Co-Ed Sports Teams
Should Girls Be Allowed To Play For A Boys Team?
By: Justin Marine
Imagine an all girls lacrosse team, they only have one good player and she is bigger and stronger than the rest of her team and she plows through everyone. I don't know about you, but that doesn't seen very fair to me. Girls playing on a boys team would help avoid unfair issues like the size, skill and strength.
Body paragraph 1
If you live in an area where there are no girls teams, then playing on a boys team will help avoid issues like travel. In fact my friend Lina joined my wrestling team because there wasn't a girls team anywhere close to where she lives. According to the article Should My Daughter Play for a Girls Team or a Boys Team, "The only option to play on a girls team practices." Also, "the level of play may be better because of sheer numbers meaning more competitive practices and leagues." (Should My Daughter Play for a Girls Team or a Boys Team) There are almost never any girls at the tournaments that I go to and that's because there aren't a lot of girls teams so the best way to get competition is to join a boys team.
Body paragraph 2
If a girl is at the same skill level as a boy then she would be allowed to play on a boys team like wrestling, football, and baseball. Boys on the other hand, can only play on a girls team if they aren't good enough to excel. If a girl wants to play for a boys team she needs to have the size and the skill and if a boy isn't as good as his teammates and opponents he can play for a girl team. "...if teams and leagues organize teams according to size, risks in contact sports have nothing to do with gender and more to do with coaching and and the child's skill and experience in that sport." (About Girls Participation on Boys Teams) Also, "...girls with comparable size, strength and skill as the boys they play with and against should be allowed the opportunity to play." (Woman's Sports Foundation) For example, there is a girl that wrestles head to head with an All-American Wrestler, a 2x national champ and the son of a Russian Olympian.
Body paragraph 3
In some sports leagues bellow the professional sports level, there will be some individual girls who are able to compete with and against boys. "Especially in cases where the opportunity to compete on a girls team is not present, girls with comparable size, strength and skill as the boys they play with and against should be allowed the opportunity to play." (Woman's Sports Foundation) For example, the girls team might be too far or you could be too old to play on the girls team so they should be allowed the choice to play on a boys team. "In 1972, congress passed Tittle IX, which requires that "the selection of sports and competition effectively accommodate the interest and abilities of members of both sexes." (John Paraskevas) The fact that some girls have the skill to play for a boys team doesn't mean that she will want to because she might not have the size or strength. But some girls do have all of those and do want to play for a boys team so they should be allowed the choice to play on a boys team.
Counter-claim
Other people say that girls playing on a boys sports team may create self-esteem issues. Playing with girls will help them feel more comfortable and welcome. If a girl plays on a boys team, the boys might tease her. But it doesn't happen very often because the girls can prove to the boys that she belongs on the team and that she is just as good as them.
Conclusion
Girls having the choice to play for a boys sports team would help avoid unfair issues like the size, skill and strength. Girls are getting hurt because there are girls on there teams that are bigger, stronger and have more skill then the rest. If you have a daughter that is better than the rest of the kids on her team, then make the better choice for her and her teammates and allow her to play for a boys team so she can get better competition and make it fair for the girls on the all girls team.