After Atalanta

 cross-posted at the Title IX Blog -------------------------------------------------- Well The Boston Globe published the news  (paywalled*) behind former women's ice hockey coach Katey Stone's press conference two hours before the conference The surprise factor was gone by the time I tracked down the clips. The two pieces of the press conference (Stone's lawyer's remarks and Stone's remarks) can be found at Hockey New s. Some former players spoke as well but I have not seen those clips yet.  There is plenty to say about this lawsuit and press conference.  First, looking back at my predictions, I should have placed more emphasis on retribution than on moving forward with "apologies." Most of today was digging in to "truths." There were no apologies. There was some very interesting running around the allegations though. More on that below.  It was very clear that Stone is irate that she was not allowed to speak back in 2023 when everything went do...

Making news internationally ( as far as China !), one of the world's most famous golf clubs, Augusta National, has finally admitted two women as members. Condoleeza Rice and Darla Moore, the VP of an investment company and major donor to the University of South Carolina (the business school is named after her). The controversy over the lack of female members has been been consistently cyclical. Every year when the Masters is played there, the issue is reinvigorated with various levels of vigor. Last year was a renewed burst of criticism/activism due to the then-recent naming of Virgina Rometty as the new chairperson of IBM--a position that has always come with a membership at Augusta. But Rometty was not one of the two women--because Augusta does things on its own terms. As former chairperson of Augusta, Hootie Johnson, said during the years when the controversy was highest (i.e. Martha Burk was protesting nearby), Augusta would make changes in its own due time and not "at th...

I know, it flew under the radar and all, but Tiger Woods is out of rehab and playing the Master's this week. And The Globe and Mail is wondering whether his return will offend women who make up a pretty decent sized segment of the golfing audience. They play less but spend more on the sport. (It's because halfway decent-looking golf clothes for women cost more than those ubiquitous polos guys throw on with their khakis. Women of course could wear the polo/khaki combo, but I, personally, have an issue playing a sport in khakis. I mean is it golf or casual Friday at the firm?) Anyway, some are worried that women are going to be offended if things are just allowed to go one without comment or sanction. Tiger cheated. Cheated with women deemed unsavory. And he got caught. It's a scenario "women" are familiar with. I wonder how many wives of August National members have an intimate knowledge of such things?? Give me a break. People cheat. I am not saying it is right; ...

In the wake of the leak to the press about some findings from the medical examination of Caster Semenya, Dave Zirin and Sherry Wolf (I am going to hear her talk tonight!) have another Nation column about the situation. They take to task the IAAF of course but also Australia (probably not the whole country) who called for the initial examination and the Australian press that printed the leak from some IAAF official, and all the people--officials and press--that continue to use the quite unenlightened term "hermaphrodite." One would have hoped that the people who were actually doing the examining would know better. But even some using the term intersex are transferring the literal definition of hermaphrodite. There are many intersex conditions; they do not all--actually very few--manifest in the presence of both (historically defined) male and female genitalia. Dr. Alice Dreger must be very busy these days. I think every member of the IAAF and any person in the media who has c...

Just doing some post-weekend catching up on stories. Dr. Alice Dreger wrote a very good piece in the NYT about the biology of sex--inspired, of course, by the story of Caster Semenya. A 74-year old woman received a gold medal in judo--50 years after winning the YMCA competition. Rusty Kanokogi, who was legitimately part of a judo team when she was in her 20s and took the position of an injured teammate, was disqualified after she won the competition when officials discovered she was a woman. Apparently in her gear she appeared somewhat androgynous. The outrage she felt at being stripped of her gold medal fueled her activism on behalf of women's judo. Netball is coming to the United States! What is netball, you ask? Well it is one of the most popular women's sports in the world. And it is going to be played at the Staples Center September 11. It will be an exhibition game prior to the Sparks last regular season home game. Here is a description of the sport: Netball is similar to...

I actually don't have strong American leanings when it comes to international sport (or anything else actually) so rooting for the Europeans last weekend in the Solheim Cup is not necessarily shocking for anyone who knows me. But frankly I was ticked off after watching the press conference with Christina Kim and Morgan Pressel and Christie Kerr the day before play started. I have a decent admiration for Kim because she has a certain defiant attitude to her; she steps outside of golf's boundaries of genteelness, etc. But she stepped right back into them when she addresses the only slightly subtle question about the Euro vs. American format. The reporter was essentially asking, without directly asking it, what about the Asians? Because some of the press over this Solheim Cup has centered around an allegedly weak European team (they very much held their own until the singles matches). And of course there has been all the coverage over the rise of Asian players. But Kim said the So...

