown says:
Not all of my players have agreed with the Bible’s views. One example, of many, would be those choosing heterosexual sex outside of marriage. Though the Bible teaches this as sin, I haven’t penalized them with playing time or discrimination of any sort. Because I love them, I’ve invested in them even outside of football and gently asked them to consider God’s view on it.
If I coached a gay player, because the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, I would do the same. If he didn’t agree, I wouldn’t penalize him with playing time or any form of discrimination.
What Brown is failing (or refusing) to recognize is that such requests, however gentle, are still discriminatory. I applaud (sarcastically) his insistence that he wouldn’t penalize a player for disagreeing with him, but that’s not the issue at hand. The issue is that Brown is creating a hostile, unwelcoming environment for players who don’t acknowledge the moral authority of his Bible, and he’s doing it in his capacity as coach.
Unless Ron Brown can drive a clear wedge between his private opinions and his relationship with his players, the University of Nebraska should absolutely fire him. Even if Brown demonstrates a renewed commitment to leaving the God-talk at the locker room door, I’d argue that he has too many strikes against him. Brief episode of good judgment aside, Brown’s fundamental attitudes aren’t going to change anytime soon, and it’s time for the University of Nebraska to step up and do right by its LGBT students.
No Female Olympians for Saudi Arabia
April 10, 2012 By 28 Comments
Today we bring you yet another story of Islamic countries giving their female athletes the shaft. It turns out that Saudi Arabia, a country that has never sent a woman to the Olympics, ain’t about to start:
According to Thursday’s editions of Al-Watan newspaper, an all-but-official government organ, Saudi Olympic Committee president Prince Nawaf Bin-Faisal (a member of the Saudi royal family and the country’s sports minister), told a Wednesday press conference, that he “does not endorse female participation of Saudi Arabia at the present time in the Olympics and international tournaments.”
The prince also was quoted as saying, cryptically, “Female Saudi participation will be according to the wishes of students and others living abroad. All we are doing is to ensure that participation is in the proper framework and in conformity with sharia (Islamic law).”
As Philip Hersh explains in the article, this essentially means that women’s participation will be limited to unofficial delegates, neither endorsed by their home country nor subject to its rules, but invited independently by the IOC. This goes against the official Olympic Charter, which states that
“Any form of discrimination with regard to a country on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.”
Not only that, but it creates a second class of female Saudi athletes, tacitly endorsing the country’s subjugation of women. Commenter I, Claudia made an excellent point to this effect on a recent post about FIFA’s hijab ban:
In doing this, and in playing along with the little theater where we all pretend that this is not a special accomodation based on pity, we perpetuate the situation where women are denied a full freedom of choice. On the other hand, if we staunchly refuse, the end result will be that these women are forced to stay home and not play, which can hardly be spun as a blow in favor of their freedom.
In situations like these, the governing body of a league like FIFA or an event like the Olympics has to walk a fine line in trying to increase women’s participation. A zero-tolerance policy with regard to gender discrimination would definitely make a point, but at the cost of even the slight female presence that exists now. Making accommodations, much like FIFA did when it lifted its ban on headscarves, lends legitimacy to the entire misogynistic cultural construct, and may postpone ultimate goals for the sake of short-term gain.
Hersh calls for Saudi Arabia and the two other countries that don’t allow female athletes, Brunei and Qatar, to be banned from participating in the Olympics until they change their tunes. I’m not sure I can agree -– in fact, this is one instance in which I really don’t know what the best course of action would be. Should these countries be barred from sending any athletes, so that the Olympics can send a strong and consistent message about equality and human rights? Or are inroads of any kind, even less-than-ideal ones, valuable for their ability to chip away at an entrenched worldview?
What do you think?
