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But you want a stake in how other parents raise their kids. You want to force co-ed sports on parents and boys who don't want it and have no alternatives.
Co ed sports are not forced on anyone. Nobody HAS to play sports. If you don't want to play you don't have to play. Nobody is being forced to do anything.
In my state wrestling is open to boys and girls. Those boys and girls who choose to wrestle do so. Those who do not want to wrestle are not required to wrestle. There is no force.
Lots of kids don't wrestle. Some don't wrestle because they don't want to lose weight. Some don't wrestle because they don't want to wear a singlet. Some don't wrestle because they perceive wrestling to be a dirty sport. Some don't wrestle because it takes too much time. Some don't wrestle because they have no interest. If there is a kid that doesn't wrestle because he doesn't want to wrestle a girl nobody is going to force him to wrestle.
I have seen boys forfeit matches for many reasons. If they don't want to wrestle the handful of girls that make the wrestling team (usually at lower weights) nobody is going to force them onto the mat. They have a choice. Wrestle their opponent or don't. Choosing not to do something is still a choice.
Form the olympics to all organize sport we have males and females competing separately. I always thought that this is to level the field as males are generally stronger and faster than females.
Are you saying the International Olympic Committee is instead discriminating against females? LOL
Co ed sports are not forced on anyone. Nobody HAS to play sports. If you don't want to play you don't have to play. Nobody is being forced to do anything.
Thank you. Nobody HAS to play sports, least of all girls who insist on playing with the boys.
The reality is that boys and girls are not physically equal after they hit puberty. Boys tend to be taller and heavier than girls. This larger physical stature and the presence of testosterone allows them to develop and support more lean muscle tissue. There are other physical differences which accentuate the disadvantage to girls. This is quite simply a biological reality. Thus, girls will be at a disadvantage to boys in sports where physical strength and speed are key. This is true of contact sports and it is also true of some technique sports like tennis or golf. Fact is, men can hit the ball harder than women.
Now the disadvantage is not absolute. A better technique can compensate for less strength. But, where there is equal technique, the girl will generally be at a disadvantage. Where contact is an integral part of the sport then the disadvantage will be greater.
If we insist on desegregating the sports I was alluding to above, two things will likely happen. The first is that girls are less likely to make the team than boys because they are at a physical disadvantage. The second is that girls are more likely to get hurt than boys (for example, there is evidence that girls are more susceptible to ACL damage than boys).
Of course there will sometimes be girls who can compete on a level footing with boys. But they will be the exception and not the rule. For the rest of them I think that competitive co-ed teams (as opposed to just playing for fun) would be unfair on the girls and probably on the boys as well. I grew up in a rather traditional blue collar environment and hitting girls was a huge no-no. I'm not sure I could go in as hard on a girl as I would on a guy and I think that would be true for a lot of boys.
I grew up in a rather traditional blue collar environment and hitting girls was a huge no-no. I'm not sure I could go in as hard on a girl as I would on a guy and I think that would be true for a lot of boys.
See, I've abandoned roughly 99% of those good old-fashioned down home traditional "blue collar" values But even I have to agree with you here. I can't imagine most boys being truly comfortable with tackling girls the same way they'd tackle another boy. Even if this somehow became the norm (coed competitive tackle football), I think there'd be a considerable fraction of the male players taking it easy on the girls, if only because they kinda sorta liked them.
The reality is that boys and girls are not physically equal after they hit puberty. Boys tend to be taller and heavier than girls. This larger physical stature and the presence of testosterone allows them to develop and support more lean muscle tissue. There are other physical differences which accentuate the disadvantage to girls. This is quite simply a biological reality. Thus, girls will be at a disadvantage to boys in sports where physical strength and speed are key. This is true of contact sports and it is also true of some technique sports like tennis or golf. Fact is, men can hit the ball harder than women.
Now the disadvantage is not absolute. A better technique can compensate for less strength. But, where there is equal technique, the girl will generally be at a disadvantage. Where contact is an integral part of the sport then the disadvantage will be greater.
If we insist on desegregating the sports I was alluding to above, two things will likely happen. The first is that girls are less likely to make the team than boys because they are at a physical disadvantage. The second is that girls are more likely to get hurt than boys (for example, there is evidence that girls are more susceptible to ACL damage than boys).
Of course there will sometimes be girls who can compete on a level footing with boys. But they will be the exception and not the rule. For the rest of them I think that competitive co-ed teams (as opposed to just playing for fun) would be unfair on the girls and probably on the boys as well. I grew up in a rather traditional blue collar environment and hitting girls was a huge no-no. I'm not sure I could go in as hard on a girl as I would on a guy and I think that would be true for a lot of boys.
I agree with everything you say regarding biological differences. I also agree 100% that competitive single gender sports are best for everyone. However, in my state there are a few sports (wrestling and football) where there are no girls teams. I also agree that the vast majority of girls cannot compete with the boys in these sports. However, for the few that can compete I think that they should be permitted to do so.
I have boys who participate in both sports. While I do not think the state can sustain girls tackle football I would LOVE to see FL add girls wrestling as a varsity sport. I have seen many promising girls drop out of wrestling because they were competitive at the lower weights and then unable to compete as they grew heavier. The boys were just too strong. It is a shame because many of the girls are good wrestlers who enjoy the sport.
However, for the few that can compete I see no reason why they should be denied the opportunity.
The only "forcing" is when public funds are used to pay for the sport. Don't want to play co-Ed? Than don't play in a public school.
I do not think we need co ed sports. I think that for sports that do not provide single gender opportunities that both genders should be eligible to participate.
For the record, in my state public and private schools belong to the same athletic association and are bound by the same rules. I know some states have separate associations for public and private schools but that does not exist here.
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But even I have to agree with you here. I can't imagine most boys being truly comfortable with tackling girls the same way they'd tackle another boy. Even if this somehow became the norm (coed competitive tackle football), I think there'd be a considerable fraction of the male players taking it easy on the girls, if only because they kinda sorta liked them.