In what appears to be a last-ditch effort to get their sport into the Vancouver games, a group of female ski jumpers has written a letter to IOC president Jacques Rogge asking him to let them compete this coming winter. Since it appears that no one has jurisdiction over the IOC and Rogge, the women are doing what they can to keep their cause alive. And they are also drawing on the positive reaction to the inclusion of women's boxing in the summer games starting in 2012. Boxing was the only summer games sport without with a men-only competition. Ski jumping and Nordic combined are the only men-only sports in the winter games (and now, I suppose in the whole Olympic roster). I admire their efforts as I have throughout this fight. But I am doubtful this letter, even in combo with the praise from the boxing decision, will sway Rogge. This is, after all, the man who refused to even meet with the women in person to let them plead their case.

The women who train under USA Wrestling have filed a grievance claiming they are receiving inferior treatment. Some of the top female wrestlers in USA Wrestling's program say discrimination exists at multiple levels and includes: less qualified coaching, more harsh punishments (including being publicly demeaned by coaches), and differences in monetary compensation. USA Wrestling executives will get first crack at addressing the claims. If they do not do so in a "reasonable time" or not to the satisfaction of the women, the grievance will be sent to the United States Olympic Committee.

In fact, it's a little bit disgusting. When I was watching the championship game last Tuesday--or rather the pre-game--I thought I heard something about Geno Auriemma and Augusta National. But I was doing other things, I didn't hear the exact context, and when I googled seeking further information, I couldn't find anything. But a re-googling brought up this article about Auriemma's friendship with golfer Fred Couples. Couples promised his friend a weekend of golf anywhere he wanted if UConn won the championship this year. Auriemma's choice: Augusta National. People accuse me of "reverse discrimination" (no such thing by the way) and not believing in the better candidate getting the job (you know, the myth of meritocracy) when I start to go off about men coaching women's teams. And moments like these just affirm all my objections. So here's a guy who coaches women's sports; who is regarded as one of the best coaches in all of women's baske...

On Saturday I did a 5K that benefited a local organization that helps women and their families who have been victims of domestic violence. And though there was a snazzy mug designed by cartoonist Hilary Price who writes and draws Rhymes with Orange , I was actually pleased that the proceeds (over $55,000 I heard) went to a local charity and was put together largely by donations from local businesses. So many charity runs spend a lot of money on advertising and prizes/gifts that, in the end, take away from the actual charity. In the afternoon I managed to catch all of the NBC special on the Paralympics. I thought it was good. A good mix of stories in terms of sports participated in, type of disability, race, age, and "success" at the Beijing Games. Of course the producers could not have known the outcomes when they chose the athletes--not entirely at least--so this may have been more chance than not. There was a good segment on how China has become more aware and accommodating...

I so enjoy sending a strongly worded note of concern over some egregious act perpetuated by some knowing persons. Letters to the editor, letters to journalists, letters to television execs, letters to administrators--things of that sort. Haven't done it in a while. Thankfully Pat Griffin over at the It Takes a Team blog has provided me and others like me a new opportunity. She had previously reported on the suspension of two volunteer coaches of youth baseball in Michigan City, IN after they not only condoned the use of anti-gay slurs against a 12-year old boy, but participated in the harassment and proceeded to defend their actions and those of the other harassers. They were suspended from coaching for one year. A slap on the wrist if ever there was one. Now, though, it's a slap in the face to the victim and his supporters: the recreation department has overturned the suspension of said coaches. Please read more of the story at It Takes a Team where there are also links to the...

...the LPGA "backed off" it's English-only policy. (Not that I really would have started an office pool in part because I don't have an office.) But it would have been interesting. 'Cause I was wondering how long this new policy would last especially as people who have a little more invested in the tour, like number 1 Lorena Ochoa and sponsor State Farm, started speaking out--albeit somewhat tentatively--against aspects of the policy. So now they will go back to the drawing board and come up with a new policy by the end of the year, according to tour commissioner Carol Bivens, who made the announcement this afternoon. The news came just before a scheduled press conference by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in which they were going to demand the tour rescind the policy. The center still believes the LPGA owes its players and its fans a huge apology though. No kidding.

LPGA commissioner Carol Bivens has spoken--just when people were starting to question her silence. Perhaps this was part of the impetus. Bivens today issued a memo/letter to "LPGA Constituents" of which I am apparently one because I receive the LPGA e-newsletter. But you too can read it in its entirety here before you check out what everyone has to say about it. I can't imagine it will alter anyone's current opinion (pro or con) of the policy. There is no new information. There are no changes. There are no new explanations of the organization's rationale behind the policy. Bivens does feel the need to point out that it is "something most players want and fully support." When you are the only game in town--at least the most profitable one--and you control an athlete's ability to earn money in her sport, and the athletes don't seem to have much power in your organization (for whatever reason), one cannot really expect they are going to come out pub...