Jeremy Lin Thanks God… Then Comes to His Senses
April 2, 2012 By 18 Comments
Jeremy Lin, the Christian basketball player sidelined by injury, earlier tonight:
Jeremy Lin, 1.5 hours later:
Looks like he came to his senses and thanked the people who actually deserved it 
Update on the Archdiocese of Montreal’s Prayer: It Didn’t Work
March 29, 2012 By 36 Comments
Remember when the Archdiocese of Montreal took out a full page newspaper ad that showed an idealized version of how the NHL Eastern Conference would finish? They hoped their team, the Montreal Canadiens, would finish in the top eight and secure a playoff spot:
(Paul Chaisson - The Canadian Press)
The Canadiens were purposely left off the list of 15 teams and replaced by the word “Prions” — French for “let Us Pray” — in the 8th slot. (Yep, the English translation of “prion” makes that even funnier.)
So how did that prayer work out for the church?
Not so well…
The Canadiens are currently in last place:
They won’t be making it to the playoffs this season.
Does anyone know when the Church is going to address the media as to why all their prayers failed? Because I’d like tickets for that.
(Thanks to Jay for the link)
Ron Brown Would Rather You Weren’t Gay in His Locker Room, Thanks
March 27, 2012 By 14 Comments
In an extremely thorough and thoughtful blog entry at the Huffington Post (seriously, I encourage you to go read the whole thing), Outsports.com co-founder Cyd Zeigler is calling for Ron Brown, assistant football coach at the University of Nebraska, to be fired.
Ron Brown speaks during a morning session of FreedMen Conquest. (FRANCIS GARDLER / Lincoln Journal Star)
Brown is a Christian, and one who goes well out of his way to publicize his beliefs — particularly the belief that LGBT people are icky and defective. He even went so far as to speak at an Omaha City Council meeting earlier this month, opposing a law that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Now, if that’s all Brown did, we would have no more grounds to get him fired than the Illinois Family Institute did when it went after Hemant. After all, the University of Nebraska’s nondiscrimination policy cuts both ways, which Zeigler freely acknowledges.
But Zeigler lays out a fairly damning case against Brown, contending on the basis of Brown’s own public statements that the coach’s bigoted attitudes aren’t limited to his off-hours. Brown uses his position at the University of Nebraska (a public university, in case that wasn’t clear) to advance his views. Promotional videos for his explicitly Christian proselytizing organization, FreedMen Nebraska, use Cornhusker imagery with abandon or are outright filmed in Memorial Stadium.
In fact, according to Cindy Lange-Kubick of the Lincoln Journal Star, when Brown spoke at that Omaha City Council meeting, he gave the stadium’s address as his own.
Even more telling is the interview Zeigler cites with Sharing the Victory, in which Brown likens homosexuality to thievery, lying, and alcoholism. Then — the real kicker — he says that Christians in the locker room have an obligation to steer their teammates away from such behavior:
“When you love God, it means you must love your neighbor as well. You don’t deny the truth, but in love and sensitivity you put your arms around that person struggling with homosexuality and you help walk him or her to the truth of Jesus Christ, just as you would any other player involved in any other sin.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m not really getting the vibe from this guy that he leaves his bigotry at the door.
You can hear Brown respond to Zeigler’s article on a local radio station here (mp3). Spoiler alert: most of the time he doesn’t get it. The rest of the time, he just doesn’t care that you don’t think his Bible is a good enough reason to discriminate against people. Brown explicitly denies the need to draw a line between his personal beliefs and his position at the University. There’s also a healthy dose of Christian persecution complex and some bonus transphobia.
The University of Nebraska has distanced itself from Brown’s comments at the Omaha City Council meeting but affirmed “the right of its faculty and students to participate in public dialogue and to express their personal views.”
But that’s not what Brown is doing. Brown is using the University as a pedestal from which to wave the banner of prejudice. He’s creating a hostile environment in the locker rooms of a taxpayer-funded institution with his religious dogma.
Athlete Ally has a Change.org petition asking the University of Nebraska to fire Brown. If this kind of thing pisses you off, be sure to also check out Athlete Ally and the new You Can Play Project, both of which promote acceptance of LGBT athletes at every level of every sport.
Unlike Ron Brown.
…
***Update***: Here’s video of Brown addressing pre-game prayers that he led. FFRF has already protested his public display of faith at a public school’s event.
