After Atalanta

 My niblings both play youth sports. I do not live nearby so I do not get to see them do so that often. But even though they play at a pretty recreational level, the vibe is still pretty intense. Though it is nothing close to the awfulness I hear some of my students describe or things I have seen in the media.  And though it is not perfect, there are some good practices. Some of the sports that are more cost-intense have programs to help with accessibility. Neither of the leagues my niblings play in really keep score (the parents may and I am not sure which ones share that info with their children). The coaching I have seen seems good and I have not witness any parent or coach yelling at a ref/official (who are all teens).  Still I was surprised--pleasantly--when I heard what happened at the lacrosse jamboree my niece played in earlier this summer. One team was short a few players and so players from my niece's team played for the short-handed team--including my niece--wh...

Yes, all of those things are connected and I had intended to write about this issue earlier--specifically in June when the Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury played on the 24th. It was a...contentious game. There was a lot of chirping, some meme-able finger pointing, and after the game, upon league review, a Flagrant 2 foul for Alyssa Thomas that resulted in a one-game suspension. [I assume a fine as well but not sure how much. A player is assessed a $500 fine for a technical.] And then all hell broke loose when replays and slo-mos and up-close angles that were not available during the game showed Thomas's fist on Caitlin Clark's neck while Clark was on the floor, on her back trying to retain control of the ball.  The vitriol was immediate and completely disproportionate [and I am saying this as someone who still holds Thomas responsible for taking out the star (Napheesa Collier) of my favorite team (Lynx) in last year's playoffs]. The reaction itself became a story. So fina...

 Though the Supreme Court ruling allowing states to ban trans girls and women from school-sponsored sports was not surprising, it is disappointing. We can know something horrible and frightening and violent is coming and still be sad and angry and despondent when it arrives. (Remember those months between the 2024 election and the inauguration??) As many have said in the lead up to this case and the intervening months since the arguments and now that the decision has been released, it is children who will suffer the most from this decision. I wonder if starkness of this discrimination is greater now that the ruling has been issued? Will anyone pause and say: wait, we allow every other kid to play sports regardless of ability and differences* in biology, but not these kids because we hold certain (unfounded) beliefs about what they can do? The complete obfuscation of the range of human abilities that are based on SO MANY factors that are impossible to disaggregate by the court is as...