I was reading Fat Louie's post about the LPGA policy and then the link to a post at Racewire where a commenter felt that part of the impetus behind the policy was complaints by male amateurs that their pro-am partners could not speak English well enough and thus were not entertaining. Commenter notes the sexism inherent in such a belief. Women are there for entertainment, including female athletes. But the racism is also incredibly scary. Everyone knows the policy is directed at the Asian golfers. And most are familiar with the stereotypes about Asian women as compliant and entertaining. And some, though probably fewer, know about the various histories of Asian women serving the needs of foreign men including as comfort women in World War II, as prostitutes--throughout time, as mail order brides, etc.

Here's the update: The LPGA is getting a lot of crap about their new language policy that threatens suspension to any player who cannot pass an oral English competency test. Other sporting organizations are taking the opportunity to boost their reputations noting that they don't have language requirements. That they provide translators. That their athletes will often learn English of their own accord; without pressure. Here's an example from the tennis world. This NYT piece discusses the business side of the decision and quotes a confused Libba Galloway, the tour's deputy commissioner, who is "puzzled" by all the attention the new policy is receiving. But it also notes that Commissioner Carol Bivens hasn't spoken up publicly in support of it. Methinks she is throwing Galloway, who has been the public mouthpiece for the policy, under teh bus. I had some concern when the story first broke about all the players rushing to show their (nearly) unequivocal supp...

Sure, it's August and some of you are like what are you talking about ice hockey for? Well some of us are always thinking about hockey--I'm not actually one of them. Once college hockey season ends I move on. But those Canadians, they think about hockey ALL THE TIME, as evidenced by this editorial in the Edmonton Journal . It seems that the Hockey Hall of Fame has never inducted a female player. They have an exhibit on women's hockey but no inductees. Hmmm...curious. Well not really if you're paying any attention at all so I guess such a fact then is just plain disturbing/annoying/irksome--insert your adjective of choice. The writer does a fairly good job with the history of women's hockey and the the arguments/excuses levied against women's participation.

Well, it's probably always been there but now the organization is being called on it . Mauricia Grant, a former inspection official and an African-American woman, filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against NASCAR citing racial and gender discrimination and sexual harassment. Dave Zirin's column, linked above, is the first I had heard about this case though I don't usually pay much attention to NASCAR. I do pay a lot of attention to cases of discrimination in sports though. Of course NASCAR has launched a campaign against Grant saying that she never reported any of the incidents she cites in the lawsuit (and they include some lovely name-calling and incidents in which men exposed themselves to her; why do men find this an effective form of intimidation?). And this is the problem with dealing with discrimination through the legal system (ok, one of many problems but this is the one I'm focusing in). When the burden for proof is on the oppressed person; someone who is lik...

In response to an incident that occurred a few months ago at a high school basketball game in Kansas, the Kansas State High School Activities Association has added language to its application for member schools which prevents discrimination against an official based on sex, nationality, race, or religion. (Note the very obvious absence of sexuality and gender expression. Grrr...) The addition of the anti-discrimination language was motivated by an incident this past February in which a female referee was told by one of the participating schools, St. Mary's Academy, that they would not allow her to officiate the game because a woman in charge of young boys went against their religious beliefs. St. Mary's has not commented on the change in the application which would effectively deny them any form of membership in the KSHSAA meaning they would not be able to compete against member schools--assuming they would continue to refuse female referees--which they seem intent on doing. Th...

...on the other side of gender? I teach classes in women's studies and sports studies and I am always talking about race and gender (and class and sexuality and (dis)ability and a host of other identity markers) and thus I frequently hear sentiments such as this: "we shouldn't look at the color of a person; we should look at the person" and "we don't need feminism anymore; women are equal." This editorial out of Colorado kind of combines these sentiments. The author, a mother of two youngish children says her kids don't see gender. I hate to break it to you--but unless you are visually impaired, you see gender--and race and a host of other things. Here's an exercise I learned in grad school in a critical race theory class: Close your eyes. [Just humor me and do it.] Now recall a person you met in the past couple of weeks. Someone who you met in passing, someone whose name you might not even be able to immediately recall. Now can you identify that...

...for bringing up this issue again but the controversy engendered by the "rules" at St. Mary's Academy in Kansas (sorry for the initial mistake placing this event in Missouri--the taglines all cited Missouri) just keeps growing. My students brought it up in class last night and they thought it was pretty ridiculous (even the one who was raised and went to a conservative Catholic high school herself) that St. Mary's would not let a woman referee a boys' game. But the news of the discrimination--the illegal kind, not the discrimination that is a matter of taste or preference--has gone overseas. This article is actually helpful in providing more information about what happened in 2004 when St. Mary's refused to play a high school team whose roster included a young woman. It also shares that the game in which Michelle Campbell was not allowed to ref due only to her gender was completed with a school administrator serving as the ref. Not sure what the Kansas State...