Let The Girls Shoot!

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As many of you know, my older son is very athletic and his favorite sport to play is basketball. Currently, he is playing on an intramural team since his regular season for the school Bantam team has finished. Today, as I was sitting in the bleachers watching the game, I noticed that whenever one of the girls on either of the teams had possession of the ball, the coaches would call out to the male players, “Let her shoot!”

Now, I’m all for being a gentleman and chivalry but, am I the only one who thinks that this is sending the wrong message out to all the kids about gender equality. By telling the boys to back away and allow the girls to shoot the ball they are saying, in essence, that the girls are not as skilled at basketball as they boys are and that a special set of rules applies to them.

I wonder if professional female basketball players would be offended if they were playing on the same team or against their male counterparts and this took place. It sends the message that females are not as good at sports and it perpetuates gender stereotypes about the differences between men and women. Additionally, it teaches the kids that females are somehow fragile or delicate and incapable of performing under competitive athletic conditions.

This afternoon, I posed this discussion on the Tough Cookie Mommy Facebook Page and these are some of the responses that this topic received:

Kris Quier Blank said, “If sports are played with both boys and girls, they should be played equally with the same rules across the board…”

Jenny Frances said, “No, I think the coach is teaching the boys to be generous and teaching manners…”

Laura Walter Pryst said, “Maybe, but it might be because the boys aren’t letting her (shoot) while they’re in practice and the coach is trying to make sure the girls on the team get a chance to participate and gain skills…”

Let’s discuss: Do you think giving girls special privileges and rules in sports sends the wrong message to children about gender equality and male and female roles in society?

http://twitter.com/firewifeelly Elly

This is the follow up I just posted: Would you feel comfortable bringing it up with the coach? There was an article a while back about teachers encouraging girls/women to speak up in class as a way of trying to ensure equal classroom participation (because statistically girls/women don’t participate as much in classroom discussion). I wonder if the coach (who might also be a teacher?) is expanding that to the court, even if it’s not ACTUALLY necessary? It’s possible that the coach doesn’t even realize that he/she is sending a different message than the one they intend. (~ Laura)
- http://toughcookiemommy.com/ Maria – Tough Cookie Mommy
  
  You bring up such a good point, Laura. It seems that all of the intramural coaches abide by this unwritten rule. I have no idea if any of them are educators, however, they might be doing this as an extension of their own preconceived ideas about the different genders and how they perform in various sports. I’m comfortable bringing it up but the overall perception from the parents in the bleachers seems to be that this is cute and totally acceptable…
  - http://twitter.com/firewifeelly Elly
    
    Ah yes, the cute factor. It might take a girl’s family bringing it up to make the point more. As the mom of a boy, I can see someone saying “oh you’re just mad that your kid is having to let someone else have a go.” (Which isn’t the case, as any one who knows you can see, but that’s not always how things are understood.)
Daria

I haven’t run into this yet, but am trying to think about how I’d feel. Having not been there, it’s hard to say, but I think it would matter to me if the coach was “coaching” for other kids the same way. When a boy has the ball does he say “Let him shoot!”? Maybe she’s the stronger player and he wants them to let her shoot because she’s better. Or maybe it’s that she’s tentative and he wants her to gain confidence. Ultimately it would matter to me if he were treating her differently because she’s a girl or for any number of other reasons that may warrant that type of sideline coaching.

Assuming it’s just because she’s a girl…well, does she hold her own? IS she an equal player? If she is, I wouldn’t think he’d need to shout this, I”d think the boys would figure it out on their own. I was at a conference recently and the keynote speaker discussed the differences in generations. Apparently when asked how many boys and how many girls are in their college classes, this generation doesn’t know. They don’t differentiate by gender, so don’t think to notice. It was interesting to me.

So, while I think older coaches may have inherent gender biases, I don’t think the kids do. As long as the objectives of the team were being met – kids learning how to play, learning good sportsmanship, having time on the court, enjoying themselves – then I think I’d be ok with it.
http://twitter.com/TaoOfPoop Rachel Demas

Well, first, let me say that it is great to see girls playing basketball. I always feel really dejected when I go to the park with my young daughter and all we see are BOYS playing basketball. What does that tell her about what is possible for her? In terms of your question, I was wondering the same thing as Laura. I was wondering if the boys were not letting the girls shoot. But if it’s special treatment, I agree with you. It’s not doing anyone any good.