Buy Me Some Peanuts and Religious Privilege
March 26, 2012 By 12 Comments
Did you know that Little League Baseball has a pledge? It’s on their website, right here:
I trust in God
I love my country
And will respect its laws
I will play fair
And strive to win
But win or lose
I will always do my best
Little League is a tax-exempt American non-profit that organizes youth baseball around the world, up to and including the Little League World Series. Teams from every country often say this pledge before games, and Vancouver resident Bruce Levens is none too pleased about it:
“I have brought my children up to be very skeptical of religion and to allow them to make their own choices as to whether or not they want to follow any particular faith,” Levens told the Courier this week [...]
Levens supports the pledge’s commitment to fair play and good sportsmanship but believes the altars of religion and sport should be kept apart. “I’d like to see the whole reference to God, country and laws taken out completely,” said Levens, an atheist. “It’s highly inappropriate to expect children to make that pledge.”
I agree completely with Levens, and I like that he goes so far as to denounce the political sentiments as well. I personally find it divisive and jingoistic, not to mention more than a little creepy, when children are expected to swear political loyalties.
Of course, Little League can’t — and doesn’t — require anyone to say the pledge. But… Well, I’ll let Levens explain it. He’s on a roll:
Levens said the pledge puts undue pressure on children and families. “Even if it isn’t a strict requirement to give the pledge, to have the pledge creates a social need to conform and people feel uncomfortable saying no,” he said.
Exactly.
The pledge is intended, according to Little Mountain Little League President Pat Chaba, to instill “character and respect.” It’s modeled off of the American Pledge of Allegiance (post-”Under God,” clearly).
But it’s 2012, and Little League is a multicultural, international organization now. I don’t mean to imply that the pledge’s god-bothering ever had a purpose, but it’s obviously long past due for a rewrite.
Jesus Saves…
March 21, 2012 By 14 Comments
…the Broncos.
After he missed last season due to neck surgery, the Indianapolis Colts released quarterback Peyton Manning.
The Denver Broncos promptly dumped Tim Tebow and snapped Peyton up.
Wouldn’t it be nice if God always worked in ways this obvious?
Soccer Rules Board Overturns Hijab Ban
March 4, 2012 By 34 Comments
It really frustrates me when religious people choose to deny themselves an activity that they enjoy because society won’t accommodate their restrictions, which have zero basis in reality. (The fact that they then tend to get angry about everyone else being stubborn and inflexible is just the icing on the frustration-cake.)
But when inclusiveness costs as little as changing the start time of a basketball game, or allowing Muslim soccer players to wear hijabs, my sympathies tend to err in that direction. This is particularly true when one considers that many Muslim women face daunting social (and sometimes legal) repercussions for defying the rules of their religion.
On Saturday, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan — who is an executive committee member of FIFA — convinced the eight-member International Football Association Board (IFAB) to reconsider an earlier decision banning female players from wearing hijabs. The ban was based on a rule prohibiting “political, religious, or personal statements” on player equipment.
Iran's team took the field for an Olympics qualifier in 2011 and were forced to forfeit.
A New York Times article on the Prince’s attempt to overturn the ban quotes a pair of players, one from Iran and one from Jordan:
“Either we take it off or we don’t play, and obviously no one will take it off,” said Katayoun Khosrowyar, 24, who plays as a central midfielder for the Iranian team. “We went on the field, started training, and then when the first five seconds of the match went, the referee blew the whistle saying we can’t play anymore, we have to forfeit.”
[...]
“Suddenly I got a message that I can’t play, so it’s like my dream stopped,” [Reema Ramounieh, former goalkeeper for Jordan's national team] said. “You know I had to go out. I started crying and I went out to the field. The coach told me that we don’t need you anymore so thank you, you can go outside and maybe you can play with the ball on the side. So it was like my dream, it’s done because I’m wearing a headscarf.”
IFAB also cited safety concerns in the initial headscarf ban, but Prince Ali’s Saturday presentation recommended a safer Velcro version. The Prince, whose wife Rym Ali does not wear a hijab, stated that “There is a right for women’s play regardless of any other issues, and we are simply trying to find the best way to facilitate that.”
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